And the winners are …

The Baines family of Jim Thorpe has won the Delta Faucet Ultimate Tree House Giveaway contest.Friday night, their custom-built two-story, cedar-sided house, nestled between a cluster of hickory trees in their backyard, was revealed on a nationally televised episode of Animal Planet's "Treehouse Masters."The house, which contains a recessed wet bar, a living room, an outdoor cooking station, an upstairs bedroom, a full bathroom and an outdoor shower, among other amenities, was erected during a week in March by the program's star and creator, Pete Nelsen and his crew of expert designers, craftsmen, carpenters and decorators.The Baines family was one of three finalists in the tree house giveaway, and after several thousand votes were tallied, they were declared the winners.The family was sworn to secrecy until Friday night, when the program announced them as having won the tree house.The show depicted the town of Jim Thorpe with all its history, as well as a close-up look of the property and the reasons why the Baines family entered the contest.Then, of course, the house itself was revealed from the outside looking in.The idea to enter the contest was the brainchild of James Denny, who saw the house as a reward for his mother, Carrie Baines, for doing an "extraordinary job raising me and my sister." Denny said he would like his mom to come home from work and enjoy a glass of wine in a beautiful, new tree house.Carrie also loved the idea to enter the contest because as a child she was always building forts in the back woods of her home in Somerville, New Jersey.Carrie's husband, Bill, loves to cook, so the plan included a deck for grilling.The Baines family enjoys entertaining, so now they have added the ultimate entertainment area to share with all their friends and relatives.A follow-up feature story including more pictures of the tree house will appear in a future edition of the Times News.