Centex Homebuilders hold annual fish fry, prep for Parade

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The fish was frying and hopes were high on Friday night as members of the Central Texas Homebuilders Association gathered in Harker Heights for their annual Alton Heiner Fish Fry & Reverse Raffle.  
The night also featured an auction, with a variety of items donated by member businesses and individuals. 
Among the items sold at auction on Friday evening were a pair of tickets to the sold-out George Strait concert in Austin on June 3 that went for $1,600. 
The annual fish fry is one of the ways the group is gearing up for its 53rd annual Parade of Homes, set for April 28-29 and May 5-6. 
This year’s Parade of Homes will have the largest lineup in its 53 years, with more than 18 homes from Kempner to Temple in the lineup. 
The Parade of Homes is also holding its Ashley Furniture Selfie Contest. 
By visiting six or more homes during the parade, participants can enter for a chance to win $1,500 in furniture or decor from Ashley Furniture. 
Founded in 1961, the CTHBA is a local chapter of the National Association of Home Builders that is based in Harker Heights. It is made up of more than 100 Central Texas companied and is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association made up of home builders, Remodelers, Sales and marketing representatives, Finance professionals, as well as manufacturers and suppliers. 
The CTHBA has its own facilities that include a banquet hall that seats up to 200, that has a full-service kitchen, bar space, dance floor, and more. 
The CTHBA’s building recently had a facelift, to include a new sign project headed up by Flintrock Builders and landscaping by Central Texas Home & Lawn Transitions.
The group’s mission is “to ensure housing opportunities for everyone while striving to achieve professional success for all our members who build communities, create jobs and strengthen the economy.”
To follow the 2018 Parade of Homes, watch for the upcoming Parade of Homes Guide that to be inserted in the April 26 issue of the Belton Journal, and the April 27 issues of the Cove Leader-Press and the Harker Heights Evening Star. On April 27, the CTHBA will hold a kickoff party the evening before the parade and will name the winning homes in categories from $150,000 to $500,000-plus.  
The Parade of Homes lineup along with the selfie contest information can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CTHBA-Parade-of-Homes-1661813230702832/.