T-L Photos/JOSIE BURKHART The Bellaire Big Reds Marching Band trailer sports new wrapping done by Chirp’s Auto Body with design done by Sunrise Designs at the end of July.

BELLAIRE — The Bellaire Big Reds Marching Band received a new wrapping with a fresh design for its band trailer before the start of the school year.

The process to create the new design and wrapping for the trailer began last school year during May, when band Director Lara Cline wanted a new look to replace the dated appearance of the trailer. It wasn’t until the end of July that the new design was done.

Cline said she talked to Superintendent Derrick McAfee about the band trailer’s new look while she was in the process of designing it.

“I didn’t really tell him, I just, kind of did it,” she said. “And then he saw it at church and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is that our trailer?’ I said, ‘Yep,’ and he was excited.”

Cline worked with Sunrise Designs, a design company in New Jersey, to create the look for the trailer. The company then mailed the wrapping to Chirp’s Auto Body Repair in Bellaire where the team put the new wrapping on the trailer.

“It’s nice to just have something that looks nice,” she said, “something to be proud of.”

Lara said the band members were excited when they finally got to see the new look. She also said it was just time for a facelift because the old look was 20 years old and faded pink with rust spots.

“We put a tarp over it so the kids couldn’t see it until we unveiled it at Belmont Savings Bank,” she said. “They were really excited. You go from the old, rusty pink Indian head to that. It’s almost like you’re shocked to have something that looks that nice. They were really excited for it.”

The band parents organization helped fund the new look and organize the project, while Chirp’s Auto Body donated its time and resources and Belmont Savings Bank in Bellaire donated for the cost of the wrap itself. Cline said it didn’t cost the band much at all to have the trailer redone.

The band also started wearing new uniforms this year that it received three years ago, paid for by the school. With the new lights at Nelson Field as well, Cline thought it was the perfect time for the trailer to be redone.

“I told my band parents that of all the times to get the trailer redone, why not do it when we have new lights? When we have new band uniforms?” she said. ” … We’re finally wearing those on a regular basis, so now it’s just time to get everything done with all the new going on.”

Cline initially came up with the new design herself, with inspiration from old band uniforms, the big B the school uses as a logo and is on the new uniforms and older fonts that were on past uniforms.

Cline said during the process she sat in on a Zoom meeting with a staff member from Sunrise Designs as he designed it. During the process of designing the look, the staff member took a picture of the old trailer and dragged icons on top of the picture to see what it would look like.

She said she loved seeing it come to life and finally seeing it in person because she watched the staff member design it.

“I’m excited for the kids to have something that is visual for the community to see, you know that they’re proud of,” Cline said. “That’s just exciting.”