The Livingston Academy Marching Band has hit a positive note, reaching the fundraising goal for new uniforms.
Band Director Gregory Dingwall said the band has been fundraising for two years. Dingwall said a large grant from manufacturing company Parker Hannifin helped the band meet the goal.
“We put it out there, you know, advertised it in the newspaper, what we were doing,” Dingwall said. “We did it at every concert. So we were making a little bit of money here and there. We did dinners at our concerts this year which helped a little bit, and so all those things combined helped us get to where we needed to go.”
Dingwall said the current uniforms have been in use since 2005, and have long exceeded their twelve year lifespan. Dingwall said wear and tear made them more difficult for students to use.
Dingwall said the new uniforms are expected by early December, but he hopes they arrive earlier. Dingwall said he hopes the new uniforms can make their debut in Livingston’s Christmas parade.
Dingwall said the new uniforms will visibly deviate from the current set, which pairs black trousers with a blue and white top. In addition to the design change, Dingwall said the new uniforms will be easier to take care of. Design elements like snaps will help the uniforms better fit each kid, which will remove the need for alterations each year.
“This next uniform is going to be basically totally black, and is’s going to have some interesting stripes across the front that fade from a white to a royal blue to a gold, which is the three colors of our school,” Dingwall said. “Black is just the base color to keep things consistent and it looks really good.”
Dingwall said the old uniforms may be sold in a new fundraising effort.
“People who have worn those uniforms can come back and purchase those uniforms,” Dingwall said. “We haven’t determined a price yet on those. We want to make it fair, but it will be enough that we’ll be able to put it into a fund to maybe help for the next time uniforms have to be purchased in ten to 12 more years.”
Pictures of the new uniforms can be found on the Livingston Academy Band website and social media pages.
