From our Local Paper

From the Loganville Tribune...

'HomeTeam’ show watched with emotion

By Sharon Swanepoel The Loganville Tribune

Published March 9, 2007

LOGANVILLE — The long-awaited showing of the HomeTeam’s episode where the Orr family received their new home in Loganville again brought tears and laughter from those who turned out for the viewing party Saturday.

“I was bawling when it happened and I was bawling all over again when I watched it,” said Kathy “Kat” Orr at her new home in Loganville where the first viewing party was held.

The episode was supposed to air on WGN at noon last Saturday but due to a scheduling conflict it will air instead at noon tomorrow.

But since viewing parties had already been arranged for Saturday at the Orr’s new home in Loganville and at their church Sunday, the HomeTeam overnighted the family an advanced copy of the program so the parties could go ahead as planned.

The 70 hours of filming had been cut down to just an hour and that included advertisements, but the show still managed to capture the outpouring of support the Orr family gives to the troops and the love and support their dedication drew from the community.

The episode is narrated mainly by Troy McLain of “The Apprentice” fame with the portions giving the more intimate details of the Orr family narrated by Robert Stokely, father of fallen soldier Michael Stokely, Ben Cathey, the pastor of The Orchard Church, and various close friends of the Orrs.

The home in Loganville was again crowded Saturday as many of the people who had been in on the secret, including several members of the Patriot Guard Riders, turned out to watch the episode with the family for the first time. It was the first time the Orrs got to see all the people working on the home with the “HomeTeam” and also the first time the workers got to see Kat Orr’s reaction when she first realized they were receiving the home.

“You tricked me,” she said to the cameraman in the car with her when she first caught sight of the “HomeTeam” truck in front of the house.

The ruse had been that the Patriot Guard Riders were the focus of the documentary and she was just traveling in the car with the cameraman to give commentary on the riders.

The Orrs had been chosen after Jim Scott, of the Shepherd Staff in Loganville had nominated them. He said the Shepherd Staff had been contacted by the “HomeTeam” asking if there was any deserving family in the area that was in need of a home and Kat and Jeff Orr immediately came to mind.

The show aired on WXIA at 12:30 a.m. Monday and will air in the Atlanta area again at noon tomorrow on WGN out of Chicago — everyone is advised to check the local listings.