An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)

(If you received the Newsletter by email and are unable to see all the images & videos, or if it seems like thing are missing, please go to this link to make sure you aren’t missing anything.)

It’s almost Christmas time as we’re into the month of November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. That got me thinking about how thankful I am for all of you who read this newsletter, listen to or watch my Two Chairs No Waiting podcast, or are just fans of The Andy Griffith Show and enjoy all the things around Mayberry.

Weaver’s has been working hard to show our thanks to all of you for supporting our business by adding new products for you to choose from as gifts or for yourself. This issue may feel a bit more like a sales brochure than normal but there is still a lot of Mayberry information scattered throughout.

There’s plenty of Mayberry information within the confines of this issue, but I am showcasing as many of the new products as possible.

So stick around for all the Mayberry fun in the form of trivia, stories and reports. Enjoy the newsletter and please take note of the shipping schedule for your order to arrive in time for Christmas.

== Holiday Shipping Schedule ==

For orders received as late as Wednesday, December 16, Weaver’s will be shipping for Christmas delivery with our standard flat-rate of $5.00 for shipping & handling.

Weaver’s will still be shipping orders through Christmas week, but unless you live really near our shipping HQ in Huntsville, Ala., any orders we receive after December 16th, will require *Express/Overnight USPS or 3 day/2 day select UPS Delivery for them to arrive by Christmas.

Avoid the rush and order now/soon. Do not push your luck in getting your order in time for Christmas. Don’t worry about not being Mayberry-like. You won’t get a “rude” like Ernest T., because this is one time it’s perfectly O.K. to hurry up a little bit in Mayberry. More shipping information can be found on the store website.

== Remshaw Family ==

Now that Halloween has come and gone, folks have been doing plenty of talking about Old Man Remshaw and that spooky old Remshaw place. Below, we’ve got a wonderful little tale to share that Floyd himself picked up right here in Mayberry. People are always dropping by the shop asking about that house after driving into town, just curious because of how run-down it looks. So, Floyd went ahead and dug up the history of the Remshaw family to pass along to everybody.

So go ahead and settle into the barber chair for a quick trim, and listen to what Floyd found out about the Remshaws.

The Remshaw Family History

by: Floyd Lawson

The Remshaws weren’t originally from Mayberry. They came down from Virginia sometime in the 1880s — a quiet, tight-lipped family that bought a piece of land just outside of town and built the house that still stands there. Old Man Remshaw (his given name was Elias, though almost nobody used it) was already middle-aged when he arrived. He had a wife, Margaret, and one son, a boy named Caleb who was maybe twelve or thirteen at the time.

They kept to themselves. Elias farmed a little and took on hired help when the work got heavy. He paid fair, but he expected a full day’s labor and didn’t care much for excuses. The house itself was solid — two stories, a wide porch, and a cellar that ran the length of the foundation. Margaret kept a garden and tried to make the place look presentable, but Elias never seemed interested in company. Visitors were rare.

The trouble started with the hired man.

His name was Jonah. He was a big, quiet fellow from over near Siler City who had drifted into Mayberry looking for work. Elias took him on for the fall harvest and then kept him through the winter because the boy was strong and didn’t talk much. Jonah slept in a small room off the kitchen and ate with the family. For a while things were ordinary.

Then, the winter of 1891, Jonah started disappearing for hours at a time. Elias didn’t like it. He was particular about knowing where his help was. One evening he found Jonah down in the cellar with a lantern, going through an old trunk that had belonged to Margaret’s people. Elias ordered him out. Words were exchanged. Some say Jonah swung at him. Others say he only raised his voice.

What happened next is the part that still gets told different ways.

According to the version most people heard, Elias chained Jonah to a beam in the cellar and left him there overnight to “think on it.” When he came back the next morning, Jonah was dead. Elias claimed the man had hanged himself with the chain. The sheriff at the time looked the place over, saw the marks on Jonah’s wrists, and decided there wasn’t enough to charge anybody. Jonah was buried in an unmarked grave at the edge of the property. The Remshaws didn’t put up a stone.

