A Facebook post recently caught the interest of Wright City resident Michelle Heiliger. 

The post encouraged people to nominate their town for a makeover through HGTV’s Hometown Takeover.

“I went and watched a number of episodes, and the town they’re from in Laurel, Miss., really mirrors Wright City as an old railroad town,” said Heiliger.

She reached out to her friend and president of the Wright City Chamber of Commerce, Kim Arbuthnot, to engage her support. 

“When it comes to doing projects like this, Kim and I work well together,” said Heiliger. “We’re blessed to know a lot of people who want to do great things.”

“We met and starting brainstorming on how we wanted to do this, using local resources and people to create a video,” said Arbuthnot. 

Together, the duo spearheaded a campaign to help Wright City become chosen for the show’s town makeover. At the beginning of February, between 50 and 60 residents gathered at the high school athletic field to record a short video to entice decision makers.

“We are working with a videographer to have narration done by Michelle and myself,” said Arbuthnot. “We were able to utilize the fire department’s drone to get an overhead view, so they could see where we sit on I-70.”

If chosen, what would this mean for Wright City?

“The way they rehab is really exciting, because they try to keep as much of the original back in the building, which is how Wright City really is,” said Heiliger. “We’ve really tried to stay with the old feel of the town. If we can build up our downtown and get more businesses drawn in, it’s going to be a great move for us.”

Arbuthnot said with much of the town’s growth on the north side of the interstate, she and Heiliger are bringing attention to the southern portion of the town. 

“The north side of town has progressed and grown, but this side of town has gotten more stagnant,” said Arbuthnot. “It’s kind of lost its luster. We’re focusing on bringing back some of the old town feeling on this side.”

The duo concentrated on First and Second Street along the railroad, also highlighting the cemetery and older homes in the area.

The contest allows candidates to submit a short video, five photos and a written description of why their town should be chosen. Heiliger says the details were kind of vague about when winners would be informed, but the video had to be submitted by Feb. 7.

“You’ll know if we got chosen, because you’ll hear me screaming,” said Heiliger. “That would be so amazing for our town.”