Ode to the Andy Griffith Show

Statues of Andy and Opie erected by TV Land.

I Love Watching the Andy Griffith Show

I love watching Andy who has no gun.

I love watching Aunt Bee when supper is done.

I love watching Barney get out of a plight.

I love watching Opie do his homework at night.

I love watching Goober pump gas with a flair.

I love watching Floyd pretend to cut hair.

I love watching Gomer sleeping in church.

I love watching Earnest T. jump from a birch.

I love watching Thelma Lou smiling at a dance.

I love watching Helen give Andy another chance.

I love watching Mayberry in a rerun.

I love watching Andy who has no gun.

In case you can't tell, I have been watching the Andy Griffith Show for decades and I don't seem to tire of it. That's why I was thrilled when we were able to stop in Mt. Airy, NC, on our recent vacation to visit the Andy Griffith Museum. Mt. Airy is the small town that Andy Griffith grew up in and that Mayberry was based on. One of Andy's lifelong friends has been collecting memorabilia about him over the years and decided to open the museum a few years ago.

The museum was just as I imagined it should be--one large room with a friendly and homey feel. Somethings were behind glass, but many were in the open and easy to get close to like Andy's typewriter and desk. Among the other things on display were the keys to the Mayberry jail, Barney's chair, Andy's justice of the peace sign, and original clothing worn by many of the cast on the show. I spent most of time in the museum saying to Ward, "Look at this! Look at that." He was a very good sport in that he was not quite as excited about the Mayberry memorabilia as I was.

It's nice when you find something simple that always makes you smile. Andy and the gang do that for me.
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A couple of other things:

• There was more in the museum than Mayberry related things because Andy Griffith has had a lot more to his career than the Andy Griffith Show.  Matlock, for example.
• Also, in my informal survey throughout time, I find that people who were raised in a small town or rural area tend to like the Andy Griffith Show more than people who grew up in urban areas. I think there may be a future post on this subject. What do you think?