Margaret never quite recovered from it. She stopped coming into town. Within two years she was gone — some said a fever, some said she just wasted away. Elias had her buried in the family plot behind the house, next to a small stone that simply read “Margaret.” After that he grew even quieter. Caleb, by then nearly grown, stayed on for a while, but the two of them barely spoke. One spring Caleb left for Raleigh and never came back. Letters stopped after a year.

Elias lived alone in the house after that. He still hired help now and then, but nobody stayed long. People said he talked to himself at night. A few claimed they saw him standing in the upstairs window after dark, just watching the road. He died in 1907. They found him in his chair in the front room, facing the portrait that had been painted of him years earlier. The portrait still hangs there.

After Elias died the house sat empty. Caleb never returned to claim it. Distant relatives in Virginia were contacted, but none of them wanted the place. The property eventually passed into the county’s hands for unpaid taxes, though no one ever bothered to tear the house down. Over the years the stories grew. Folks said you could still hear chains moving in the cellar on certain nights. Others swore the eyes in Elias’s portrait would turn to follow you if you stood in the front room too long. A few claimed that if you stopped on the road after dark and looked up at the second-floor window, you might see a thin, gray-haired figure holding something long and thin at his side.

Most people in Mayberry treated it as just another old ghost story — the kind you told children to keep them from wandering out that way after sunset. But every so often a traveler or a salesman would come into Floyd’s shop and mention, in a low voice, that something had happened to them near the Remshaw place. A flat tire. A light in a window that shouldn’t have been there. Eyes in a painting that didn’t stay still.

I don’t claim to know which parts were true. I only know that the house has been empty a long time, and that empty houses have a way of collecting stories, whether anybody lives in them or not.

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Weaver’s hopes you enjoyed that historical information by Floyd. If you did, you can listen to it or watch Floyd tell it to the host of the Two Chairs No Waiting Podcast, episode number 913. There’s an audio version and a YouTube video version there to choose from. I’ll put the YouTube video below. Of course, if you’ve already read the whole story, you may not care to watch it again, but there are some other fun stories in that video that you may have missed.

== Mayberry-O-Lanterns ==

Even though Halloween has come and gone, pumpkins remain a wonderful accent for the autumn months. They make fantastic Thanksgiving decorations, and there is no finer way to spruce up your home than by crafting your very own Mayberry-themed jack-o’-lanterns.

In keeping with our Old Man Remshaw theme, you can pop over to imayberry.com/remshaw to grab printable patterns for Barney, Goober, Floyd, Opie, and even Gomer, who is our newest addition. These stencils are completely free to print out and use whenever you get ready to carve up your seasonal displays.

While traditional gourds work great, I decided to grab a synthetic pumpkin from Hobby Lobby so I could craft a keepsake that lasts year after year. Carving an actual pumpkin means repeating the process every single autumn, which turned out to be quite a bit of work for me! Creating a permanent version was much easier, and you can take a look at how my own turned out in the photo. So far, I’ve carved Barney and Floyd, though I hope to grow my collection down the road.

I even recorded a step-by-step video demonstrating how I carved the Floyd design, which is available exclusively to members on the Two Chairs No Waiting Podcast YouTube channel or via patreon.com/twochairs. While we do require a membership to access that footage, you certainly don’t need the video to tackle this fun project! Weaver’s found carving instructions HERE that you can use just as well, you just have to read and look at the photos. All the directions work a standard pumpkin —or, if using a foam version. You simply scrape away the top layer (skin of the pumpkin) so the soft glow shines right through. Enjoy the carving!

== Mayberry Days 2026 — Qualifying Trivia ==

Here are the trivia questions from the Qualifying round of Mayberry Days Trivia. Competitors come forward to judges and whisper their answers to judges in an attempt to correctly answer enough questions to make it onto the stage to compete with past Mayberry Days trivia champions. This year, four qualifiers were able to make it on to the Finals. Let’s see how many questions you can get. You needed at least 11 to qualify so write down your answer and keep your score. (The answers are provided later in this issue.)

