Weaver’s Newsletter          
An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
December 2016

 

Welcome to our sixth and final issue for 2016!  And you’ve come to just the right place to find just the right holiday gifts for all the Mayberry fans you know!

 

Johnny Lightning Toy Squad Car

NEW!  $12.00

Back in 1998, Johnny Lightning released a series of replicas related to famous TV shows and movies called “Hollywood on Wheels.”  That series has been out of production for many years, but Weaver’s was lucky enough to find a small number of a special order series called simply “Mayberry.”

This 2009 series of Johnny Lightning cars feature a die-cast metal body and chassis with detailed engine and interior and rubber tires. The size is the same as a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. We have a limited quantity of these Mayberry Squad Cars. They are a must for a collection of either Mayberry items or rolling stock.

Barney’s Sidecar Company Sweatshirt

NEW!  $32.00

This sweatshirt is an addition here at Weaver’s to match the T-shirt and mouse pad of the same name and allow you keep showing your Mayberry spirit right on through the cold weather.  Check out all our sweatshirt designs.

The front of the sweatshirt declares “Barney’s Sidecar Company” as he gets ready for Checkpoint Chickie…helmet and all.

Color: Sand

The sweatshirt is 50/50 cotton/polyester with air-jet yarn for a softer feel and to prevent pilling. It has double-needle stitching, double-needle cuffs, and a 1-inch athletic Spandex rib. It’s preshrunk for a lasting fit, and it’s quarter-turned to avoid a center crease.

Andy Griffith Show Christmas Special DVD

NEW!  $15.00

Now in stock, this colorized Andy Griffith Show Christmas Special, featuring “Christmas Story” and “The Pickle Story” in color, as they were seen for the first time during the hit presentation on CBS last Christmas. (The DVD also includes the black-and-white versions of both episodes.)

Hint from Ben Weaver: What a great gift combo the 2017 TAGS Wall Calendar (see below) and this DVD will make!

2017 “Andy Griffith Show” Wall Calendar

$15.00
Now in stock!

All the photos contained in this 2017 edition are in black and white (actually sepia, as shown here), though some are taken from color publicity shots.  The calendar is 12″ wide x 12″ tall when closed and 12″ wide x 24″ tall when open.

The nine characters featured in this 2017 calendar are Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee, Goober, Gomer, Otis, Thelma Lou and Helen.

Order early and take advantage of this 16-month calendar. September through December 2016 are featured together with Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee and Helen on display. All other months are in separate openings featuring one new image per month.

Elsewhere in our store…

We have three dozen different T-shirt designs to choose from!  Most of our adult-sized T-shirts are only $20.  (A few designs are $18, and the Lawmen all-over design is $25.)  A couple of designs also come in Toddler sizes.

Here are two new designs in cool cream colored shirts we’re offering, along with two other favorites in gray:

Suit yourself to a super Tee!

Mayberry Deputy Badge

$10.00

Most of us may not feel like we can step into Andy’s shoes but, what about Barney’s?

This latest creation is a sturdy, but simplified representation of Barney’s Mayberry Deputy’s badge.  In other words, it’s not an exact replica, but for the price, you can’t beat it.

The color is “nickel” and you’ll be able to pin it to the khaki shirt of your choice to have that official deputy look.  Get a Mayberry Deputy Patch to accessorize even more like a true Mayberry Deputy! A fun stocking-stuffer!

Mayberry Postmark Notecards
by Mike Johnson

Mayberry Notecards
$10.00

Mike Johnson’s artwork is a reflection of his love and reverence for small-town life and The Andy Griffith Show. With his Mayberry Postmarks notecard set he has used scenes that are inspired by the show, but not actually of the show itself.

Each set contains 10 notecards (and 10 envelopes) with each having a different pen & ink drawing that will spread the Mayberry spirit to those who receive them. Write your own note inside the card to complete that personal connection with family and friends. Perfect for writing those holiday thank-you notes to Aunt Nora and Uncle Ollie!

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Two More Favorite Sweatshirts

Just right for the cooler temperatures coming up with the change of seasons, two of our most popular T-shirt designs are available in sweatshirts!

