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Show . I 1 &) jnlMttop Mines n Hill AFB, Utah www.hilltoptimes.com hilltop.pahill.af.mil 84056-582- 4 a Vol. 58 No. 29, July 25, 2002 Overflow crowd enjoys 'Blue' performance inside: by Beth Young Hilltop Times staff The line of people curved around two corners of Northridge High School as people eagerly awaited Tops In Blue Railway 2002. This year's show took its audience for a singing, dancing ride across the country. The stage was magically transformed into the Liberty Train Station, home of the famous train 'Spirit of America' and Master Sgt Bryan Langerud, as the station manager, invited everyone aboard for this memorable journey. The show opened patriotically with the cast in dazzling red, white and blue and singing the praises of America. New York was the first stop with the cast singing "On Broadway" and while they were there they all had a "New York State of Mind." The next stop got a little more spicy, with salsa music and dancing in Miami. Then the audience was swept away to Chicago for some soul music from the Blues Brothers and little "Respect" from Staff Sgt. Evelyn Bruce and her row of back-usingers glittering in their sequined black dresses. From there the cast went "Walking in Memphis," before heading off to Texas for cowsongs. boy boots, hats and a medley of country-westerThe cast moved smoothly from one city to the next in a spectacular flurry of dance steps and high notes, as they ended the show with a tribute to America. America's music and spirit is a melting pot of diversity, said the show's narrator as the cast, in dress uniforms, entered the stage by way of the lighted staircase and sang 'Coming to America' and 'God Bless America.' A tribute to the heroes of Sept. 11 followed the words, "as the Gel CwCSfCif Pag 2 Page 3 p jiiL n K- - The show started with I the cast showing their true colors i h singing the In dazzling form and iJ '""a- : Photos by Beth Young Banner. IT buildings fell the heart and soul of America rose up." Tech Sgt. Max Hernandez's sang a song that asked "Where were you when the world stopped turn ing on that September day?" The audience was touched by pride as they stood to join the cast as they began to sing the final song, 'God Bless the U. S. A.' before a quick rendition of the Air Force song and exiting the stage through the audience amidst a roar of applause. The show, which has been touring America for 49 years, is as popular as ever. The Northridge High school auditorium was filled to capacity and 1,000 people had to be turned away. "Last year we had it at the Dee Events Center. However, they are under construction so we were unable to do it there this year," explained Ronda Reynolds, Hill AFB Marketing Specialist Hill AFB supports the Tops In Blue show in many ways from coordinating the auditorium and the DV section to providing lodging and volunteer ushers. It normally takes a month and a half of preparation to be ready for the show, said Reynolds. Youth Center offers roller Page 4 Said to rest 6 1 Filter country-wester- true down-hom- e style. In Chicago, The Blues Brothers showed they had soul with some fancy footwork. The line, below, zigzagged around Northridge High School as people eagerly waited for the show to begin and hoped to get a I ...... U0j seat. tin nTTTTliiir it ifliii "! iJ 'r.iiwi i Ceunthf Pages im fl W'L the "Spirit of America" made n a stop In Texas, above, songs were belted out In As 5& ok A-- D BUI n lJ Hill trains firefighters for arctic mission by Gary Boyle Hilltop Times Before heading south to fight fires on ice, 30 firefighters came to Hill AFB and took a look at a Hercules July 17 as part of a training program for a summer assignment to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The summer season on the frozen continent is from October through February. "Right now there is only 20 minutes of daylight and it's the middle of winter, so weather prevents flying there," said Sharon Digiacomo, who hires and helps train firefighters for the Raytheon Polar Services Company, which contracts firefighters for the tour. "This will be my fifth season going there and there are about a dozen people returning this time too. I like the challenge the environment provides and the thrill of doing a job in a place most people will only see in photographs." Supplies and personnel are flown into McMurdo by the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing on which but have skis on the landing gear. are similar to the On a regular runway the skis are above the wheel, but when landing on snow the ski goes below the wheel. is a pretty amazing plane because it can operate The in almost any climate and land then takeoff almost anywhere," said Craig Engelke, Flight Test deputy chief. "Wre work with the Hill Fire Department a lot and they asked if we'd mind showing these folks one of the aircraft we have here. The better trained these people are before they go to such an isolated place, the better off they'll be if an emergency arises." The firefighters are training with the Salt Lake City Fire Department's AirportTraining Division, who were contracted by Raytheon, for one week. The Hill tour was conducted to get the firefighters aquatinted with the aircraft. "These guys are experienced firefighters for the most part but they may never have dealt with a Hercules before," said Ron Buckmiller, an instructor with the SLCFDATD. "I asked if we could come out and see a Hercules because that's the plane these people will be dealing with for five months and was told to come on down." C-1- 30 Bowling Center reopens Page 7 Sci3 lessons available Pags 7 LC-130- s, I U '."Wg'nwi. m maJ'Wto - I awmaiti.i..s., U- - . I.I I s Csira facts Page 9 a C-1- T 1 juSg&eJt I.I. II j C-1- I ! . OiZ 1 1 Av -- . .111111 w "life - I J- '. ,.-- 'I VA 3i y 0, t fth A.: "3?J,-2t- . Photos by Gary Boyte Ronald Brown, above, from 1 30 Flight Test Section at Hill, points out some of the cockpit features on the airplane to firefighters headed to Antarctica. J.D. Harriott, a training Instructor with the Hill AFB Fire Department, talks to the firefighters about the Hercules. C-- The firefighters who were recruited tor the duty from around the country came to Hill to learn some basic emergency features about the aircraft. " " t in.- - r I, |