1. Aunt Bee’s egg salesman and friend, Mr. Frisby, informs her that the county
   has notified him that his house is being condemned and Aunt Bee is appalled.
   When Andy and Barney begin the forcible eviction of Mr. Frisby, how many
   illegal stills did Andy find in the cellar under Frisby’s henhouse?
2. Mr. Frisby promises Opie that he can have his beloved rooster, name this
   rooster?
3. Mrs. Ambrose often asks Andy and Barney to watch her son while she shops
   downtown, what is her son’s name?
4. What is the name of Andy’s and Barney’s high school yearbook?
5. How old were Dudley A. Wash and Charlene Darling when they pledged to marry?
6. Otis surprises Andy and Barney when he purchases a car. They believe that
   Otis will not be responsible enough to operate an auto safely. Otis is
   uncertain that he could refrain from drinking and driving so he sold the
   car. Who bought Otis’s car?
7. A big misunderstanding with Andy and Barney resulted in Helen and Thelma Lou
   going to a dance with Gomer and Goober and Andy and Barney going to the
   dance with Daphne and Skippy. Who was the band leader at this dance?
8. Which one of Opie’s friends has a new cement driveway at his house and all
   the neighborhood kids want to roller skate on it?
9. While walking home from the movies, Barney and Thelma Lou gaze at a sofa and
   a green rug displayed in a store window. What is the color of this sofa?
10. Andy and Barney are gossiping and Barney says there is a story going around
    about lingerie shop employee Myra Koonce that has something to do with a
    fellah from where?
11. Mrs. Beggs nearly got run off of Highway 6 by a woman speeder. Mrs. Beggs
    comes to the courthouse to report this to Andy and goes into a tangent
    which includes a story about her sister who was a victim of a bad dentist
    in Nashville that resulted in long teeth, name Mrs. Beggs sister?
12. The Mayberry Choir led by John Masters, has a big problem. The group is
    scheduled to perform a concert, and their first tenor has had to leave the
    choir due to his new job. Barney tells John Masters that he has a trained
    singing voice and John thinks his troubles are over and invites Barney to
    join the choir. Name the first tenor that Barney replaced in the choir?
13. Andy gets upset when Helen tells him that Opie got a D in arithmetic. Barney
    pushes Andy to improve Opie’s poor Math grades, because if they don’t
    improve, a good college will never accept him. Concerned about Opie’s
    future, Barney tells Andy about a vocational school in Mount Pilot that is
    dedicated to what trade?
14. The carnival has come to Mayberry which is always special for Opie and his
    friends. What did Opie’s friend Johnny Paul win at the carnival’s ring
    toss?
15. Andy finds Willard Foster standing next to his damaged car on the outskirts
    of Mayberry. Andy called Goober from Mr. Foster’s car phone to pick up and
    repair his car. Mr. Foster is the president of Foster’s Furniture Polish
    and Andy invites him over for lunch while Goober repairs his car. Andy
    tells Mr. Foster that Aunt Bee uses his products which results in Mr.
    Foster asks Bee if she would like to perform as the Foster lady in his
    commercials and Bee is overjoyed. Soon a camera crew arrives at the Taylor
    home, who is the director of this crew?
    
    BONUS QUESTION – Not given during the contest. Reserved for tie-breaker
16. The church organ is worn out and Andy, Helen and Warren decide to form a
    committee in an attempt to acquire a good used church organ. The church
    has only $1200 to spend and a good used organ is found for $2000 dollars and
    the committee begins to ask for donations, how much does Opie pledge?

How do you think you did? Check your answers with the key below.

== The Magic of Rewatching Mayberry ==

Here’s something I’ve always found interesting about The Andy Griffith Show: we don’t need to be surprised by it to enjoy what we see. In fact, knowing exactly what’s going to happen is often part of the fun. Think about the first few seconds of an episode you’ve seen countless times. You recognize the opening music, you know the storyline, and you know the characters inside out. Yet, you settle in anyway.

Even though you already know Barney is going to make a mistake, Andy is going to figure it out, and the story will end on a happy note, you still watch. That’s because we’re not watching to find out what happens—we’re watching simply to enjoy being there.

It’s Like Visiting an Old Friend

Think of it like calling an old friend you’ve known for years. You aren’t reaching out because you don’t know what they’re like; quite the opposite. You already know their voice, their sense of humor, their go-to stories, and how they react to things. That predictability is precisely what makes spending time with them so enjoyable.

Mayberry works the exact same way. We know Barney, Andy, Aunt Bee, Opie, Floyd, Goober, and Otis like familiar friends. Far from diminishing the experience, that familiarity only enhances our enjoyment.

