OAKHURST — Not to be outdone by its sister community in North Fork, some Oakhurst residents joined together this past week to produce their own video entry for HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover” contest — which is offering to totally remake one small U.S. town.
Oakhurst’s video, which includes pictures of older business storefronts as well as nature scenes from Yosemite and aerial drone shots of the town taken high above Highway 41, was produced by Philip K. Ireland of eMotion Web Video in partnership with the Oakhurst Chamber of Commerce and several business owners.
After submitting their entry, the Oakhurst group also posted their new four-and-a-half-minute long video on YouTube. Click here to view the new video, which features a lengthy interview with Jon Bock of Yosemite Gateway Gallery Row as well as a short cameo appearance from District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler.
Community members in North Fork submitted their own photo and video entry into the Hometown Takeover contest last week. Click here to view North Fork’s submission.
The narrator of Oakhurst’s video submission describes the town as “home to 13,000 souls — ranchers, artists and entrepreneurs.”
Describing Oakhurst’s former role as a stagecoach provisioning stop called Fresno Flats, the video promotes the fact that 2.3 million people — 20,000 cars a day during the summer — now pass through the community along Highway 41 on their way to Yosemite every year.
To find the most update-worthy small towns, HGTV is reaching out to viewers. Anyone can enter a submission to be considered for the show if their small town meets the following requirements.
- The township must have a population of fewer than 40,000 residents.
- The town should contain buildings with outstanding architecture that would benefit from revitalization.
- The location ought to include a Main Street area that is in desperate need of a makeover.
HGTV producers are expected to announce finalists in the competition later this year.
