Weaver’s Newsletter
An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
April 2019
Welcome to the Springtime Weaver’s Newsletter, our second issue for 2019! As usual, this is the time of the year when Mayberry events really start cranking up. This promises to be another year chock-full of fun times…and fun items from Weaver’s store!
**** Merchandise Update ****
With the welcoming of Sweet Springtime, we greet thee in…T-shirts!
We’ve got a new T-shirt design, Barney Fife–Influencer, which joins more than four dozen other fun and fashionable designs.
Barney Fife–Influencer T-Shirt
$20.00
There’s no disguising that this is a classic Barney Fife T-shirt. You can bank on that. Some might say it’s the world’s first self-cleaning T-shirt, but we still recommend washing it after each wearing. No matter where this shirt might be manufactured, we can always say it’s Maid in America!
Weaver’s now has more than 50 different T-shirt designs to choose from!
Just a few of the designs in our T-shirt lineup.
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Most of our adult-sized T-shirts are just $20. A few designs are $18, and the Lawmen and Sheriff all-over designs are $25. (The long-sleeved Sheriff shirt is $40.) Several designs are available in sweatshirts (and some also as hoodies) as well.
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Messages from Mayberry
$15.00
Author and Pastor Ronald “Dee” Vaughan put Mayberry magic to work in his church’s worship services by showing an episode and going to the scripture to explore life issues from a Christian perspective.
Messages from Mayberry contains Pastor Vaughan’s messages based the 25 episodes listed below.
Chapter 1 – The New Housekeeper
Chapter 2 – Ellie Comes to Town
Chapter 3 – Runaway Kid
Chapter 4 – Opie’s Charity
Chapter 5 – A Feud is a Feud
Chapter 6 – The Beauty Contest
Chapter 7 – Opie and the Bully
Chapter 8 – A Medal for Opie
Chapter 9 – Barney and the Choir
Chapter 10 – Andy on Trial
Chapter 11 – Mr. McBeevee
Chapter 12 – Aunt Bee’s Bed Jacket
Chapter 13 – Man in a Hurry
Chapter 14 – Rafe Hollister Sings
Chapter 15 – Opie and the Spoiled Kid
Chapter 16 – Andy Discovers America
Chapter 17 – Aunt Bee’s Medicine Man
Chapter 18 – Barney’s First Car
Chapter 19 – Opie the Birdman
Chapter 20 – The Haunted House
Chapter 21 – Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army
Chapter 22 – The Sermon for Today
Chapter 23 – Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Chapter 24 – Opie’s Fortune
Chapter 25 – Opie’s Newspaper
Just remember: Bible knowledge is a fine thing, but don’t flaunt it.
And we have a dozen other books about Mayberry and related pop-culture topics in stock at any given time on our shelves. As we like to say, Mayberry–Read All About It!
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Fishin’ Hole Fleece Blanket
$32.00
Get ready for a picnic with one our comfy fleece blankets. Or maybe just snuggle up on that couch Goober was telling us about.
This blanket is 100% polyester made from soft napped insulating polar fleece and measures 36 in. x 58 in. The Fishin’ Hole design is on one side with the reverse being a soft white fleece. Easy to wash and quick drying. We also have fleece blankets in two other designs, both featuring Barney.
TIGER FIFE–There’s nothing he likes better than a good game of golf out on the links.
And we have new Golf Towels in the Fishin’ Hole design, as well as ones in the Barney Face and Lawmen Barney designs. And need an accessories pouch for your tees, balls and ball markers? We’ve got ’em in two sizes and in the same three designs as the towels.
And there’s more! We have caps, Goober beanies, stickers, deputy patches and both Mayberry Sheriff and Mayberry Deputy badges.
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And remember that your purchases from Weaver’s help support Mayberry events and Mayberry-related charitable causes all year long at locations all around the country. Those sales also help keep our online Mayberry newsletters and communities available to everybody free of charge. As always, thank you for shopping at Weaver’s!
Floyd’s Barbershop
Bulletin Board
&
Event Calendar
“Whoo-eee! You’re right, Floyd. There is a lot goin’ on in Mayberry!
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The Andy Griffith Museum, featuring the late Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia, is open daily in Mount Airy, N.C. For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* Apr. 19: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 1:00-3:00 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). It’s a good Friday indeed! For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
Roland White
* Apr. 20: Roland White and his band perform at 9 p.m. at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn.
