Mount Airy hosts annual Mayberry Days celebration
By Michael Williams
Published October 8, 2023

Mount Airy, North Carolina hosted the 33rd annual Mayberry Days Sept 18-24. The annual festival celebrates the timeless Andy Griffith Show which ran on CBS from 1960-1968. The show was a weekly series full of gentle humor of a small town in a simpler time. The Show introduced the world to a number of memorable characters such as Sheriff Andy Taylor, Bumbling Barney Fife, Otis, the town drunk and many more.

A replica of Sheriff Andy Taylor's office sits in the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the town which Mayberry was modeled after.

Mount Airy is the birthplace of Griffith for whom the show was created. The annual festival attracts thousands of fans to the area where they can visit many of the businesses named after characters in the show and enjoy other themed activities.

In addition to Griffith, Mount Airy is home to three other famous individuals namely country music star Donna Fargo, who had several hits in the ‘70s and the famous Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker. But it was Griffith and Mayberry that fans converged upon the little town to commemorate.

The week-long festival featured shows including tributes to Elvis and Patsy Cline as well as performances by the Embers and the Bellamy Brothers.

Fans of the show got a chance to peruse memorabilia and reconstructed TV sets at the Andy Griffith Museum. Outside the museum fans posed next to the statue of Andy and Opie depicted walking toward the lake with rods and reels in hand. Across the street from the museum fans met with some of the stars of the show including Dennis Rush, who played as Opie’s friend, Howie and Ronnie Schell, who played as Bernie the furrier on the Andy Griffith Show and Duke Slater on the show’s spin-off Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Schell went on to a long career in TV after leaving Gomer Pyle USMC. “I appeared in numerous roles,” Schell said. “I was in an episode of Mork and Mindy and did a sit-com with an up-and-coming Goldie Hawn called ‘Good Morning World’.”

Actor Ronnie Schell played as Bernie the furrier on TAGS and played Duke Slater on the Gomer Pyle USMC show.

Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts, who portrayed Deputy Barney Fife in the Andy Griffith Show met with fans of the show and sold copies of her book Tied Up in Knotts about her late father.

Dreama Denver, the wife of the late Bob Denver, who is best remembered as Gilligan on “Gilligan’s Island” was on hand to sign copies of her books and statuettes of her husband. Dreama appeared with her husband on “Return to Gilligan’s Island.” Bob Denver appeared in one episode of the Andy Griffith Show as Dud Wash. Karen Knotts, the daughter if the late Don Knotts, who played “Barney Fife”, was on hand to sign copies of her book Tied up in Knotts about her remembrances of her father. Karen appeared in the movie “Return to Mayberry” and the recent movie “Mayberry Man.”

Keith Thibodeaux, who played Opie’s friend Johnny Paul, met with fans during which he discussed his career. Before joining the cast of the Andy Griffith Show, Thibodeaux played “Little Ricky” on “I Love Lucy.” At the time he was billed as Richard Keith due to the fact that producer Desi Arnez couldn’t pronounce Thibodeaux.

Along Main Street fans patronized the many businesses familiar to the show. The façade of the town resembles Mayberry as it served as the model for the show. Along Main Street is Opie’s Candy Store, Floyd’s Barber Shop, Snappy Lunch and other themed businesses. In the spirit of the occasion several locals dressed as characters from the show and met with visitors and posed for photos.

During the week-long event contests were held in keeping with the theme of the show. The whistling contest, in which fans tried to whistle the popular theme song “Let’s go to the Fishin’ Hole.” With prizes presented to the winner. Snappy’s Lunch hosted a pork chop sandwich eating contest and the Amphitheater hosted Mayberry trivia contests, a silent auction, a pie eating contest and the Chester Jones Checker Tournament.

The sound of sirens filled the air as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife escorted little Opie Taylor along Main Street during the parade.

Gomer Pyle walks along the parade route flanked by his cousin Goober who says "Hey."

On Saturday, a gentle rain did nothing to dampen the festive spirit of visitors that converged along Main Street for the annual Mayberry Days Parade. Character impersonators walked along mingling with the crowd while staying in character. Grumpy businessman Ben Weaver walked along the parade route shaking his fist at the attendees and handing out eviction notices. Gomer Pyle marched along the parkway waving and addressing fans while Sgt Carter walked along next to him shouting “Stop talking in the ranks, Pyle.” Aunt Bee handed out plastic pickles as a nod to the popular “Pickle Story.”

Sheriff Andy Griffith made an appearance along with his future wife Helen Crump, the no-nonsense teacher.

Immediately after the conclusion of the event organizers began making plans for the 34th annual Mayberry Days Celebration to be held in September of 2024. For more information about the next festival, please visit www.Surryarts.org/mayberrydays.

Andy Griffith and Ronnie Howard were immortalized in bronze with a statue that depicts their walk to the lake. The sequence of the father and son walking to the lake was broadcast with the whistling tune "The Fishin' Hole."