We Know the Joke Is Coming

One of the greatest joys of rewatching the show is anticipating the comedy. You know the exact beat: Barney says something, Andy gives him that classic look, and before a word is even uttered, you start laughing. We’ve seen it a hundred times, but that doesn’t make it any less funny. It’s like listening to a favorite song—you don’t tune in because you don’t know the next note, but because you do. The familiarity is the pleasure.

Mayberry Is an Escape

There’s another reason people keep returning to Mayberry: it’s a safe place. That doesn’t mean nothing goes wrong, but the problems are always manageable. Nobody has to save the world or stop civilization from crumbling. The issues are simply human ones, and people usually work them out. By the end of thirty minutes, everything is right back where it belongs: Andy is at the courthouse, Barney is on patrol, Aunt Bee is keeping house, Opie is learning lessons, and Mayberry is still Mayberry. That predictability is incredibly comforting.

We Aren’t Nostalgic for Everything

I don’t think viewers tune in because they long for every detail of the early 1960s—times change for good reason. Rather, Mayberry represents an idealized version of community: a place where neighbors truly care, kids grow up surrounded by friendly faces, and problems are solved over a quiet conversation. That’s a vision that never goes out of style.

Why the Show Gets Passed Down

What’s truly remarkable is how the series moves across generations. Someone who watched it when it originally aired passed it on to their children, who then shared it with theirs, and now new fans are discovering Mayberry decades later. While most TV shows grow dated and lose their charm, Mayberry remains accessible because families can sit down and enjoy it together. Whether you’re laughing at Barney’s antics, Aunt Bee’s cooking, or Floyd’s barbershop banter, there’s room for everyone.

Maybe That’s Why We Keep Coming Back

Ultimately, we don’t return to these episodes because we’ve forgotten the plot. We return because we haven’t forgotten how they make us feel. The show reminds us of friendship, kindness, and how patience can resolve almost anything. So the next time you catch yourself watching an episode for the twentieth time, don’t feel guilty. The world keeps changing, but Mayberry stays right where it needs to be: Andy is still at the courthouse, and Barney is still trying to prove himself.

Aunt Bee is still looking after everybody.

Opie is still learning about life.

And somewhere down that familiar road, Andy and Opie are still walking toward the fishing hole.

So sit back.

Listen to the theme.

Enjoy the episode.

And for a little while…

go home to Mayberry.

== Chapter News ==

We were provided some Mayberry Days photos from the Mayberry Chapter just as Weaver’s was releasing our last issue so we have a gallery to share. That’s lucky because we have received only one chapter report for this issue and that’s likely because this one is so soon after the previous. I do know that at least one chapter, the Colorado Fishin’ Hole Whistler’s Chapter, has a big meeting coming up the middle of November so I’m hopeful to hear that report and any others before the next issue. There have been some online gatherings so there is activity among fans. Mayberry is alive and well.

Eight members of “Mornin’, Dear!” “Mornin’, Honey!” (Forest City/Rutherfordton, N.C.) gathered for a meeting on Nov. 6. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of spaghetti with oregano and all the fixings—(wouldn’t you know… oregano!). The first person in line even treated us to a great whistling of “The Fishin’ Hole” theme!  
During the meeting, the chapter shared some round-the-table trivia about our favorite episodes, followed by a game where everyone had a character’s name taped to their back while others gave clues. We also had a fun trivia competition with prizes, and after eating, all eight of us wrapped up the night watching “Dinner at Eight.” It was a wonderful time together, and our next meeting is planned for January.

Mayberry Chapter (Knoxville, Tenn.) provided more photos of their Mayberry Days 2026 experience than we can share but here is a selection for you to enjoy. Thank you to the Mayberry Chapter for providing the memories in the gallery below.

As a note, the September 2026 Mayberry Chapter newsletter called The Mayberry Minutes was published before Mayberry Days and was BIG.  Their print newsletter is available for $20 for two or three 16 page issues per year or $10 for a pdf version emailed to you. If you enjoy getting your Mayberry news on paper, or as a pdf, The Mayberry Minutes is a great option for you. For more info, contact Dennis Beal (a.k.a. Mr. Schwamp during Mayberry Days) at KingOfMayberry@comcast.net. It’s a great newsletter and always a pleasure to find in the mail or inbox.