* Apr. 24-27: Margaret Kerry is a guest for the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, Mo.
* May 4: 32nd Annual Uncle Jesse Big Bass Classic (founded by Denver Pyle) in Paris, Tex. The event helps raise funds for Denver Pyle’s Children’s Charities, which remains very active in the Paris community. For info, visit the event’s page on Facebook.
* May 4: Betty Lynn is featured on “Those Were the Days,” an Old Time Radio show hosted by Ken Alexander and Steve Darnall on Chicago’s WDCB (90.9 FM and 90.7 FM), from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. (You can also listen online worldwide at www.wdcb.org.)
The special broadcast includes three OTR shows with performances by Betty, as well as an extensive pre-recorded interview with Betty. If you aren’t able to listen to the live broadcast, the show will also be archived online in the “Those Were the Days Nostalgia Digest” from May 8 to May 22.
* May 9-12: Karen Knotts brings “Tied Up in Knotts” to the Heritage Music Hall at the Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., for four shows. For show times, tickets, and more info, visit www.musicaltheaterheritage.com.
* May 17: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 1:00-3:00 p.m. She will have 8 x 10 photos available for autographing ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* May 17: Roland White and his band perform at 9 p.m. at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn.
TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS–Three members of Mayberry royalty (l-r): George Lindsey Jr., Maggie Peterson Mancuso, and Ronnie Schell.
* May 17-19: Sixth Annual Mayberry in the Midwest festival in Danville, Ind. Guests confirmed so far include Maggie Peterson Mancuso (Charlene Darling), Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater and two Mayberry roles), Margaret Kerry (two roles), Dixie Griffith (Andy’s daughter), George Lindsey Jr., and the award-winning bluegrass band, The Grascals, who will perform a free concert on Sat. night.
A full troupe of Mayberry tribute artists will also be on hand. Other highlights include the Meet & Greet Dinner, a parade, and the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals. For more info, visit www.mayberryinthemidwest.com.
GOING TO BAT FOR MAYBERRY–Approach the cave slowly…SLOWLY!
* May 25: Maggie Peterson joins Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band for an edition of Bluegrass Underground billed as “Mayberry Memories: Andy Griffith Show Celebration,” at The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn. David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning will also be on patrol and performing. Showtime is 2:00 p.m. (Cave opens at 1:00.) Reserved tickets are priced $40 and up, with various package options. For info visit www.thecaverns.com.
* June 12: Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band perform at the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, Ind.
* June 15: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower kicks off his summer lecture series about TAGS with a discussion of the “Fun Girls” episode (“Hello, doll!”), starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C. Admission is included with Andy Griffith Museum admission ($8 for adults, $6 for ages 12 and under). Visit www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* June 15: Roland White and his band perform at 9 p.m. at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn.
Photo by Hobart Jones.
* June 21: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 1:00-3:00 p.m. She will have 8 x 10 photos available for autographing ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* July 13 and 14: The Roland White Band performs at the 9th Annual Bluegrass on the Green in Frankfort, Ill.
* July 19: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 1:00-3:00 p.m. She will have 8 x 10 photos available for autographing ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* July 19 and 21: 7th Annual Mayberry Meet-Up in Mount Airy, N.C. Here’s the link to more info on the event’s Facebook page, and here’s a link (also on the Facebook page) to the online registration form. The event coincides nicely (and not by accident) with Betty Lynn’s meet-and-greet at the Andy Griffith Museum on Friday (see above) and Neal Brower’s lecture at the Museum on Saturday (see below).
Some of the Goober Gang at the Mayberry Motor Inn gazebo during last year’s Mayberry Meet-Up.
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* July 20: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower’s second summer lecture about TAGS finds him talking about “The Education of Ernest T. Bass,” starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C. Admission is included with Andy Griffith Museum admission ($8 for adults, $6 for ages 12 and under). Visit www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* July 27: Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band perform at Hazzard Fest at Rogersville City Park in Rogersville, Tenn. For info, visit www.hazzardfest.com.
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GOOD EGG–You may not get a face on your egg like Malcolm drew for Opie, but you’ll feel like a Mayberry egghead with all the great stuff you learn at Neal’s lecture!
