Bell Presentation for World Record Bell Ringer Andre Thompson

TYLER — Friday evening at 6:00, The Salvation Army will have a recognition ceremony for Andre Thompson, a new Salvation Army World Record holder with 105 hours of continuous bell ringing. The ceremony will take place in front of Walgreen�s on Rieck Rd. and South Broadway Ave. On Tuesday, December 3rd, at 11:00am, Andre (pictured here with KTBB’s Melissa Kiser) started ringing the bell in competition with three contestants in California, one in Montana, and one in Minnesota. Andre was allowed a five minute break for every hour that he rang the bell. He was only allowed to eat meals and sit during his breaks. Within the first 24 hours two contestants put their bells down. After 105 hours of bell ringing, Andre along with Captain Brickson in Minnesota and Major Soriano in California decided to end the contest with a three way tie.

According to Salvation Army officials, the decision to end with a tie ensured that the intention of the contest, which was to bring awareness to The Salvation Army, was preserved. Andre�s kettle total is currently $13,591 and growing as people can still go to http://www.onlineredkettle.org/exalt to donate online. According to a Salvation Army news release, “We invite the community to attend the recognition ceremony as we will not only celebrate Andre but also the community for all of the love and support that they showed to Andre and The Salvation Army for 105 hours�literally!”