Tom Thomas Memorial Celebration scheduled for June 17. 

Tom Thomas

Tom Thomas Memorial Celebration scheduled for June 17. 

Event will kick-off account that will help rent/furnish band instruments. 

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SCOTTVILLE — The legacy of Tom Thomas will be celebrated with a few hours of music and memories on Friday, June 17 at the Scottville Clown Band Shell. Thomas, who served as Mason County Central director of bands for the past 22 years, died on May 2, he was 65-years-old. Musicians and members of the community and schools who were impacted by Thomas are being asked to show up and perform, or just hang out. The event begins at 6 p.m. 

“We just want to have a gathering of friends and former students to celebrate my dad,” said Tom’s son, Andy. “He impacted many people’s lives and we figured what better way than to celebrate doing what he loved the most, playing music.”

Tom’s son Josh has sheet music of “The Pink Panther” theme song available for a community band performance. Members of the Scottville Clown Band, of which Thomas was a member of, will also play a couple songs — with the other musicians welcome to play as well. The event will also feature various other performances. 

The memorial will also kick off the Tom Thomas Memorial Fund through the Mason County Central Education Foundation. The memorial fund will collect money that will be used to rent and furnish instruments to MCC band students. 

“It was a passion of my dad’s that all students have equal access to music,” Andy said. “It’s our hope that this fund will be generate enough money to continue for many years. It will be used to pay for instrument rentals or to refurbish donated instruments.”

The first donation of the account is being made by the Scottville Clown Band, which is donating $2,500.47 in memory of Tom Thomas, through its Founders Grant Fund. The grant money is given in the memory of the members of the band who re-formed the Clown Band in 1947 (which is why 47 cents is included). 

Donations may be sent to MCC Educational Foundation, 300 W. Broadway Ave., Scottville, MI 49454. Write Tom Thomas Memorial in the memo.

For those who would like additional information on the event, they may follow the Tom Thomas Memorial Facebook group. 

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