On a recent Saturday afternoon, volunteers from 20 of the 32 NATO countries were in a Norfolk public works garage, hammering, sawing and gluing.
They were building floats for the 72nd NATO parade Saturday. The floats are assembled at a public works garage in Norfolk.
“I think everybody will be fine. We have a few different countries that are, you know, kind of behind the eight ball, but they're getting there,” said Alex Pincus, parade director.
Finland and Sweden have joined the transAtlantic pact in the past two years. This year, the Trump administration is questioning NATO's value and contemplating withdrawing from it.
Locally, the alliance remains as popular as ever, Pincus said.
“It's been here for a long time, though, so I think that history helps it to be accepted and helps it to be thought of in a positive way,” he said. “You've got to be hopeful. You've got to hope.”
A recent Gallup poll shows support for NATO in the U.S. is unchanged since 2019, when a clear majority found working with allies such as NATO was an important aspect of American security.
Each of the floats represents an aspect of the country's history. For several years, Romania has produced a model of Brown’s Castle, which they dubbed Dracula’s castle, leaning into myth created by Bram Stoker's novel.
“Once you get acquainted with the festival, and you know what's expected, you just come up with a project, and then you build it,” said Romanian Col. Gabriel Toma.
Norfolk has 10 Romanian officers, part of the roughly 1,100 allied troops stationed at NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation inside Naval Station Norfolk.
It’s the only event of its kind in the United States, celebrating a command that has undergone several transformations since it arrived in the 1950s.
The parade of 32 nations makes its way through downtown Norfolk on Saturday, April 26, followed by a festival in Town Point Park.
