Hats off to Tops in Blue, the U.S. Air Force's traveling entertainment group, for outgrowing its venue at State College Area High School, several times over.

Tops in Blue will be performing a show titled "Soaring with Eagle" at 7:30 tonight in the State College Area High School.

Tickets to the hour and a half show were free to those who called Penn State Air Force ROTC offices, Lieutenant Tom Sites said.

"It's a full house," he added.

All 650 seats in the State High auditorium have been reserved.

"Unfortunately we're getting so much interest we could've filled up the Bryce Jordan Center -- well, not quite. Unfortunately, we're turning many people away," Sites said.

"The talent is Broadway caliber," he added. "The genre will appeal from very young to senior citizens ... musical selections and dance selections from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s."

The all-ages shows are great for families, Sites said.

"[Tops in Blues is the] Air Force's premiere entertainment team. It's the best of the best performers out of the entire United States Air Force," Lt. Col. Terry O'Heron said.

The group is made up of members of the U.S. Air Force in active duty from every field, Sites said. From soldiers in aircraft maintenance divisions to finance divisions to intelligence, Tops in Blue auditions are open to all enlisted and officer corps, he added.

Auditions are held for musical talent including singing and instrumental skills, comedy and choreography, among other forms of entertainment, he said. Thirty men and women are chosen for a one-year tour, performing for the soldiers serving in active duty overseas and special shows in the United States, like the one tonight.

After the tour the Tops in Blue members return to their career fields, Sites added.

This is the 50th anniversary, O'Heron added.

"They actually came here about 3 years ago, once before. The local community here and the military members were totally thrilled with them," O'Heron said. They had a break in their schedule and actually contacted the university, asking to return.

There are a lot of retired military in the area here, Col. Paul Neiheisel said. Penn State is the only ROTC unit to host Tops in Blue, he added. Neiheisel is going into his 29th year with the Air Force and has seen Tops in Blue perform at least 10 times.

"They keep getting better and better," he said. One of the most memorable performances Neiheisel said he attended was at Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. Normally the group does not perform outside.

"But in the summer in California it never rains," Neiheisel said with a reminiscent laugh. With lighting and other technical challenges, Neiheisel said he remembers this as an extra special show.

Though there are no Penn State students in the group, more than 200 Penn State Air Force cadets will be in the crowd, Sites said.

Tops in Blue's 2003 entertainment schedule includes more than 120 locations in the U.S. and 22 foreign countries, O'Heron said.