Andrea Yancey, Jacksonville Review Layout Editor, with Dr. Temple Grandin

Last night (September 10th) proved to be: interesting, lively, a little disappointing for some, entertaining and enlightening for others. The Extreme Makeover Home Edition Bus was reportedly coming to downtown Jacksonville, where cheering fans would be filmed for the show. The Bus never made it (rumors were it’s in Massachusetts).  Extreme Makeover volunteers did decorate California Street with blue lights though, and when the sun went down, film crews took photos of fans on the street waving blue gel sticks for the “Light it Up Blue” for autism.

The crew of Extreme Makeover came around 9pm, along with Dr. Temple Grandin, a a noted autistic who is an author, speaker, cited expert in many publications, and video producer. Dr. Grandin’s appearance was, in these Publishers’ opinions, the highlight of the evening. She is an inspiration for almost anyone associated with autism. Jenn Hedgepeth, a volunteer for the show, has a young son, Mason, who is autistic and has Aspergers. His comment was, “I want to

Our own CERT Team helped out with safety and crowd control

meet the scientist!” when told Dr. Grandin was coming! And yes, being the gracious woman she is, he was allowed to meet and speak with her.

We were honored to also speak with Dr. Grandin, who just flew in from Colorado that day. She had never been to Jacksonville before, she said, but had spoken at a cattle conference in Medford a few years ago. She is the best-selling author of The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Aspergers. She is widely noted for her work in autism advocacy and is a prominent speaker on the subject. She is the inventor of the hug machine designed to calm hypersensitive persons. Currently, she is a professor of animal science at Colorado University in Ft. Collins. Grandin is very well known for her work improving conditions at large processing plants that slaughter cattle and pigs. An HBO movie starring Claire Danes as Grandin is fabulous and a great way to learn more about this amazing woman. Check out her website at www.templegrandin.com for more information and to learn more about autism.

Cast/Designers Paige Hemmis (far left) and Paul DiMeao (second from right)

Extreme Makeover Producer, Brenton Metzler with Dave Mills, Owner of Airport Chevy/ Cadillac

Continuing with the evening in downtown Jacksonville: hundreds of folks were lined up on the streets under blue lights, waving their blue gel sticks under a beautiful full moon. Dave and Janice Mills, Owners of Airport Chevy, Cadillac & GMC and Jacksonville residents, (and huge supporters of the Sparrow Club and volunteers/donors for this edition of the show), were driving folks around town in their Cadillac golf cart. On the corner of California and Oregon streets, a huge boom and lights were installed to showcase “the talent” of the Extreme Makeover Show. Paige Hemmis, one of the most popular designers on the show, interviewed Dr. Grandin first, then Joy Whitmore, a volunteer and spokesperson for Autism Speaks from Portland. The interviews were orchestrated with cheering fans and videotaped by Paige to send to the McPhail Family (who are currently in Hawaii while their new home is being built). A few other members of the cast were also there to be filmed. After the interviews, more fans were invited to cheer and wave their blue sticks for the “Light it Blue” celebration. 

The event was pretty exciting for Jacksonville, with most people and drivers being very patient and going with the “delayed flow.” One disgruntled gentleman did apparently speak with Jenn Hedgepeth, Volunteer, about how he didn’t understand why they were filming in

Young fan whose shirt reads: Aspergers, Data Processing without a Computer

Jacksonville when the home is in Central Point. From our limited research, it appears that folks are either huge supporters of the show, and its cause – and those totally on the other side, who think the show is over-the-top and that it relies way to much on community support, donations and time.

Melanie Scofield owns The Candy Shoppe in town and Scofield Landscape (with her husband). They have committed to a ton of hard work themselves, along with organizing and securing donations from The Grange and other nurseries in town. Melanie put a lovely Jacksonville Basket together, which will be auctioned off for the McPhail Family. Linda Graham, Owner of Scheffel’s Toys, helped secure donations from the many Jacksonville businesses which contributed generously. Melanie has a great attitude about the show, the cause and the huge task at hand.

We, the Publishers of The Review, did appreciate the welcoming attitude of the cast and crew. They allowed us to hang-out in the action, and get some information and photos. Brenton Metzler, the Producer of this segment, was very gracious to us, and Paige and Paul allowed photographs from admirers and were interacting with the crowd.

The spirit of giving does seem very alive and well with our community; and it is very impressive how many businesses and individuals are stepping up to donate money, supplies, time and energy. Whether you agree with the show or not, it warms the heart to see a community give back – to people they may or may not know.

"Light It Up Blue" for the camera!

The focus and awareness of autism in this edition of the show are very noble and important. Today, it is estimated that one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

Click here for more information on Shining the light On Autism by “Light It Up Blue.” Autism Speaks is another great Autism resource.

Learn more about Extreme Makeover Home Edition Jackson County and the McPhail Family by clicking here.