Floyd’s Barbershop Sweatshirt
$32.00

As Floyd might say, “Every sweatshirt is a walking testimonial.”

And our other new sweatshirt (below) will allow you to show your Mayberry Union High spirit and pride right on through the cold weather.  Let others know that you are worthy of being in Barney “Scoop” Fife’s “Pickups and Splashes from Floor and Pool” sports column in the school paper.

Property of Mayberry Union High Sweatshirt
$32.00

And we have sweatshirts and HOODIES in two other popular designs: Mayberry Choppers and Mayberry Union High (different than the “Property of” one above).

And we have caps, Goober beanies, books, CDs, DVDs, collectibles, tin signs and items for vehicles online atweaversdepartmentstore.com. (Or just go to www.imayberry.com and click on one of the orange and blue Weaver’s buttons at the top.)

Thank you for shopping at Weaver’s, whose sales not only enable TAGSRWC to provide the content for its websites, online newsletters (including the one you’re reading!) and podcasts for free, but also support a wide variety of Mayberry events and efforts around the country throughout the year.

 Floyd’s Barbershop

Bulletin Board & Event Calendar

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.

The following information is from “The eBullet“: Official E-mail Newsletter of “The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC).

* Dec. 8: The Dillards (featuring Rodney Dillard) perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Historic State Theater in Elizabethtown, Ky.  For more info, visit www.historicstatetheater.org.

* Dec. 16: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Dec. 18: Rodney Dillard and his band and Maggie Peterson present “Mayberry Christmas” at 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn.  Also featuring David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning. For info, call (423) 282-0655.

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2017

Jan. 20: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Feb. 10 and 11: Karen Knotts is “Tied Up in Knotts” at the Groundlings “G3” Stage in Hollywood, Calif.  Show time both nights is 8 p.m. Admission is $5.

* Feb. 17: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Feb. 25 and 26: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning patrols the 48th Annual Road & Custom Car Show in Monticello, Iowa.

* Mar. 2-4: 20th Annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Florence, Ala.  Details TBA.  For updates, visit www.lindseyfilmfest.com.

* Mar. 11-16: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning joins a bunch of bluegrass performers for the music-filled Song of the Mountains Cruise departing Tampa and traveling to Key West and Cozumel, and hosted by Tim White.  For more info, visit www.songofthemountainscruise.com.

* Mar. 17: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Mar. 17: Karen Knotts brings “Tied Up in Knotts” to the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, Iowa.  Show time is 7 p.m.  For more info, visit the Bridge View Center website.

* Apr. 13: Karen Knotts and “Tied Up in Knotts” come to Morrill Hall Auditorium at Ohio State University at Marion.  Show time is 7:30 p.m. For more info visit the OSU Marion website.

* Apr. 21: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* May 19: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* June 10: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower presents a lecture on the “Wedding Bells for Aunt Bee” episode of TAGS, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission ($6).  Visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* June 16: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* July 8: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower presents a lecture on the “Convicts-at- Large” episode of TAGS, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission ($6).  Visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* July 21: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Aug. 5: Mayberry Night in Troy, N.C., starring Maggie Peterson, the VW Boys and most of the Mayberry tribute artists in a fundraiser show for the local DARE program. Showtime at the James Garner Center is 7 p.m. Reserved seating is $20, General Admission tickets are $15 and admission for kids ages 6-12 is $10.  For advance tickets or info, contact Jeff Branch at jbranch205@gmail.com or (704) 985-6987.

* Aug. 12: Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower presents a lecture on the “Prisoner of Love” episode of TAGS, starting at 2 p.m., in the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre in Mount Airy, N.C.  Admission is included with an Andy Griffith Museum admission ($6).  Visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Aug. 18: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Sept. 15: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Sept. 20-24: 28th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C.  Details TBA.  For more info, visit www.mayberrydays.org.

  

* Oct. 20: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 12:30-3:30 p.m. She will have autographed 8 x 10 photos available ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Oct. 24-29: Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey) is the special guest star for Cruise to Mayberry 12. This year’s cruise is for five days aboard Carnival’s Ecstasy, departing Charleston, S.C., and traveling to Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas.

