BLACKSBURG -- The taping of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has hardly taken over Blacksburg.

It has shut down some roads and turned the neighborhood around Ardmore Street into a 24-hour-a-day construction site with floodlights, small crowds of spectators and camera crews.

But the demolition and reconstruction of ballerina Carol Crawford Smith's home has caused far less chaos than the average Hokie football game, which can bring tens of thousands of screaming fans to town.

The most lasting impact of the town's Hollywood moment will likely be more than a new house for a single mother of two young sons and some national exposure. It may boost awareness about multiple sclerosis and highlight resources available to other sufferers of the chronic and debilitating disease that Smith has fought for the past five years.

It could have been terrible to have a television production crew camp in the Stewart family's front yard for seven days. The dust, noise, heavy machinery and hundreds of volunteers, fans and construction workers could have made life miserable for the couple and their 5-month-old son.

But it's been kind of uneventful, actually, said Lawton Stewart, who lives directly across the street from the site of Smith's house.

Aside from a few minor annoyances, the film crew and workers, even the fans gathering behind barricades, have been very respectful of neighbors, Beth Stewart said.

And that's been the prevailing view throughout the week of many residents who live near the site.

Besides a few celebrity sightings and lots of secretive construction work at Smith's downtown dance studio, downtown businesses have noticed little difference since ABC came to town, said Bollo's owner Ranae Gillie.

Things also have been quiet across town at the Inn at Virginia Tech, where many of the stars and production crew have been staying.

If any fans of the show have staked out the hotel lobby, the staff hasn't noticed and there have been no complaints, assistant director of sales Teresa Hughes said Friday.

The show's star, Ty Pennington was seen in the lobby late last week, Hughes said, but he was gracious to those who recognized him.

And the town has been gracious to the show and the needs of Smith and her sons in many ways, including providing building inspectors on demand for the project.

ABC estimates that the show will pour about $60,000 a day into local restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

Blacksburg's Assistant Town Manager Chris Lawrence pointed out that it has had another effect, too -- bringing people together.

"Everything is being done by local business. We just happen to have a TV show taping it all," Lawrence said.

Susanna Rinehart, a stage actress and Tech professor, said Thursday that she has no love for reality television shows, but seeing the show come to Blacksburg to do so much good for Smith has, if not made her a fan, at least caused her to rethink her position.

For Hughes, a fan of the show, the episode filmed in Blacksburg will mean more to her than business at Tech's new hotel or the thrill of celebrity, she said.

Nine years ago, her sister died after struggling with MS for years.

Scientists don't know what causes MS and there is no cure. It strikes people between the ages of 20 and 50 -- when they are busy raising families and working at careers -- and can cause physical and even cognitive problems.

The financial consequences of MS can be devastating, said Jane Francis of the Blue Ridge chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The society serves MS suffers in 51 counties throughout Western Virginia through support groups, fundraising for research, education programs and funds that go directly to families in need, Francis said.

Soon after news came that Smith would get a house to accommodate the disabilities caused by her MS, calls started coming in to the chapter's headquarters in Charlottesville from MS sufferers asking for help with problems such as inaccessible houses.

The hope is that Smith's high profile will help raise funds, not only for research on MS, but also for a fund that helps families pay for home modifications such as widening doors, lowering counters and building wheelchair ramps.

"We hope through her we can reach out to people who may not know we're here," Francis said.

"Extreme Makeover" and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society sponsored a private art sale to raise money for the cause Friday night.

Building Specialists, the general contractor in charge of construction for Smith's house, plans to do other such events in the future, spokeswoman Melany Mullens said.

For more information on MS and how to help, visit www.nationalmssociety.org/vab.

What happened Friday?

Sleet slowed but did not stop work on the new home. Roofing and siding work was delayed overnight but was expected to resume later in the day. Inside, walls were being finished and fixtures installed. Crews continued work on Smith's downtown dance studio.