Dr. Steve Lindsley and I decided to exchange blog posts for each other. He had a great idea about posting his thoughts on what it’s like to be a minister in Mayberry. Read his awesome post HERE. He asked me to return the favor and write about what makes a town “Mayberry?” Read my guest post on his blog HERE!
Be sure to check out Steve’s other sites, as he is one busy and fascinating guy. Enjoy and have a great week!
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“It’s a celebration of our history. Smithfield and Johnston County are known for its ham producing as well as its sweet potato producing,” said Chris Johnson, Executive Director of the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation.
The festival also celebrates Smithfield’s birthday. The town was chartered in May 1777.
During the past 25 years, the festival has grown from a small local event with 2,000 to 3,000 people to a regional festival with more than 27,000 visitors, Johnson said.
The recession has had an impact this year, however. Sponsorships are down about 10 percent. But booth rentals and sales are up, Johnston said.
One of the main events Saturday was the North Carolina BBQ Championship Cook-Off, sponsored by the North Carolina Pork Council. The competition attracted barbecue cooks from across the state.
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This weekend my boyfriend and I took a trip to N.C. for a wedding. Our destination was Flat Rock, but we stopped along the way in a few small (and not so small) towns. At each stop we sampled the delicious local fair. I’ll share some of our treats with you.
First, we stoped at Davidson campus in Davidson, N.C. My boyfriend went to college there and wanted to show me his old stomping grounds. Just off campus there was an adorable little soda shop where we sipped on root beer floats and orangeade! It felt like an old fashioned malt shop. So good!
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This is just fantastic. Had to post it….
Transcript from OSBN Radio Ep.0006
Jeremy Sarber, host
Air date: 4/23/09
I have to admit, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed this week. Maybe even discouraged, though I don’t know if discouraged is the right word for it. It’s been one of those weeks where all of the troubles and all of the problems in the world have been on my mind. I’m not talking about my own troubles. I’m talking about the troubles of society as a whole. I’ve come to this conclusion: I miss Mayberry. Over the past few years, I have grown to love the Andy Griffith show more and more. For those who read my personal website or listen to me preach a regular basis know how often I reference the show. I have never lived in Mayberry. I have never lived during a time like Mayberry. Perhaps there never was a Mayberry, but even so, I miss it. Maybe I should say I long for it. Even if there never was a Mayberry, at least there was a time when the concept of Mayberry was appealing enough for prime time television. People wanted to see shows like that. One of the things I love about the Andy Griffith show is how I never feel a sense of guilt after watching it. There is so much filth and profanity and ungodly subjects on TV today that when I finally turn it off, I feel worse for having watched it. But that’s not the case for shows like Andy Griffith. I feel pretty good after watching it. I don’t have that feeling like I’ve really wasted my time. There used to be standards, if in no other place, at least on TV.
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Ritchie Havens performs this year!
The Beaufort Music Festival Committee invites you to come enjoy a weekend of live music on multiple stages in Downtown Beaufort on the waterfront, at the Beaufort Historic Site and the North Carolina Maritime Museum as well as in local pubs and restaurants.
To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!
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Head west on Interstate 40, then north on U.S. Highway 52 for budget family fun in Mount Airy, the real-life town that claims to be the inspiration for Andy and Opie’s television home.
“We’re the friendliest town in the world,” Jessica Icenhour, of the town’s tourism bureau said. “When you walk down the street, people wave. Everyone says hello, everyone smiles.”
The drive from Raleigh to Mount Airy is about 140 miles. Along the way, you can stop at Pilot Mountain State Park. Admission is free, and from 1,400 feet above sea level, you can look down on the many birds stalking their prey.
Danny Brown took his family to Pilot Mountain for the cost of “just a few gallons of gas,” he said.
When you arrive in Mount Airy, stop by Floyd’s City Barber Shop on Main Street. It is the real thing. Russell Hiatt says he even cut Andy Griffith’s hair.
For $8, your child can sit in Hiatt’s barber chair.
