Get ready to “Move That Bus!”
HUTTO — This week hundreds of volunteers from Hutto and the surrounding area are working hard to remodel a home for the pilot episode of the rebooted ABC-TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
The show is hosted by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, stars of the Netflix show “Get Organized with the Home Edit,” which aired for two seasons. Like Extreme Makeover, the Home Edit show counted Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine among its producers.
The show started asking for nominations in the Austin area back in June. According to the social media announcements, they were specifically looking for “selfless families who are always giving back, even if they rarely ask for help themselves. Whether they are local heroes, exceptional volunteers, families who have faced the challenges of a fire or natural disaster, individuals struggling with financial hardships or multigenerational families in dire need of space and organization, every story is important and worth considering.”
“We’re thrilled to share with you the news of which Hutto family was chosen by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to receive a newly built home. Congratulations to the Warrens! They are the beloved children, widow and mother of the late Rev. Fred Warren Jr.,” announced the city in a release on Monday Sept. 11.
“Pastor Warren was a beacon of light, love and service in Hutto, and his family is the embodiment of his charitable spirit,” a city spokesperson said.
The community is invited to be part of the final home reveal happening Saturday, Sept. 16. To participate, meet at the City Hall parking lot starting at 10 a.m., 500 W. Live Oak St. Shuttles will carry participants to the building site.
Filming of the reveal starts at 2 p.m.
More schools support military-connected families Six Hutto Independent School District campuses have now achieved the Purple Star Campus Designation, with Hutto and Ray Elementary Schools being the latest to earn the award.
The designation is earned by schools that demonstrate support and commitment to meeting the unique needs of military-connected students and their families.
“Being a Purple Star Campus is not just a title. It demonstrates the dedication we have to our military connected students and their families, and the respect we have for their sacrifices and strength. Purple Star campuses take extra steps to support our military families and recognize the unique challenges that military families face,” said Lead Parent Engagement Specialist Gina Zook. “Each Purple Star campus has a military liaison who commits to ongoing training, welcomes our military students, provides resources and participates in campus and district celebrations for our military families. We are grateful for our military families and are proud they chose Hutto ISD.”
The schools which have been singled out for their support of military families and their military liaisons are: Hutto Middle School – Bre’Ana Stafford; Kerley Elementary School – Brenna Ramos; Veterans’ Hill Elementary School – Chelsea Eason; Howard Norman Elementary School – Charlotte Goertz; Hutto Elementary School – Benji Adams; and Ray Elementary School – Nadine Limonta.
Register for the Halloween house off
Hutto homeowners are encouraged to put their best fright forward for the city’s second annual Halloween home decorating contest. The Hutto Halloween House-Off offers three categories for competition: best use of animation or motion, scariest house and, a new category this year, best theme related to a Halloween movie or character.
“That last category is new this year. It came directly from public input. There was 150 people who voted for that category,” said City Manager James Earp.
Registration is free to all residents in the 78634 ZIP code. The event is hosted by the Hutto Parks and Recreation Department. Registration is open through Oct. 19. Entry forms are available on the city’s website, www.huttotx.gov and on the Parks and Recreation website https://www.huttotx. gov/266/Parks-Recreation.
Judges will visit each house after dark between Oct. 23-25. A map of all participating homes will be available on the city’s social media pages once registration closes.
The winners will be announced at the city’s annual Frights at Fritz Halloween event on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Fritz Park.
National Night Out deadline approaching
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Hutto will join other cities locally and nationwide in hosting neighborhood events encouraging community connectivity. Many home-owner associations are planning cookouts and family events where neighbors can meet each other as well as interacting with members of the Hutto Police Department and Hutto Fire Rescue.
“Celebrated in Texas annually on the first Tuesday of October, National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and first responders while bringing back a true sense of community. The event provides a great opportunity to bring first responders and neighbors together under positive circumstances,” according to a city spokesperson.
Neighborhoods and subdivisions are encouraged to register their events with the city. Hutto police officers and fire fighters will visit all community gettogethers that register as part of National Night Out. The city also has a limited number of advertising banners available for neighborhoods to communicate their events.
The deadline to register is 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18. To sign up, the community party coordinator should send an email with the coordinator’s contact information and party location to [email protected].
