Andy Griffith is....

[~*Dailey'sGurl*~]

COMING TO MOUNT AIRY!!!!


from: The Mount Airy News - Monday, August 2nd, 2004
Page 1 & continued on Page 2.

"Andy Griffith is coming home again - for the weekend and forever.
Dufing the 15th annual Mayberry Days celebration, the star of the Emmy-award winning The Andy Griffith Show will be in town to help thousands of fans celebrate his legacy, the show's longevity, and the values that made both successful.
That same weekend, TV LAND, which just named Griffith the Number 1 TV father of all time, will be unveiling a bronze statue depicting Andy & Opie walking to their famed fishing hole.
The statue is a duplicate of the one that was dedicated last October in Raleigh.
The statue will be unveiled Sept. 24 at 9:30 am at the new amphitheater to kick off the annual Mayberry Days celebration. It will be moved to its permanent home on the grounds of The Andy Griffith Playhouse following the ceremony.
Griffith is scheduled to be joined on stage by Mount Airy Mayor Jack Loftis and Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land & Nick at Night.
"This will certainly be the biggest and most exciting ting that has happened in Mount Airy in my lifetime! It is a dream come true for Mount Airy - and for me personally." said Emmett Forrest, Andy Griffith's childhood and life-long friend.
It is also exciting for all those who will attend the event.
"For fans of Andy Griffith, The Andy Griffith Show, and Mount Airy, being able to attend Mayberry Days this year is a thrill beyond belief. I mean, Andy Griffith, in Mount Airy, during Mayberry Days. Can it get any better for a Mayberry fan than that? I know that it can't be for me." said Jim Clark, President of TAGSRWC. "And no only that, but he's helping TV Land unveil a special landmark statue for the town. Shazam! Did I really just Shazam? Well, it certainly fits the occasion!"
Since it's beginning in 1990, the Surry Arts Council's annual Mayberry Days celebration has become one of the most anticipated events for fans of The Andy Griffith Show.
The celebration occuring near the anniversary date of the show, draws fans from all over the US and Canada. This year scheduled guest for Mayberry Days include Betty Lynn, the beloved Thelma Lou, Maggie Peterson - Mancuso, everyone's favorite Darling. Doug and Rodney Dillard along with LeRoy McNees will be playing the bluegrass music that is indigenous to Mt. Airy and the Blue Ridge Mountains - Darling style, of course.
The event will also feature George Spence, who played Frank in episode No. 151 "Guest in the House." Earle Hagen, composer of the theme for "The Andy Griffith Show" and the most famous whistler in the world to fans, will be attending for his second year.
Numerous other "Mayberry" personalities will be on hand.
Mayberry Days festivities include a golf tournament, bowling tournament, apple peel-off, children's games with the Ernest T. Bass rock throwing contest (Mt. Airy granite of course) and a pickle toss. Mayberry Days entertainment includes the Dillards in concert, Mayberry Days Revue, Colonel Tim's Talent Time, VW Boys Salute to Mayberry, "Memories of Elvis" featuring Michael Hoover, and for the first time - a live performance of "No Time for Sergeants" at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.
"This visit by Andy Griffith and the unveiling of the TV Land statue of Andy and Opie, is the ultimate reward for countless volunteers and fans who have worked so hard to honor Andy Griffith and "The Andy Griffith Show" with the annual Mayberry Days celebration" said Tanya Rees, Executive Director of the Surry Arts Council. "After 17 years at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, it is especially gratifying to me personally to know that following Andy's visit last year, he realizes the importance of this festival to the overall success of the arts in our community and that he is willing to do this to help and support our efforts. We all just want him to know how much we appreciate it."
The statue will be created by StudioEIS, a three - dimensional design and sculpture studio in New York founded by brothers Ivan and Elliot Schwartz. It is the same studio which created "The Andy Griffith Show" statue - of which this is a replica - in Raleigh and the Bob Newhart statue in Chicago.
The StudioEIS sclupture and design team is comprised of 10 memberswhich includes portrait Sculptor, Stuart Williamson, a former senior at Madam Tussaud's London, as well as Mark Barnett and Kriril Kriov. All are under the direction of Ivan Schwartz, founder and Art Director for the project.
"We are very excited over the news that a statue of Andy Griffith will be placed in Mount Airy." Mayor Loftis said.
The statue is part of TV Land Landmarks effort, an on-going program paying tribute to the shows, the characters and the places that they are forever connected with in the viewer's hearts and minds. The networks first salute - a bronze statue of Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners - was unveiled in 2000 and now adorns the entrance to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Most recently, TV Land unveiled "The Bob Newhart Show" statue, which commemorates Newhart's role as Dr. Robert Hartley on the classic "The Bob Newhart Show" on Chicago's Michigan Avenue on July 27.
"Mayberry is a state of mind that represents the very best of southern living - friendly, unpretentious, compassionate, fun - loving, decent and solid" said Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land and Nick at Night. "Mayberry Days celebrates the "Andy Griffith Show" annually and TV Land is thrilled to honor Andy's birthplace and kick off Mayberry Days with the unveiling of a replica statue of Andy and Opie. There is no better way to celebrate "The Andy Griffith Show" than by dedicating this statue as Mayberry Days begins."
Of that, there is no dispute.
"I always look forward to Mayberry Days and any visit to Mount Airy, but this year, more than ever, I really can't wait for Mayberry Days to get here." Clark said. "I know thousands of other fans feel the same way. It promises to be an especially poignant and fun weekend. No doubt about it - it's big!"

[~*Dailey'sGurl*~]

BUMP

[Leigh Ann]

Yeah, I saw that on mayberry.com. I wish I could go, but, I live too far away from North Carolina..This year would be the year to go..