* Aug. 10: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower wraps up his summer lecture series about TAGS with a discussion of the “Andy’s English Valet” episode, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C. Admission is included with Andy Griffith Museum admission ($8 for adults, $6 for ages 12 and under).
Visit www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
* Sept. 19: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at a luncheon show from 1:30 to 3:30 at Wright’s Chicken Farm Restaurant in Harrisville, R.I. The cost is $69 for the all-inclusive round-trip motorcoach that is part of part of a group tour, or $45 for just the luncheon and show (drive yourself). For more info visit www.travelgrouptrips.com.
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* Sept. 23-29: 30th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C. Tickets are already available for many of the week’s events, including for concerts by Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band. LeRoy “Mack” McNees & Friends, and a presentation of “A Deputy’s Daughter” by Karen Knotts.
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PACES IN THE CROWD–A scene from the 2018 Mayberry Days Parade.
Photo by Kenny Hooker.
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Tickets are also available for The Emmett Golf Tournament (and the dinner and entertainment featuring comedian Henry Cho), concerts by Collin Raye, The Grascals, The VW Boys, The Embers, Envision, and Legacy Motown Revue, as well as comedy performances by John Floyd (The Mouth of Mayberry) and James Gregory (“The Funniest Man in America”). Tickets are also available for Professor Brower’s Lecture/TAGSRWC Meeting and Colonel Tim’s Talent Time.
Other guest stars and much more are TBA. For advance tickets (order early and get those extra-good seats!), visit www.mayberrydays.com. And of course, many parts of Mayberry Days, including assorted contests and performances and the parade, don’t require a ticket.
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* Oct. 12: Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band bring their Mayberry Moments show to Marion, Va., as part of the “Song of the Mountains” TV show.
Ronnie Schell
Dixie Griffith
(aka tribute artist for Fun Girl Skippy)
* Nov. 2-7: Cruise to Mayberry 14 sets sail with Ronnie Schell (two episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” and also Duke Slater on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C”) and Dixie Griffith (daughter of Andy) and a boatload of Mayberry tribute artists aboard Carnival’s Sunshine from Charleston to Nassau and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. For good measure, Elvis impersonator Wayne Euliss and bluegrass band Cane Mill Road will also entertain.
For more info, e-mail cruise organizer Sharon Euliss of All About Cruises at PWESJE@aol.com or call her at (336) 538-4926.
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**** News of Cast & Crew ****
Ron Howard is hard at work on location scouting, casting and other pre-production work for Hillbilly Elegy, his next feature film as director. Much of the filming is expected to be around the Cincinnati area, with maybe an emphasis on Middletown. Amy Adams and Glenn Close are among the actors cast so far.
Ron is in pre-production for the National Geographic documentary Rebuilding Paradise about the aftermath and recovery of 2018’s fire disaster in Paradise, Calif. And he’s wrapping up post-production work on his Pavarotti documentary (set for release in theaters on June 7 by CBS Films).
Ron and Imagine are also developing the company’s first Chinese-language TV series, a sci-fi project called “Mindscaping.”
And Ron wrote the foreword for Industrial Light & Magic Presents: The Making of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which has a publication date of April 19.
Betty Lynn greeted fans at Mount Airy’s Andy Griffith Museum on March 15, and she’s scheduled to be back the third Friday of each month all this year, including April 19th, just a few days after this issue is published.
GOOD TIMES ROLL–Rodney Dillard (right) onstage with John McEuen in Kansas City.
Photo by Beverly Cotten Dillard.
Rodney Dillard has mended well from three recent surgeries and has already been back on the road. He was in Kingsport, Tenn., in early March to participate in the funeral service for Deputy Steve Hinkle, who was tragically killed in the line of duty in late February. (Rodney sang “There Is a Time” at the service.)
Rodney also reunited with old pal John McEuen to perform with the String Wizards last month at the Folly Theater in Kansas City. Rodney and the Dillard Band were then back on the truck for performances in Friendship, Tenn., and Asheville, N.C.
Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey) was under the weather for much of the first part of this year, but is feeling better and ready for the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshville next week and Mayberry in the Midwest in May, along with some upcoming Disney-related appearances.