To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!
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According to the Wilmington Star-News, there’s a movement afoot to construct a carnival-type atmosphere on Carolina Beach‘s boardwalk this summer.
The idea is the brainchild of local business owners and an amusement park operator from Florida. If approved by the town council, five parcels along Cape Fear Boulevard would be given conditional use permits for a “family-oriented carnival consisting of a series of large mechanical rides, kids’ rides, funhouses and food stands.” Included in the plan is a 60-foot Ferris wheel with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!
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SYLVA, N.C. – The 2009 edition of the NC Mountains Vacation Guide is available free of charge from the Jackson County Travel & Tourism Authority.
The guide provides an array of things to see and do in the popular mountain towns of Cashiers, Cherokee, Cullowhee, Dillsboro and Sylva.
The full-color magazine includes a pull-out map of hiking trails and waterfalls. It covers rafting on the Tuckasegee River and such natural attractions as the Blue Ridge Parkway, Panthertown Valley and the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail.
Readers also have access to detailed information on dining, shopping, cultural events and the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lodging options include several historic bed-and-breakfast inns and more than 200 cabin rentals.
“In an increasingly plugged-in world, we offer folks a chance to unplug and unwind,” says Julie Spiro of the Jackson Tourism Authority. “And, we have options to satisfy every budget.”
To request a complimentary copy of the NC Mountains Vacation Guide, call (800) 962-1911 or visit www.MountainLovers.com.
To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!
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April is for Arts is a month-long celebration of the diversity of arts & culture in North Mecklenburg. This project was made possible, in part, through a Cultural Project Grant from the Arts & Science Council and the Grassroots Program of North Carolina Arts Council (a state agency). In addition, there are a number of wonderful sponsors whose contributions and support have helped to support our efforts.
Learn more about April is for Arts in Davidson!
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Published: April 1, 2009
In the classic Andy Griffith Show episode “Stranger in Town,” a man moved to Mayberry, N.C., because he had heard so many good things about the town.
And in real life, Darrel and Debbie Miles, big fans of The Andy Griffith Show, made the same decision.
They are originally from New Albany, Ind., but just over three years ago they decided to make the move to Mount Airy, the town that inspired Mayberry. They opened Mayberry on Main, a store on Main Street that sells memorabilia related to The Andy Griffith Show as well as hot sauces and salsa.
Debbie recalls the first time she found out that there was a real “Mayberry” back in 1992.
“Reruns of the show were always on during dinner time,” she recalled. “Like any other family, we’d be getting dinner ready and The Andy Griffith Show would be on. Then one day when I was at work, my oldest daughter, Natalie, called and said, ‘Mom, there really is a Mayberry and Oprah’s there!’ I said, ‘Well, find out where it is!'”
When they got home, Natalie had written down the name of “Mount Airy, N.C.”
“That minute on, we made arrangements to visit,” Debbie said. “And then every year at least once a year we could come down.”
They made the eight-hour drive to Mount Airy, first for the annual Mayberry Days festival and then more frequently. They made friends in Mount Airy during those visits.
“We found more and more times when we had a few days off, we’d be driving down to Mount Airy,” Darrel said. They visited frequently over the course of about 13 years.
And when Darrel retired from the manufacturing company where he had worked for 32 years, they decided to move to Mount Airy.
“We decided about three years ago we were going to do something together,” he said. “We started thinking about all the places we had visited and vacationed, and wondered, where would we like to live and have a small business and just have more time together?
“We talked about several places we enjoyed, and as big Mayberry fans as we were, we thought, ‘Oh, gosh.…'”
“‘Wouldn’t that be great?'” Debbie said, finishing his thought.
Their oldest daughter, Natalie — who is now 28 — thought the move was a good idea.
Their youngest, Samantha, who is 25, wasn’t so sure. “When we moved down here, she thought it was real corny,” Darrel said. Eventually, their daughters moved to North Carolina as well.
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In Search of Mayberry 