By BRITTNEE NAVE

STAR Correspondent

A local photographer has entered Elizabethton into an HGTV contest for hometown makeovers.

Katie Emery, owner of Into the Laurels Photography, entered Elizabethton in the contest after learning about it on Facebook.

The contest is for a six episode special spin-off of the popular HGTV show “Home Town.” The spin-off, which is called “Home Town Takeover,” is set to air in 2021. Applicants were asked to sell HGTV on why their town, which had to have a population of 40,000 or less, deserves to win.

Emery’s video has footage of downtown, along with facts and voiceovers. She used her equipment from her photography business to make the video along with the help of her husband and a friend.

Despite recent weather, the video has sunny skies and a variety of shots, including groups of people gathered downtown.

“We got really lucky with the weather,” she said. “We planned on filming, and fortunately there were blue skies and it was Sunday afternoon. We just wanted to show that Elizabethton is a place that people gather and it is a community.”

To add to her footage, Emery spoke with several people about what they would hope to see come out of this contest if Elizabethton is chosen.

“We conducted a couple of interviews and asked people what they love about Elizabethton and what they would love to see changed and updated to make it healthier,” Emery said.

According to Emery, everyone she spoke with had different things they wanted to see improved should Elizabethton be chosen. For her, she hopes the Bonnie Kate Theatre would be on that list.

“I think it is such a beautiful piece of history, and I’m somebody who is passionate about photography and film, so I would love to see that restored.”

The deadline to enter the contest was Feb. 4. Emery listed the submission under her name, and shared it to her Facebook page for viewing.

“I’m really excited for people to hear that maybe Elizabethton could get put on the map a little bit more, and I hope that if it does happen, people will get behind it with an attitude of acceptance and wanting to get the most out of it,” Emery said.