Students give UHS Band cart a groovy new look

Students give UHS Band cart a groovy new look
Posted on 11/09/2020
Uintah High Band Director Brian Gibson, left, is pictured with juniors Thomas Driggs and Alden Herbert, who renovated the band's golf cart with help from Driggs' parents.Uintah High junior Thomas Driggs figured he had a pretty good idea for the service project that's required to earn a leadership position in the school marching band.

Thomas knew the golf cart UHS Band Director Brian Gibson uses during parades and to move band equipment had seen better days.

Thomas asked if he could have the cart for about a week without fully revealing his plan. His request happened to coincide with Fall Break, so Mr. Gibson granted it.

"Initially I was just going to paint over it," Thomas said, referring to the cart, which Mr. Gibson bought used for a marching band show 11 years ago.

Fellow junior and marching band member Alden Herbert happened to see Thomas as he was loading up the rundown golf cart.

"I kind of caught him in the act," Alden said. "He was keeping it a secret, so he told me to get over there and help him."

As they started working on the project, Thomas said it quickly became obvious that the cart needed a lot more than just a paint job.

The seat handles were gone. The floor was rusted through. The body was beaten up and broken in spots.

"When we got it, it was beat up to the point where I decided we should just redo the entire golf cart," Thomas said.

Thomas and Alden spent hours tearing down the cart. Then they went to work with Thomas' dad, Tim, who bought the metal for the new frame and body of the cart, and did much of the welding. Once the welding, grinding, and prep work was finally done, the cart was ready for paint.

"The paint made a big difference," Thomas said, noting that the cart looked like "a war machine" before the paint went on.

A fan of Volkswagens, Thomas decided the cart's new body and paint job would mirror the iconic VW look. But his attention to detail went beyond the body and paint.

Thomas' mom, Alexis, embroidered music notes, a trombone, and the words "Bad to the Bone" into the back of the new seat covers, and Thomas used a 3D printer to create a special VW logo with a Uintah feather for the front of the cart. A license plate with Mr. Gibson's name and a Driggs Designs logo adorn the back of the cart, also thanks to a 3D printer.

"He also gave me the key back on a VW key chain," Mr. Gibson said.

When Mr. Gibson posted photos of the band's groovy new cart on Facebook, there was plenty of praise for Thomas and Alden's work.

"So thoughtful and generous. What a classy thing to do!" one person wrote.

"That is SO cute!!!" another wrote.

"Oh, my goodness this is so awesome!" a third wrote.

Mr. Gibson said he had been thinking it was time to get rid of the golf cart. Now, that's the furthest thing from his mind.

"It is amazing!" he said.
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