For more than 30 years, students participating in the Bradford
Marching Owls Band have sold grapefruit and oranges to fund such
things as new equipment and visiting band directors.

Those days, at least for this year, are over. Raging storms in
the south have made the availability of fruit difficult.

But the band and its boosters have developed a new way to make
the needed money in sales of locally made fudge.

The Bradford Marching Owls are now taking orders for six
different flavors of fudge made by John Williams European Pastry
Shop on Mechanic Street.

“He was excited he could do this for us,” said Cindy Astor, 2nd
vice president on the executive board of the Marching Owls Booster
Club.

Reasons for the change include the devastating effects of
Hurricane Wilma, a category three hurricane that crossed the state
of Florida Oct. 24. Damage to the grapefruit and orange groves were
bad enough that the company who supplied the fresh fruit to the
students notified them of the problem.

Officials learned that last year’s storms also affected the
fruit, as the trees had not had a chance to recover from the storms
and many other trees had been burned in an effort to stop the
spread of citrus canker.

Undaunted, the group, in its discussions of how they would
replace such a fail-safe item decided to try something new – fudge.
That decision was made in a week and a half when they discovered
they would not be able to sell the fruit.

“We made the decision to fill the void,” said Astor. “And we
will have to see what happens next year. But the fruit may not be
as plentiful next year either. The water damaged the roots.”

Astor said the group has sold as many orders of fruit to fill a
(semi) truck. She said most recently, however, sales have not been
as good. Astor added that if the sales were smaller and if fruit
was leftover, local businesses such as Ed Shultz Toyota would work
to sell the rest of it for the students. She added that last year,
the band donated leftover fruit to the Friendship Table.

“It was disappointing we had to find something else to sell
because people are so familiar with this in the community,” she
added. “Lists have been created through the years and passed down
from class to class.

“We kind of knew when the hurricanes started, because of what
happened last year,” she said. “They contacted us early in the year
and talked of a possible price increase and the hurricanes kept
coming.”

Now, they hope to sweeten their fundraiser with fudge.

Fudge flavors offered include peanut butter, chocolate,
chocolate and peanut butter together, creamsicle, vanilla and
chocolate walnut. The fudge orders are due by Friday and will be
picked up Dec. 10.

The fudge is packaged and can be given as a gift or ready to
eat. It is sold by the pound.

Astor said the profits from the sales help the band afford extra
help above and beyond what the Bradford Area School District
provides such as bringing in a guest band director to work with the
students in a two week band camp held before the Annual Autumn
Classic.

This past season, James Mauck of the University of Buffalo,
N.Y., worked with the band. Invited directors teach the students to
write a drill, organize music and choreograph routines.

Also this year, the band was able to purchase new tubas, drum
major stands, pit items and adjustable drum harnesses. The money
raised in this and other fundraisers helps the band in many
ways.

“The band has certainly appreciated all the support we have had
through the years and we hope to resume it – as long as the fruit
lasts,” said Astor.

The sales of fruit have made the band as much as $6,000 in the
past. Numbers for the fundraiser have decreased some, but with a
change and a little help from the faithful order makers, the band
can continue to add to their needs.