Extreme Makeover Home Edition-Maynard: Thursday

We’re down to finishing inside and gawkers outside. From the street, the house looks great.

Rotman’s Furniture has just made its second full furniture delivery. (I’d have gone with Jordan’s, but hey, it’s free. You can’t get picky in these situations) It snowed a bit last night, which couldn’t have made the crew happy. Many of the permanent Extreme Makeover crew aren’t from here. I’ve talked to a couple guys who are from the south, and they’re looking forward to getting home as soon as possible. It’s in the 20’s now, and it’s supposed to be in the low single digits tonight. One of the crew I spoke to is from Orlando, and he said this is the coldest build he’s been on. Poor guy. February in New England isn’t for those with thinned southern blood.

The town of Maynard has been conscientious about keeping residents informed of the progress of the project all along, beginning last Friday when we were told that the Giuntas had been selected. Today, we got a message from the police chief about tomorrow’s festivities and the schedule. A word of advice to anyone reading this who’s thinking “hey, I’d love to be there tomorrow for the reveal. It sounds like it would be fun!”. Don’t. Just don’t. The police chief says the area can accommodate 5,000 people. I’m not sure how that’s even conceivable, given that it’s not exactly a roomy street, and by the way, the town’s entire population is 10,000. Trust me, unless a couple thousand people are going to be floating in midair, or observing the reveal from the next town, cramming that many people into the immediate area around Elm Court isn’t likely. And no, you can NOT hang out in our back or side yard.

I learned a few pointers that might be helpful for folks who will be there tomorrow: you can’t park anywhere near Elm Court. You can park at Parker Street only, and take the shuttle bus to the site. Get there early. And don’t even think of parking on Orchard Terrace. You’ll get towed, I promise. The actual reveal won’t be until after 2pm, but the area is certainly going to be completely full by noon, so unless you’re planning to spend a number of hours standing around in sub-freezing weather, stay away. Also, the famous “Move that bus” deal is videotaped many times, long before the Giuntas arrive. Scripted television doesn’t do anything just once. Even the limousine’s approach will happen a few times before the actual guests of honor touch down in the area. I’m sure it’s going to a wild (and chilly) day. I’ll post again when it’s all done.