'Extreme Makeover' volunteers celebrate airing
Workers move a couch made to look like a yellow taxicab into the Lutzes' "Extreme Makeover" home in East Setauket. (June 27, 2010) Credit: James Carbone
Local builders and volunteers who helped erect a new home for an East Setauket family as part of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" television series gathered at an Islandia restaurant Sunday night to see their work brought to life.
For the roughly 50 people gathered at Dave and Busters for the 8 p.m. airing of the episode, it was a chance to relive the memories and reaffirm bonds that were generated during the episode's June taping.
"It was the best experience," said Jackie Heming, 42, of Port Jefferson Station, a volunteer. "The energy was unreal."
Though a national program, the episode was a local effort. Alure Home Improvement of Plainview was the lead builder, a job the company has handled in prior makeovers.
Rob Weiss, Alure's events coordinator, who was on hand Sunday night, said 1,000 skilled tradesman from the region worked on the makeover with 2,000 volunteers.
The episode depicts a home makeover for Kathleen Lutz and her seven siblings, six of whom have Down syndrome. The new Lutz spread sits on the same spot on Ringneck Lane as the family's ranch house, which was demolished in June. Their new home is twice as big, and now each of the eight has a bedroom.
When the family was given keys to the house in front of about 2,000 cheering spectators, many local volunteers and "Extreme Makeover" fans, the crowd could admire the new red and gray two-story home with a glass atrium. But the family and show producers had been reluctant to make public details of the interior, although it was known that a pinball machine, Foosball table, swings and a karaoke room were included.
Those elements and more were on display during the episode. The interior was painted in vivid colors and has the look of a playhouse for grown-ups. Viewers took in light streaming from the atrium into the interior, where there was a pool table and a sofa fashioned out of a portion of a Checker cab. And in the backyard, there was a water slide, a lawn chess game, a pool table and topiary.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
