by Katie Byrns

The crowds continue to come out to the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” build site to provide their moral support to the contractors who have been working extremely hard on the build. Crowds are expected to grow each day up to Reveal Day on Tuesday.

The Einselen family came out to the build site as a show of support to the Cowen-Browns, who are family friends. The family explained the mold problem in the old house had and brought up stories of how their church community came out and helped with the mold a few years ago. They are happy to see friends of theirs receive such a blessing from ABC.

Spectators and volunteers finished with their shift for the day wait in line for the shuttle to take them back to their vehicles. To help control the muddy conditions of the build, spectators and volunteers are parking their cars at the Grissom Air Force Base. To get back and forth from the site, school busses are making rounds picking up and dropping off people all day. Two buses are running from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a third bus is running 24 hours a day.

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Today is Family Day. There will be a variety of events, including a magician and face painting in which families can participate. There will also be an art tent where people can make signs for Reveal Day on Tuesday.

Another big highlight of Family Day will be the raffle. There are prizes donated from a variety of sponsors. Some of the major prizes include a Gary Brackett signed football and a Mary Kay package. Tickets will be sold on the busses and in the spectator’s tent. Tickets are $.25 each or 5 for $1. Also, each person who purchases $1 worth of tickets will receive a free pair of Pacers tickets.

The magician will be roaming the farm field from 3 – 5 p.m. performing tricks and a magic show will be held in the spectator’s tent from 5 – 5:30 p.m.

Also, don’t forget the blood drive at Grissom Air Force Base from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. A free car wash from Mike’s Express Car Wash will be given to each donor while supplies last. Also, a commemorative T-shirt will be given to each donor.

There are plenty of free Indiana Pacers tickets still available. WWKI 100.5 FM are distributing 1,000 pairs of tickets on a first come, first served basis. Vouchers can be claimed at either the spectators’ tent or at the auction at the Grissom Air Force Base.

Kenny Beasley is leading the effort to distribute the tickets.

“I am really close to the family so this is a really cool opportunity for me,” Beasley said.

Beasley knows the Cowan-Brown family through Kori, who is a member of the WWKI Relay for Life team.

The vouchers can be redeemed online for the free tickets. A $1.50 surcharge to TicketMaster is required for each pair of tickets.

After being discouraged from attending the build on Friday due to the excessive rain, crowds were welcomed back to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition site on Saturday. People have come in from across the state to watch the house progress.

The heavy equipment mesmerizes 2-year old Colton Small of Logansport, Ind. Many children are a part of the crowd, as under 18 volunteers are not permitted.

Fans of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition took the opportunity to see a build in person. Mary Cercone and Crystal Sinks came from Rensselear, Ind. to be a part of the crowd. “We also wanted the chance to see some celebrities,” Cercone said.

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Working on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build is a 24-hour a day task. Builders, volunteers, and spectators stay well into the night in order to ensure that everything is taken of.

Earth Link Geothermal Services of Ossian, Ind. dug a six-foot deep trench Friday night as a part of their project. Workers put in time over the night to keep the project on schedule.

Coordination is one of the biggest challenges that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition faces. Members of Extreme Security and the Miami County EMA help to direct the various vehicles and equipment to the right location. It is common for Extreme Security to coordinate with local forces.  Andy Michaels of the Bravo Team of Extreme Security has been working with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for the past two seasons.

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Despite the rain and wind, spectators come out to watch the construction throughout the evening.

Hello:

Just a quick note: because of the rain, the spectator area is currently closed. Trust us, you’ll be happy that about that. The rains have turned the fields into water traps.

However, we will announce when the areas have been cleared. (Hopefully within the next 24 hours. But we can’t control the weather.)

And if you have to be here (sponsors, builders, VIP and media), please go to Grissom Air Force Base on US-31. We have buses running.

For now, please check to the blog for audio, video and story updates throughout the day.

People lined up early to watch the demolition — and await the arrival of Ty Pennington — on Thursday morning in Bunker Hill, IN. Spectators and volunteers have shown up to help with various activities related to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

The volunteer teams and crew took down the Cowan-Brown family’s home in about an hour.

Two excavators smashed the house into pieces after volunteer crews emptied the family’s belongings. Miami County Commissioner Greg Deeds was responsible for setting up all the county departments involved in the build.

“We’re just trying to make it as easy for them as possible,” Deeds said. “It’s taken some work on our part, but the benefits far outweigh it.”

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By Megan Scott

By noon on Thursday, the Cowan-Brown family’s home was torn down and dumpsters filled with trash and rubble were removed in order to make space for the new home. Volunteers spent the day setting up the infrastructure needed to support the build while watching the cranes lift the house and throw it in the trash.

At approximately 10 a.m., the cast and crew of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were on site to film the demolition. Cameras were placed in metal boxes and scattered throughout the house so that they wouldn’t miss a minute. Ty Pennington made a video to send to the family and fired up the crowd.

Sponsors provided snacks and lunch to feed the hungry volunteers while they waited to go back to work and watched the builders and excavators clear the lot.

Hallmark Homes, the construction company in charge of the project, President Paul Schwinghammer was on site to organize the demolition and start of the rebuild. Schwinghammer said they were put in charge of creating a better home for the Cowen-Brown family. One of the biggest changes: the location. (But that question won’t get answered until the Reveal.)

On Friday, the morning Schwinghammer and his crew will begin building the frame of the new house and pour concrete into the foundation.

While the first day of filming is largely ceremonial (at least until the sun goes down and the demolition begins), residents from the surrounding areas showed up to watch the Braveheart March and celebrate the Cowan-Brown family’s day.

Of course, one big draw is show host Ty Pennington.

But this show isn’t just about the hosts. For many who attended, it was a chance to watch a family’s luck change.

Kailey McDonald and her sisters Riley and Holly attend school with the Cowan-Brown children. Recently, Kailey and her classmates made bracelets from solar beads that were then sold at an auction organized by Kori.

And the residents of this sleepy town opened their doors to the media, the crew and the volunteers who descended seemingly out of nowhere.

Nickie Walker watches the activity from her sister’s doorstep and is amazed. “I don’t mind the chaos,” she says. “It’s amazing how people come together.”