Mount Airy, N.C., welcomes fans of ‘Andy Griffith Show’

The withering cornstalks, surrounded by fields decorated with orange pumpkins, lie dormant. Football fans clutch brown-paper bags bulging with roasted peanuts as their favorite team races down the field. Festivals abound where tiny hands grasping candy apples are commonplace.
   
Fall has arrived.
   
Visions of mountains aflame with autumn’s vibrant colors draw many Alabamians to North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains.
   
If you are one of those who chooses to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway in October, then you might want to stop off at Mount Airy, N.C., for its annual Autumn Leaves Festival.
   
More than 30,000 people attend this event, which will be held Oct. 13–15 this year.
   
While you’re there, listen for the familiar whistle from a 1960s sitcom. Can you hear it?
   
That’s right! It’s “The Andy Griffith Show.” Debuting in 1960, the show continues today in syndication. Andy Griffith grew up in Mount Airy, which, combined with the surrounding Surry County, served as the prototype for the fictional town of Mayberry.
   
While there is plenty to do any time of the year, fans of the show will want to arrive earlier in the fall for the 17th annual Mayberry Days, held Sept. 21–24 this year.
   
Sponsored by the Surry Arts Council, the festival features actors from the show, including Betty Lynn who portrayed Thelma Lou; Doug and Rodney Dillard who were a part of the Darling gang; and Maggie Peterson Mancuso who portrayed Charlene Darling.
   
The three-day event also includes a parade, “Colonel Tim’s Talent Time,” Mayberry trivia contests, a pie-eating contest, walking tours, bluegrass music and more, according to Lynne Hinson, director of operations for the Surry Arts Council. 
   
The Dillards will perform bluegrass music, and other stars will share their talents. If you think you have spotted one of your favorite stars, then it could be a Mayberry tribute artist portraying one of the show’s characters.
   
Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry Arts Council, said, “Mayberry Days is for the fans of family values, and that is what ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ represents. We feel that both Mayberry Days and the popularity of the show continue to grow because of this commitment.” 
   
Whether visiting Mount Airy during Mayberry Days or another time, there are landmarks you will want to visit. 
   
While there are many restaurants in Mount Airy, it was Snappy Lunch that was mentioned on the episode titled “Andy the Matchmaker.” It is Mount Airy’s oldest eating establishment and is best known for its pork chop sandwich. 
   
For Aunt Bea fans, the Mayberry Motor Inn offers a window’s view of more than 30 of Frances Bavier’s belongings.
   
Be sure to include a visit to the Main Oak Emporium to view the Andy Griffith Collection. Griffith’s childhood friend, Emmett Forrest, has assembled a large collection of Griffith memorabilia. “My most valued two pieces that Andy gave me are the ‘justice of the peace’ and ‘sheriff’ signs from the set of the show,” Forrest said. “Andy always had a sense of humor, and he has handled success very well. We still keep in touch.” Forrest was the inspiration for Emmett the Fix-It Man on the show.
   
On Main Street, you will find Floyd’s City Barber Shop. At 82 years old, owner Russell Hiatt has been on the job for 60 years. “I cut Andy’s hair when he was a boy, and I have also cut the Incredible Hulk’s (Lou Ferrigno’s) hair,” Hiatt said. More than 20,000 photos are displayed on the shop’s “Wall of Fame,” which features photos of customers ranging from the famous to the average tourist.
   
Fans of the Mayberry squad car will enjoy cruising Mount Airy in a vintage squad car replica from the 1960s. Squad Car Tours owner Mike Cockerham said, “I started the business after realizing in 2004 that 75 percent of the people at Mayberry Days were tourists searching for ‘Andy Griffith Show’ landmarks.” 
  
The tours begin at Wally’s Service Station where Goober look-alike J.C. Fields serves as tour guide. Visitors cruise by Griffith’s childhood home, the Andy Griffith Playhouse — Mount Airy’s theater and arts center — and other sites. 
   
Many tourists have also had a little bit of Mayberry in their church, Fields said. “A large number of tourists relate to me that they have participated in a Mayberry Bible Study,” he explained.
   
Because almost every episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” features a morality lesson, some churches are using the Mayberry Bible Study. Church groups watch an episode of the show on video or DVD. Leaders then distribute study plans for discussion using Scripture that pertains to the moral lesson of the episode. 
   
While there are books and guides available from bookstores, at least two Alabama ministers are using study guides from the Internet. 
   
John Scott, pastor of Big Hurricane Baptist Church, Brookwood, in Pleasant Grove Baptist Association, said, “I have taken parts of the lesson plans that are available at www.barneyfife.com and modified them into discussion guides to fit our purposes. When we first started the study for our discipleship hour, it caused a dramatic increase in our attendance.”
   
Chuck Ashley, minister to adults at First Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association, said the church uses the lesson plans from the Barney Fife site and has also ordered the first five years of the show on DVD. 
   
“We have been teaching the Mayberry Bible Study for several years and love it,” Ashley said. “These episodes are a breath of fresh air and easily relate spiritually to key life issues today.” 
   
For Mount Airy information, call 1-800-948-0949 or visit www.visitmayberry.com. For Mayberry Days information, call 1-800-286-6193 or visit www.surryarts.org.