Please submit an official report from your chapter for inclusion in the Jan/Feb 2027 issue of Weaver’s Newsletter. Weaver’s encourages all TAGSRWC chapters to email in their reports (Please add Subject: Newsletter Report to your email) so we can share your fun with others .

== Chapter Update ==

Our total number of chapters started since TAGSRWC was founded in 1979 remains the same since our last issue with the total number of chapters at 1,496! It was great in the last two reports to have new chapters being formed and we’re happy to welcome new chapters so we hope to hear from you.

Starting a chapter of TAGSRWC is still just as easy as it was four decades ago. You simply pick a name that hasn’t previously been selected by another group. (You can check the searchable list of chapter names already taken at www.iMayberry.com.) Then submit your chapter’s name with your location and a list of your founding members by e-mail to Goober@imayberry.com. That’s all it takes!

Whether or not you start or join a local chapter, you can always join our online “Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” chapter or any of several exclusively online chapters on Facebook (see Mayberry on the Web below).

== News of Cast & Crew ==

Since this issue follows so closely with our last, there is very little to report but we did want to point out one bit of news just to be sure you don’t miss a chance to see Rodney Dillard in person.

Rodney Dillard (the guitar-playing Darling boy) keeps the bluegrass playing. He and the Dillards will be performing at a weekend built around Rodney. November 13–14, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky, hosts “The Old Home Place: A Mayberry Weekend,” honoring the Dillards and the television family they became. Rodney Dillard & the Dillards perform, joined by Little Roy Lewis and Lizzy (The David Parmley Band was originally scheduled but had to withdraw), with stories, meet-and-greets, and Friends from Mayberry on hand. There will also be a new museum exhibit draws on the musical collection Rodney has donated. VIP tickets include a Saturday morning breakfast with Rodney and a behind-the-scenes talk about that exhibit. Reserved seats have been listed at $50 and the VIP experience at $100; details and tickets are at bluegrasshall.org/mayberryweekend.

That’s all the News of Cast & Crew that Weaver’s was able to find this issue. If you run across exciting news about any of the cast and crew of The Andy Griffith Show, please let us know so we can share it with everyone in a future issue.

== Mayberry Days 2026 — Qualifying Trivia ANSWERS ==

Here are the answers to the questions for the Qualifying Round. Each includes the answer, the season & episode number where you can confirm the answer; the episode title containing the answer; and, the filming number for the episode. Check your answers and see how you might have done during the Mayberry Days trivia contest.

1. Answer: 6
   Season 4, Episode 15 (“Aunt Bee, the Crusader” | Filmed #111)
2. Answer: Beauregard
   Season 4, Episode 15 (“Aunt Bee, the Crusader” | Filmed #111)
3. Answer: Jeremy
   Season 3, Episode 3 (“Andy and the New Mayor” | Filmed #69)
4. Answer: The Cutlass
   Season 3, Episode 19 (“Class Reunion” | Filmed #82)
5. Answer: Five
   Season 3, Episode 25 (“The Darlings Are Coming” | Filmed #88)
6. Answer: Charlie Varney
   Season 4, Episode 19 (“Hot Rod Otis” | Filmed #115)
7. Answer: Earle
   Season 4, Episode 27 (“The Fun Girls” | Filmed #123)
8. Answer: Tommy Griff
   Season 4, Episode 23 (“Andy Saves Gomer” | Filmed #119)
9. Answer: Blue
   Season 4, Episode 30 (“Barney and Thelma Lou, Phfftt” | Filmed #126)
10. Answer: Chattanooga
    Season 4, Episode 21 (“The Shoplifters” | Filmed #117)
11. Answer: Tillie
    Season 4, Episode 16 (“Barney’s Sidecar” | Filmed #112)
12. Answer: Ralph Pritchard
    Season 2, Episode 20 (“Barney and the Choir” | Filmed #52)
13. Answer: Meat Cutting
    Season 5, Episode 30 (“Opie Flunks Arithmetic” | Filmed #157)
14. Answer: Baseball Bat
    Season 5, Episode 31 (“Opie and the Carnival” | Filmed #158)
15. Answer: Jim Martin
    Season 6, Episode 27 (“The Foster Lady” | Filmed #187)
16. Answer: 60 cents
    Season 6, Episode 14 (“The Church Organ” | Filmed #174)

