By Jeff Fleming

Published: April 7, 2009

NASHVILLE—State Representative Tony Shipley (R-Kingsport) will be taking an active role in a local band’s effort to raise funds for their upcoming trip to Nashville. The Dobyns-Bennett High School Wind Ensemble will be traveling to perform in the State Capitol in Nashville for the Governor, Constitutional officers, and members of the General Assembly on April 29, 2009.

Rep. Shipley attended the Dobyns-Bennett Music Department’s Holiday Concert to present a proclamation recognizing the band for their 18th place finish at Bands of America Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 13-15, 2008. He introduced and secured passage of HJR 23, whose text mirrored the proclamation, after the beginning of the 106th General Assembly.

“Having a band in our community that ranks 18th in the nation is quite remarkable,“ remarked Rep. Shipley.

“After being so impressed by the awesome performance I saw that night and the numerous awards and achievements that the Dobyns-Bennett Band has achieved, I realized that merely congratulating them with a House Joint Resolution was not enough,“ Rep. Shipley said. “They deserve more than that. That’s why I felt it so important to go a step further, and what better way to recognize them than to invite them to Nashville to perform in their State Capitol?“

To help defray the costs of the trip, Rep. Shipley and his friends will be hosting a fundraising car wash at AYP Automotive, 2607 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport, on

Saturday, April 11th, 2009, from 10:00am until 2:00pm.

As a kick-off of their new location and as a member of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, AYP was eager to help send the band to Nashville. AYP regularly gives back to the community by offering non-profit organizations and schools an opportunity to raise funds by making their facility available.

“AYP is doing a wonderful community service by allowing us to use their facility to help out these students. We’re actively developing fundraisers to help other schools in the district as well,“ Rep. Shipley said.

“I am committed to making this a great experience for these students,“ stated Rep. Shipley. “In consideration of all of their accomplishments over the last few years, I think the least I can do is roll up my sleeves and wash a few cars on Saturday. I hope to see the community come out in force to help me show our appreciation for these outstanding students and make this trip an overwhelming success.“

The Dobyns-Bennett Marching Band has a total enrollment of over 380 students, making it the largest high school band in the State of Tennessee. The band has won many top honors, including being back to back championships at the Contest of Champions in Murfreesboro, TN, in 2006 and 2007. The band marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl Parade, and twice in the Tournament of Roses Parade. The Dobyns-Bennett Wind Ensemble has performed at the Tennessee Music Educators Association Annual Convention as well as the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The program as a whole has been awarded the John Philip Sousa Sudler Flag of Honor, the highest international honor a band program can receive.

Representative Shipley serves the 2nd District in the Tennessee House of Representatives. His district encompasses part of Sullivan County, including the city of Kingsport and the communities of Colonial Heights, Indian Springs, and Sullivan Gardens. Rep. Shipley is serving his first term in the legislature, and is on the House Transportation and House Health and Human Resources Committees and on the Fiscal Review Board. Rep. Shipley also serves as Vice-Chairman for the Public Safety Subcommittee, on the sub-committee of Health Professional Occupations, and on a special committee for the study of Diabetes Prevention. He is also Vice-Chairman of the House Republican Caucus Energy Task Force.