The Team Hill Special Observance Council will bring together all the observances and cultural events celebrated throughout the year into a single festival. The festival will be 4-7 p.m., Aug. 17, at Centennial Park in pavilions 1 and 2. There will be music, cultural presentations, information booths and food. The THSOC has worked hard to make this event happen and hopes it will educate attendees about the unique population on Hill AFB, a population that makes the base a great place to live and work. The event is open to everyone with access to the base.

Established in the fall of 2015, the THSOC is open to everyone – military, civilian, retirees and family members. The executive council for the group currently has 19 members that include representatives for all of the special observances held every year. In addition to base activities, council members also help out in the local community. Proceeds earned from the volunteers’ work go toward supporting council events.

The Special Observance Council supports 10 special observances each year. Some last only a day; others run a month. They include:

• Martin Luther King, Jr (recognized the third Monday of January)

• African American Black History Month (February)

• Women’s History Month (March)

• Holocaust Remembrance Day/Holocaust Days of Remembrance (April/May)

• Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)

• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month (June)

• Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26)

• Hispanic American Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October)

• American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month (November)

The festival Aug. 17 will showcase the above observances. Those serving on each special observance sub-committee will be working in information booths at the festival, and each subcommittee member is passionate about the opportunity to share information about the council and what their unique observance represents.

Everyone is encouraged to attend the festival and take the time to visit each of the booths with an open mind and a willingness to discover more about Team Hill’s uniqueness.

For more information about the Special Observance Council or the festival, contact Irene Jones at irene.jones.1@us.af.mil or 801-777-9035.