GILMER, Texas — With football season around the corner, the Gilmer High School band is showing off some new uniforms.
The new threads are said to be more light weight, comfortable and made with a new material to make them more breathable, which are all helpful qualities for surviving the East Texas heat.
These outfits are not only to make the band look sharp but to keep them cooler on these warm nights.
"Texas weather tends to lend itself to more hot days than than less. So you always have to think students safety in mind," Gray said. "The hat especially retains a lot of heat and as as the year starts and as the year progresses, we just have to keep in mind our students safety."
Now the band won’t show off these new uniforms the first couple of weeks of the season because of the heat. Gray said they typically wear t-shirts and shorts donning the schools logo for the first two games.
But people can expect to see the new threads debut during the homecoming game against Kilgore High School on Sept. 13.
Band Director Eric Gray said this is something they only do every 8 to 10 years. He said the new upgrade has been years in the making due to the design and budget approval process.
The uniforms cost about $1,000 each with a $100 service fee each year. With roughly 160 band members the costs can be quite high. This is something the school board has a designated fund for and approves the process two years in advance.