End of the Line for Dunedin Pipe Band's Drum Set?

The City of Dunedin Pipe Band's drums are reaching the end of days.

They're "pushing the limits of competitive use," Gary Smith writes to Dunedin Patch. The city's highest level Grade 3 band, renowned across the southeastern United States, is barely keeping its 11-year-old drum set alive. 

On top of that, members from the Grade 5 and 4 bands are having an increasingly hard time sharing their set because of overlapping competitions, the band says.

Members hope to replace the aging Grade 3 set with a fresh set of top of the line Andante snare and bass and midsection drums, known for their sound quality and durability in the piping world. 

But the city pipe band, a non-profit, doesn't readily have the $15,000 it takes to replace them. 

So they're reaching out to the public for donations. So far, the band has raised $1,570, according to its fundraiser website.

"The DPB Grade 3 band is the premier Grade 3 band in the Southeast United States, and these drums will help keep the band at the top," the band says.

If the Dunedin Pipe Band is able to replace the aging drum set, it would be passed down for the Grade 5 and 4 bands to use.

Want to Help?

• How: Join the Dunedin Pipe Band pub crawl or donate directly via the group's fundraising website. 
• When: Pub crawl is 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27, or the fundraising website deadline is Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m.
• Where: Crawl starts with concert at Pioneer Park in downtown Dunedin, then continues at Chic-a-Boom Room, The Dunedin Smokehouse and Flanagan's Irish Pub. 
• Tickets: Pre-sale tickets are available for $20 at the Lothian Kilt Rentals & Bagpipe Supplies. Price includes one free drink at each location, $1 off drinks all night at Flanagan's and a $5 discount on the new Dunedin Pipe Band T-shirt at the concert.