Among the familiar faces appearing in the TV commercials are Nolan Ryan at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, George Strait on horseback at his property outside San Antonio, LeAnn Rimes at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Frisco, and former Gov. Dolph Briscoe, who will appear with Mrs. Perry at the current governor's residence.

WITH HELP FROM ...

The ads, which will air statewide, are being done on the cheap, thanks to the donation of time, resources and airwaves by several Texas companies. Time Warner Cable gave $3 million worth of airtime and plans to run the ads on all of its channels in every Texas market. The Texas Cable Association has distributed the spots to its members to air. And members of the Texas Association of Broadcasters have agreed to run the spots on TV and radio. The Texas Rangers Baseball franchise donated the resources for the Nolan Ryan spot.

THE RESTORATION

Mrs. Perry, who lived in the mansion with her husband, Gov. Rick Perry, until the fire, created the Texas Governor's Mansion Restoration Fund in July to help raise money for its restoration. So far, the fund has raised about $2.1 million from private donors. An estimate on their goals for fundraising and the cost of the damage is still in the works. Lawmakers say they plan to seek some state money to help repair the building, although the amount is still unclear.

THE FIRE

The mansion, which is across the street from the state Capitol, caught fire June 8 after an arsonist hurled a Molotov cocktail into the building, which was under renovation. The Texas Rangers are still investigating the case. The mansion, which is registered as a national historic landmark, has housed about 40 governors and their families since 1856.

Karen Brooks

DigitalEXTRA

WATCH THE ADS urging Texans to help with the restoration. dallasnews.com/extra