Though LeRoy “Mack” McNees, a member of The Country Boys during his two TAGS episodes, has officially retired, he still enjoys getting together with fellow musicians for occasional performances, including at Mayberry Days this September and recently, closer to home in California, with his group of friends who call themselves The Grateful Dudes. He also has some informal performances with his bluegrass gospel group Gloryland.
COLONEL TIM’S TALENT TIME WEST?–Michael Hoover and Laura Hagen, wife of late Mayberry music maestro Earle Hagen, perform at a fundraiser for the Palm Springs Women’s Press Club on March 5.
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A SPECIAL DAY–Jackie Joseph with Doris Day on April 3.
Jackie Joseph had an action-packed day on April 3. Her day began with helping good friend Doris Day celebrate her 97th birthday in Carmel, Calif. And the day ended with Jackie appearing as Marion in the premiere of an episode of “Modern Family” titled “Yes-Woman.” (Look for her napping in a scene toward the end of the episode.)
Actress Nancy Stafford (Michelle Thomas on “Matlock”) and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Will Fetters (A Star Is Born) were special guests for the 22nd Annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, which straddled the end of February and beginning of March. George Lindsey Jr. also participated.
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**** Mayberry on the Web ****
The iMayberry Community
This TAGSRWC online group is organized and overseen by webmaster Allan “Floyd” Newsome with big help from Keith “Col. Harvey” Brown. You can check out the fun of this online community and sign up for free at: http://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 eBullet!), weaversdepartmentstore.com and chat rooms.
“Two Chairs, No Waiting” is our weekly podcast of TAGS news, interviews and pretty much whatever happens to be going on in and around Mayberry. It’s hosted by Allan Newsome.
There’s a new episode every Tuesday (and you can watch and listen live during tapings on Monday evenings). As of this week, there have been 526 episodes since Allan started doing the podcast just over a decade ago! Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view classic installments you’ve missed.
And you’ll also find links on the podcast’s regular web page to a couple of other outstanding Mayberry-related podcasts: Burke on Mayberry (hosted by TAGSRWC’s Kevin Burke, recipient of a Mayberry Friendship Award during last year’s Mayberry Days!) and the Mayberry Bible Study Podcast (again hosted by Allan Newsome).
TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook has over 245,000 Likes! 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!
We also have links in our “Liked by this Page” section to the pages of several TAGSRWC chapters on Facebook (including the Gomer and Goober Pyle Comic Book Literary Guild, which has fascinating history contributions by member Randy Turner), as well as to Facebook pages of Mayberry Days, the Andy Griffith Museum, TAGS actors and others.
Even Ben Weaver has his own Facebook page at www.facebook.com/weaversdepartmentstore. It features all the latest in Mayberry items and merchandise news.
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**** Post Note ****
Between issues of our Weaver’s Newsletter, keep up with the happenings in Mayberry with the daily “Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” Digest. It’s a free subscriber list that consists entirely of comments, news flashes, and questions and answers from subscribers. You can sign up for that list by going to the “Mailing Lists” link at www.tagsrwc.com.
TAGSRWC also publishes The eBullet in alternate months to Weaver’s Newsletter. The eBullet is the online successor to our longtime printed newsletter, The Bullet. Like Weaver’s Newsletter, The eBullet is free. It includes some of the same news as Weaver’s Newsletter, but generally with more features and depth and a little less emphasis on merchandise news. To sign up, go to: www.tagsrwc.com/ebullet.
SPECIAL NOTICE: Last year, The eBullet switched to a new e-mail notification system. (There were ongoing glitches with the previous system of distributing the newsletter itself by e-mail. We had the happy problem of having too big of a newsletter and more subscribers than the distribution system could handle!)
Unfortunately, the switch requires those who were already subscribers at the time of the switch to resubscribe. Fortunately, it’s as easy as typing in your e-mail address and clicking a button, and then clicking a button in the follow-up confirmation e-mail sent to you. Here again is the link: www.tagsrwc.com/ebullet. Everything else about The eBullet remains the same–including being free!
TAGSRWC’s other main vehicle for Mayberry information is simply our website at www.tagsrwc.com (and its sister site www.iMayberry.com). Both sites have extensive content and links for just about everything a Mayberry fan might be looking for.
The next issue of Weaver’s Newsletter is slated for June, and the next eBullet will be published in May.
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GUT CHECK–Somebody is still feeling the effects of doing his taxes!
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