“It hit me like a deer in the headlights,” was the excited reaction of Montoursville’s Rachael Ulmer as she and her family re-entered their Bella Vista home following their ten-day stay at the Genetti Hotel awaiting the results of KISS-FM’s Extreme Kitchen Makeover contest.

Dozens of onlookers consisting of sponsoring contractors, news media and friends had gathered outside the Ulmer home to await their arrival on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Chauffeured in a black Cadillac, driven by Fairfield Ford’s Rick Quigley and accompanied by KISS-FM’s Gary Chrisman, the ten-day exile from their home had filled the Ulmer’s with excited anticipation and uncertainty as to what awaited them inside.

Making their way thru the crowd, Rachael, husband Todd, daughters Alexa and Bri, and son Shea couldn’t in their wildest dreams have foreseen what awaited them inside the small ranch home they had occupied since 2005. Gone were the 1970’s-style green counter tops and blue kitchen cabinets. Gone was the wall that had separated the kitchen area from the living room. New granite countertops and sparkling white cabinets gave the kitchen a brand new look. The stairs leading to the basement were relocated and widened. Accessories, window treatments, and a new stoned wall gave the living room a welcoming feel. Down the hall, a new bathroom was an added touch that came as another complete surprise.

It was all the culmination of KISS-FM’s 11th Kitchen Makeover promotion, the brainchild of Chrisman as part of his Chrisman in the Morning weekday show.

“It was started in the early 2000s,” Chrisman explained. “We’ve always tried to do the biggest and best promotions on KISS-FM. I’ve always felt you don’t have to act like you are in a small town to do big things on the radio. Originally, the idea was pitched to JP Stone at a time when home makeover was a big thing on TV. JP Stone got excited. We got excited, and we went with it. It was a huge promotion that received an unbelievable response.

“The station took a couple of years off, and the promotion was brought back four years ago. This is our 32nd year of KISS-FM and doing big things locally is what wins in radio in this market, and that is what we’re known for. This year, Maurice Bower and his team at TurnKey Construction became our lead sponsor for the promotion and they have gone 120% in making this a WOW factor for the Ulmer family.”

Contest rules stipulated that contestants had to be homeowners. Individuals had several ways to enter including on-line entries through the KISS-FM website. There were also daily opportunities during the Chrisman Morning Show, in addition to opportunities during the afternoon hours. This year there were more than 25,000 entries. People would listen for keywords to win and were randomly picked for qualification into the contest. Through this process, 200 people were selected out of the thousands of entries that had a chance to be drawn for the final prize.

That number was eventually reduced to five finalists that included two from Montoursville, one from Lewisburg, Cogan Station, and South Williamsport. TurnKey representatives then visited each home to take pictures of the kitchen and draw up plans for each of the five homes. A random drawing determined the final winner.

On November 9th, the Ulmer family was surprised by a visit from the Chrisman Morning Show and sponsor representatives to begin the makeover process. During the ten days that followed, the Ulmers were housed at the Genetti Hotel & Suites while the work was underway at their home.

During the days that followed, up until the November 19th reveal, lead sponsors TurnKey Construction, TurnKey Electric, Lezzer Lumber, Lezzer Design Center, Susquehanna Marble and Granite, and Timeless Furniture and Interiors worked feverishly. Assisted by Plumbing Masters, Bill’s Appliance, Penn Hills Flooring, Compu-Gen Technologies, Elery Nau Hardware, the Decorating Center, and Williamsport Moving & Storage the remodel was a total team effort.

Throughout the project, Olive Garden, New Trail Brewing, the Stonehouse Restaurant, and the James Restaurant at the Holiday Inn provided catering and amenities.

Although it is the first year TurnKey Construction has been involved in the promotion Bower noted that Chrisman had called him about sponsorship and “it was something that interested me, so we were glad to jump on board.”

“We’ve done a lot of construction projects over the years, but this was the first that had such a tight deadline for getting things completed. There definitely were challenges to this project. We have structural changes like removing a wall and redoing the bathroom. We did all this in eight days, which is pretty amazing. We had ten workers divided into a couple of work shifts working 14-hour days, plus all the other sub-contractors involved made it a challenging project. But I can guarantee it is quality work. That is what we’re known for.

“This is a life-changing experience for the homeowner. When you have the opportunity to do something like this for someone in such a quick turn-around it truly changes their lives. It was wonderful to see the family’s reaction when they walked in that front door. This year Thanksgiving and Christmas will be totally different for the Ulmer’s,” Bower added.

The fact that the Ulmers’ survived the long odds of winning the contest was even more amazing when it was learned that it was fifth-grader Shea Ulmer who was the impetus behind the family’s entering the contest.

“When I heard about the contest I realized that we really needed it and I told Mom we should enter. Then I just decided I would submit our entry, and I am really happy we won,” a smiling Shea revealed. “I entered the contest two or three times a day, and it worked! I really like what they’ve done, and it looks a lot better. I don’t even think this is our house. When I walked in the door and saw it, I didn’t know what to say at first. I’m never going to get used to it.”

When asked about Santa Claus coming, and even if he doesn’t, the family now has some pretty neat presents. To which Shea replied, “This is good enough!”

Timeless Furniture & Interiors lead designer Seidel Shiffer took on the challenge of blending the work of the various contractors that transformed the interior flow of the Ulmer home.

“This was a real team effort from everyone involved as there were various overlapping design and structural obstacles that had to be quickly addressed if we were going to make the project plan work out,” Shiffler noted. “Having such a short time frame to work with can be a bit stressful, but when it all comes together so well, everyone deserves credit for a job well done.”

Although overwhelmed, Rachael Ulmer confessed, “I wanted to check and see if we were at the right home. This is not in any way how we left it. This is much more than a kitchen makeover; it is a home makeover for us. It is just unbelievable. It will take us a while to adjust to these beautiful new surroundings. When I wake up tomorrow morning, I won’t know where I am.”

With dozens of people milling through the house in amazement Todd Ulmer quietly took in the scene unfolding before his eyes.

“I was blown away when I first walked into the house,” he confessed. “There used to be a wall separating the kitchen and living room, and now that wall is gone. We have a small house with a larger family, and the work that has been done just opens up the whole house. After we were notified that we won the contest I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what has been done is way above, and beyond any expectations, I could ever imagine. When those trucks pulled up in front of the house ten days ago to begin the work, it felt like you’ve just won the lottery.

“We’ve lived in this house since 2005, and they call this a dream kitchen makeover, but this is extreme. Since that time we could have never done all this work, and everything really looks great. Our next adventure will be to unpack all the boxes and decide what to keep and what goes where and it will be fun. We are so appreciative, but how could you not be?”

As the excitement began to wear down, a satisfied Chrisman explained, “I’ve done local radio for 40+ years, this being our 32nd at KISS-FM, and this is the feel-good things that local radio is all about. Radio from the beginning is supposed to be fun, and I’ve been involved in many promotions over the years. That WOW factor of promotions that get people interested in your station and hopefully makes them listeners to your station. When you are able to do something of this caliber that is a local team-effort, it is the home run that keeps me pumped-up and why I still show up at 5:00 in the morning.”

Simply put, the Ulmers are glad that he does!