The Regiment of Red was sporting its new look at halftime Smyrna High's home football game against Dover on September 26.

The members of the Smyrna High marching band were decked out in brand new uniforms, featuring plumed helmets and a red, white and black color scheme.

It was a landmark performance for the Regiment of Red because it was the first time Smyrna’s home crowd saw the band perform in its new uniforms.

Rain started to fall in the middle of the show, but it didn’t dampen the band’s spirit as it played musical selections like “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Come on Eileen.”

Smyrna High Band Director Jessica DuPuis said it was a great feeling to see the band show off its new look on Friday.

“These uniforms look great on the kids,” she said. “They look impressive.”

DuPuis said the band members had to stop and just look at each other the first time they suited up in the new uniforms.

“It was kind of an awe-inspiring moment,” she said.

Instead of the cylindrical “shako” style hats, the new uniforms feature helmets with feathery, white plumes.

DuPuis said the helmet gives the Regiment of Red a more unique look than the old “shako” hat.

“Every band has that hat,” she said.

The new uniform is also asymmetrical, with the top portion of the uniform being red on one side and black on the other.

DuPuis said the band can use this design difference to create a visual effect where the band appears black at one moment and red the next based on how they are positioned.

The Smyrna High band designed the new uniforms along with the manufacturer, DeMoulin Bros. and Co.

Tya Scott, a junior drum major who also helped out with the design process for the new uniforms, said this year’s band is excited about being the first group to use the uniforms.

“We’re ecstatic,” she said. “It represents us in a way everyone hasn’t seen before. It adds to the style of the way we march. It’s a lot more up-to-date than they used to be.”

They’re also more comfortable than the old uniforms, which didn’t always fit, and didn’t smell very good either, Scott said.

DuPuis said the old uniforms were 12 years old, and the sizes no longer fit the band. The style was also outdated, and it was hard to keep the white parts of the uniforms clean, she said.

Scott said the band members will have to make sure they take proper care of the new uniforms by keeping them clean and folding and hanging them the right way.

“It helps us become more responsible,” she said.

Scott also said she was excited about the home crowd’s reaction to the band on Friday night.

“I got a lot of comments,” she said.

The new uniforms became a reality for the Regiment of Red when the Smyrna School Board agreed to allocate $44,000 for the 110 new uniforms and helmets at the March 19 board meeting.

Regiment of Red scores well in first competition

DuPuis said the Regiment of Red did an outstanding job it its first band competition of the year at Lake Forest on September 27.

This year, the Smyrna High band moved up into a grouping for larger bands and competed along with Middletown and Caesar Rodney.

The Regiment of Red scored a 76.0 out of 100. DuPuis said it was a great achievement to score this high this early in the year.

This was the first time the Smyrna High band competed in its new uniforms, and the visual judges said this was the strongest Smyrna program they had seen in years, she said.