MANISTEE, MI - Officials in one Northern Michigan town hope a contest entry video featuring the voice of James Earl Jones will capture the attention of HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover” contest judges.

Manistee is one of several Michigan towns that put itself in the running for a makeover from HGTV and “Home Town” hosts Ben and Erin Napier. The selected town will see renovations to homes and public spaces over a six-month period. The transformation will be captured in a six-episode limited series, “Home Town Takeover,” set to air on the network in 2021.

Towns with populations under 40,000 were eligible for the search. Entries closed earlier this month, and are now under consideration. It is unclear when the winner will be announced. Judges are considering aspects of the towns that make them “special, fascinating, historic or unique,” like period architecture, destinations or a classic main street.

With a 2010 population of about 6,200, Manistee is well within the small-town criteria. The entry video also highlights several features HGTV said it’s looking for. The video begins with a welcome message from actor James Earl Jones to Manistee’s historic Ramsdell Theatre, where he is known to have trained. The theater opened 120 years ago when Manistee was a bustling lumber town.

“With grit and determination, we are reinventing ourselves through the restoration of historic architecture in our neighborhoods and nationally registered historic downtown,” the video says. “Ben and Erin, historic downtown Manistee needs you. The Ojibewa Indian translation for Manistee means ‘spirit of the woods.’ Please help us put the spirit back into our home town.”

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