By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Thompson High School Marching Southern Sounds band has ordered its new uniforms, but the band is still working to raise enough money to pay them off before putting the new attire to use.

“(Fundraising) has fallen off a little bit. I’d say we’ve got just about half of the money raised right now,” said THS Director of Bands Jon Bubbett, noting the band has raised more than $50,000 so far. “We’ve already placed the order, but we’ve got a long way to go until we can pay them off.”

Bubbett said the band still must raise about $27,000 to finish paying for the uniforms, and is hoping to have them in use for the 2013 football and marching competition season.

Most of the money already raised came from individual and corporate donors and through band-sponsored fundraisers, Bubbett said.

“The donations started off strong, but it’s started to fall off,” Bubbett said. “We just want to get the word back out there.”

Once the new uniforms are paid for, they will replace the organization’s current uniforms – some of which have been in use since the early 1990s.

To donate to the uniform fundraiser, contact Bubbett at the high school at 682-5700.