Mantua – If you’ve ever seen HGTV’s “Home Town” show, you know that it chronicles the work of Erin and Ben Napier as they revitalize historic properties in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. While the talented couple has been on air for four seasons, focused on renovating homes in the South, their latest endeavor has them expanding their focus to other areas of the country.
In their latest endeavor, “Home Town Makeover,” the Napiers and their crew will be renovating entire small towns. According to information provided by HGTV, they will be traveling throughout the United States for their upcoming series, helping residents revitalize their communities. In order to be considered, a perspective small town must have a population of fewer than 40,000 residents and must contain buildings with outstanding architecture that would benefit from revitalization. Lastly, the location should include a Main Street area that is in desperate need of a makeover.
In Mantua, the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC) determined that their historic town could really benefit from the Napiers creative skills and resources. They enlisted the help of several Crestwood High School seniors to help direct, produce and create a video submission for consideration.
Toomas Tubalkain, Vice President of DMRC, submitted the information to HGTV. He noted that the submittal included three main projects, the first of which is to make Main Street businesses handicapped accessible. Next, they hope the renovation gurus can create a bed and breakfast or small inn from a historic structure, perhaps the Livery Stable, in the Village. According to Tubalkain, overnight lodging will take advantage of visitors to the nearby Buckeye Trail, Headwaters Trail, and Cuyahoga River Water Trail. The last proposed project includes adding restroom facilities along the Headwaters Trail to make visits to these outdoor resources more comfortable for visitors.
Students in a video production class were asked to participate in this special project, which would require tech savvy, production know-how, an eye for detail, and on-camera presence.
Dylan Barton and Trevor Matheny answered the call. Once they determined the large scope of the project, they enlisted Adam Abernathy and Braydon Svab to help, too. The group met with Tubalkain at Advanced Rehab to get started. They compiled a list of area business they would feature, including Jakes Eats, Breakaway Excursions, and Restoration 44 Coffee, as well as an interview with Mayor Linda Clark at Village Hall. They spoke with numerous village residents for the project, and included news footage showing the effects of the fire of 1985 that destroyed two Civil War era buildings and displaced five local businesses.
Svab noted, “All of us have grown up in Mantua…all of our memories are in Mantua,” he explained. “We wanted to help make Mantua alive again.” The four young men took on this project during their own time, fitting it in among coursework and work responsibilities. When their interview about the project appeared on the local news, they were surprised to be recognized in public. They, “never thought it would blow up to something this big,” Barton noted.
The group reminisced about walking from the Middle School to play basketball at the Village Park, enjoying bonfires, and spending time outside. They noted that not many kids seem to enjoy the park today, preferring indoor activities such as video games instead. Toomas agreed, stating, “I see that with my grandkids.” He noted, “Mantua really needs something to draw people in,” and the group agreed, suggesting potential businesses, such as a movie theater or gym, to occupy the space where the old hardware store formerly stood. He applauded the group for their efforts, noting that they didn’t do it for a grade. He noted that over 90 CHS students participated in a fall clean up community service event in the Village, and marveled, “not many towns can get that many teens to show up.” He noted, “the Mantua community should be proud of their students.” In the near future, the DMRC plans to host a reception at Restoration 44 to air the video and thank all who helped make it possible.
According to Tubalkain, an HGTV selection committee will select six towns to feature in this seven-part series, which will begin filming this summer.
The students video can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IC0s94_DNUQvOheVMAwaUC7b8LX-T7A7/view.