Margaret will be joined by usual cruise company of Mayberry tribute artists and musical entertainers. For more info, visit www.allaboutcruisesnc.net or call 1-800-832-7993. Note: There’s a much earlier deposit deadline than usual for this cruise, so be sure to plan early.

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**** News of Cast & Crew ****

Ron Howard made a cameo appearance as an estate lawyer in an episode of “The Odd Couple” that premiered on CBS on Nov. 7.  The episode, titled “Taffy Days,” was a tribute to the late Garry Marshall, a friend of Ron’s since “Happy Days.”

Ron and the Imagine team are also producing a six-part sci-fi docu-miniseries called “Mars” about the colonization of Mars that premiered on National Geographic Channel in November. Here’s a promo for the series. It’s getting an outstanding response from viewers and critics.

The Imagine team is also producing a re-imagined remake for Disney of their 1984 hit, Splash!  This time Channing Tatum has been hooked to play a merman. They’re also producing a live action version of their Curious George franchise for Universal Pictures.

And it was announced on December 6 that this year’s The Beatles: Eight Days a Week–The Touring Years, the documentary that Ron produced and directed has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Film!  Attaboy, Ron!  By the way, Ron’s response to the news?  “It’s a blast!”  To that we say, “Cool!”

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We’re sad to report the passing of Norman Brokaw, former chairman of the William Morris Agency and a pioneer in that agency’s television department.  He died at his home in Beverly Hills on October 29.  He was 89.

Norman worked closely with Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard to package TAGS and other top shows, including “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Danny Thomas Show,” “The Real McCoys,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” “The Mod Squad” and “I Spy.”

He was Andy Griffith’s representative at the William Morris Agency. He also was agent for prominent people ranging from Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley to President Gerald Ford and Hank Aaron.

In 2010,Norman received the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  He is the only agent to date to receive that prestigious honor.  Norman Brokaw is survived by his wife Marguerite Longley and three sons (all also prominent agents), three daughters and five grandchildren.

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Campaign for Official
Mayberry License Plate
for Vehicles in North Carolina!

 Don Teague, a longtime member of TAGSRWC’s Barney chapter (Greensboro, N.C.), has established the Mayberry Plate Fund and is spearheading an effort to produce an official Mayberry affinity license plate in North Carolina.  And it’s all for a great cause.  Proceeds will benefit the Surry Arts Council, sponsor of Mayberry Days!  Here’s the design:

Here’s the catch: Before the plate can be produced, 500 licensed North Carolina vehicle owners need to register for their plates in advance by filling out some paperwork and sending the license fee to Don.  Once he has the received the required 500 application forms and fees, Don will then send everything to the North Carolina DMV for approval and processing, and production will then begin.

The deadline for getting applications in is December 31, but car owners in North Carolina can give themselves an early Christmas present by getting their official applications in to Don now and then relax, knowing that they’ve done their part to help promote Mayberry and show their love of “The Andy Griffith Show.”  And before you know it, they’ll have the plate to prove it!

You can see the promotional page for License Plate project online here.  The web page info includes a link to the North Carolina DMV page with the application form that can be printed out, then filled out, and dropped in the mail (with the fee) to Don.

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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 able assistance from Keith “Col. Harvey” Brown. You can check it out 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 page, 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). Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view episodes you’ve missed.

Allan started the podcast eight years ago this month. This week’s episode is #404. That’s a bunch of great barbershop talk about Mayberry! There’s a lot of info and discussions that you simply won’t find anywhere else, including rare interviews (vintage and new) with cast and crew members of TAGS. And you’ll also find links there to a couple of other outstanding Mayberry-related podcasts.

TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook now has more than 240,000 friends! 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!

And even Ol’ Ben Weaver now has his own Facebook page at www.facebook.com/weaversdepartmentstore. Check it out for the latest Mayberry items and merchandise news.

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   **** Post Note ****

Between issues of 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.

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 first issue of Weaver’s Newsletter for 2017 is scheduled for February, and the year’s first eBullet will be out in January.  Till then, Best Holiday Wishes!

P.S. Try to be as quiet as you can with your holiday rejoicing.  We don’t want to wake ol’ Ben. (It looks as though he has “rejoiced” enough for all of us!)

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