== Mayberry on the Web ==

The iMayberry Community

This TAGSRWC online group is organized and overseen by webmaster Allan “Floyd” Newsome with most of the actual work begin done by Keith “Col. Harvey/Briscoe Darling” Brown of the Trivial Trivialities chapter (Pawleys Island, S.C.). You can check out the fun of this online community and sign up for free at: https://imayberrycommunity.com.

The iMayberry Community complements our other online activities, including our main www.imayberry.com page, podcasts, Facebook pages, online newsletters (such as The Weaver’s Newsletter), weaversdepartmentstore.com and chat rooms.

Mayberry Podcast

“Two  Chairs, No Waiting” is our weekly podcast of TAGS news, interviews and pretty much whatever’s happening in and around Mayberry. It’s hosted by Allan Newsome.

There’s a new episode every Tuesday (and you can watch and listen during live recording of the show on Monday evenings at 8pm ET @ live.twochairsnowaiting.com ). As of this week, there have been 915 episodes of Two Chairs since Allan launched the podcast 18 years ago, on October 11, 2008. Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view the YouTube video installments you’ve missed. We’re sure you can find at least a few episodes you’d enjoy out of all those that are available. OH….they are all FREE!

Take some time to look around the main Mayberry Podcasts (https://iMayberry.com/podcaasts) website for various other links, including one for another outstanding Mayberry-related podcast: “Burke on Mayberry“ (hosted by TAGSRWC’s Kevin Burke since 2008). There are also links for the Mayberry Devotional hosted by Brian Rose and the Mayberry Bible Study Podcast that are no longer being produced but the content remains “evergreen.”

Facebook

TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook  has ~251,000 Followers. You can find us at www.facebook.com/tagsrwc. If you haven’t already dropped by the page, we hope you’ll check it out sometime when you have the chance. We invite you to become a TAGSRWC Facebook Friend!

Two Chairs No Waiting podcast also has a Facebook page and group where you can follow along with the podcast and interact with fans.

We also have links in our “Liked by this Page” section to the pages (in the “About” section) of several TAGSRWC chapters on Facebook, as well as to Facebook pages for Mayberry Days,®  the Andy Griffith Museum, TAGS actors and others. Click “See All” to check out all the links.

Even Ben Weaver has his own Weaver’s Department Store Facebook page at www.facebook.com/weaversdepartmentstore. It features all the latest in Mayberry items and merchandise news. Weaver’s is also on X (Twitter) so follow Weaver’s there if you’re on X.

== Post Note ==

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of our newsletter. (Mrs. Weaver) and Allan, work hard to find or create fun Mayberry products and information to share all the Mayberry fans out there. Jan’ has been working very hard to come up with new products that fans might enjoy and that Weaver’s can afford to create. We certainly hope you enjoy and will SHARE the Weaver’s Newsletter AND the WeaverDepartmentStore.com website with your friends and family

If you run across something interesting that might fit into our next newsletter, please email me at floyd@iMayberry.com with the subject Weaver’s Newsletter Info so I don’t miss your e-mail.

Between issues of the Weaver’s Newsletter, you can keep up with all that’s going on in and around Mayberry by being part of the daily Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board? (aka “WBMUTBB?”) Digest. It’s free and you can sign up for that list by going to WBMUTBB.com and choosing the “Join/Subscribe/Unsubscribe” link.

Consider joining the FREE WBMUTBB Facebook Group with links to more WBMUTBB chapter fun. The Facebook group is private and administered by me (Allan) so I hope that makes you feel better about joining in on the fun. It’s made up of TAGS fans only and I do my best to make sure things are fun for all…both on the WBMUTBB Digest emails and the WBMUTBB Facebook group.

The next issue of our Weaver’s Newsletter will be published in Jan/Feb 2027 . Please make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter so you don’t miss an issue when it publishes. You can stay in touch with things going on around Mayberry by listening to/watching the Two Chairs No Waiting podcast. See you next time!

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