Weaver’s Newsletter
An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
December 2014

**** Merchandise Update ****

It has been a bustling time at Weaver’s.  We’ve added seven brand new officially licensed TAGS items and also a new book to our virtual shelves in just the last few weeks!  And that’s on top of three new items during the summer.

Braced for this holiday shopping season, we’ve stocked up with a full selection of books, apparel, DVDs, music, artwork, collectibles, items for your vehicle and much more at our online Weaver’s Department Store.  Browse the highlights below and then shop online anytime you want day or night at www.weaversdepartmentstore.com (just don’t wake Asa!).

**** Holiday Shipping Schedule ****

As late as December 22, we’ll be shipping orders for Christmas delivery. However, unless you live really near our HQ in Nashville, any orders we receive after Noon CT on Friday, December 19, will require FedEx Overnight Delivery to be guaranteed to arrive by Christmas.

PLEASE NOTE: All FedEx charges are in addition to our standard flat rate of $5 for shipping and handling on all orders shipped to the same address. The FedEx charges are billed separately and directly by FedEx to the same credit card you use for ordering items from Weaver’s.)

But why pay extra money to FedEx?  Avoid the rush. 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, so that you–and Goober and Opie in our Shipping Dept–don’t have to rush around and worry so much right before Christmas. Order now, and then just let your feet fall asleep all you want till Christmas!

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New This Season:

Words of Wisdom T-Shirt

$20.00

This newest licensed T-shirt design arrived this fall. It captures a special sentiment between Andy and Opie. Kind and wise words from a father to his son.

The image on the shirt is deliberately distressed and splattered to give it an old, family scrapbooky feel. (Or maybe more like Newton Monroe spilled some paint on it.) Anyway, that’s a cool look these days, so if you want to be hip, you gotta have a shirt with some roughness, even if the photo itself is charming. All on a charcoal- colored shirt. It’s the color of choice of the Ankrums and other families around Mayberry

 Lawmen Throw, Fleece Blanket, Pillow Case and Beach Towel
NEW!!!

Lawmen design available in assorted items (woven Throw shown)

Everybody is so keen on the Lawmen design that one of the licensed manufacturers just went wild coming up with things to put it on.  With Aunt Bee and Clara’s help, of course.  You’ll find a cool (and warm!) assortment of items for fun decor, whether in your home or at the duck pond.  Mix and match.  Actually, at this point, it’s more like match and match.  But that just makes decorating all the easier!  Everything goes together when it’s all the same!

Lawmen Bandana

$16.00

This is a brand new item for this fall.  Made of 100% polyester for a soft feel and easy care.  It measures a generous 22 in. x 22 in.

Lawmen on the front and TAGS logos covering the back.  Definitely nothing to sneeze at…unless you need to.  For example, if you’re wearing the ol’ salt and pepper (ha-ha), then you’ll be extra glad that you have the coolest handy kerchief around!

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Featured Items:

2015 Andy Griffith Show Wall Calendar

$15.00 
Now in stock!

We think this 2015 edition of the TAGS wall calendar is a particularly good one. It features 11 different characters (a new record for 21st century Mayberry calendars).  All photos are black and white, but there’s a lot of nice color in the design around the photos.

Because of a smaller allotment this year, this edition may end up being somewhat harder to find later on than some previous editions have been, but we’ll do our best to keep it in stock for as long as we can. There just won’t be the discounts available to later shoppers that some earlier editions have had. (For example, we won’t be able to offer our Buy 2, Get 1 Free deal this year, as we’ve done a couple of times with previous editions. They’re just aren’t enough calendars available for that this year.) So get ’em while the gettin’ is good.

As 2015 will be the 55th Anniversary of TAGS, what better way to keep Mayberry on your mind every day than with this cool calendar!

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Original “Andy Griffith Show” Script

“Aunt Bee the Crusader”
$400.00

The only handwriting on this script is “Hal Smith” (it was his script) written in blue ink at the top right of the cover. We don’t think it’s Hal’s handwriting. Also, “#4” is written on the cover.

This is a revised version, dated October 28, 1963, of a script written by John Whedon, one of Mayberry’s best and the grandfather of current writer/director/producer sensation Josh Whedon.

The script includes additional pages of revisions dated 11/7/63 that are paperclipped together in the script, but have not yet been substituted for the previous versions of the pages. There is one note in pencil on one page, but we’re not convinced it’s in Hal’s handwriting.

All proceeds from the sale of this script go toward Weaver’s and TAGSRWC’s support of Mount Airy’s annual Mayberry Days festival and other Mayberry events and causes.

NOTE: We also have a great collection of Hal Smith’s scripts from other TV shows and movies.  And even better, many are on sale right now!

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Complete Set of 8 “Andy Griffith Show” Collector Plates

$420.00

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For a good cause that we work to support, Ben Weaver has decided to sell this set of Hamilton Collection plates.

This rare Complete Set of officially licensed “Andy Griffith Show” Collector Plates from the Hamilton Collection was produced as a Limited Edition beginning in 1992 and through the mid-1990s.

The numbered porcelain plates measure about 8 inches in diameter and feature popular Mayberry scenes painted by artist Robert Tannenbaum.  The 8 plates are:

* Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy seated at desk with hands folded)
* A Startling Conclusion (Barney with dipper full of Jubal Foster’s moonshine)
* Mayberry Sing-Along (Andy holding guitar, seated by a tree with Opie)
* An Explosive Situation (Andy and Barney with Jimmy, the Loaded Goat)
* Aunt Bee’s Kitchen (Aunt Bee standing by Andy, who is seated at kitchen table)
* Surprise! Surprise! (Gomer standing in front of filling station)
* Meeting Aunt Bee (Andy, Aunt Bee and Opie in driveway w/ pickup truck)
* Opie’s Big Catch (Andy and Opie in fishing boat)

Many of these plates are hard to find individually, and even more so as a Complete Set.  We have only one set of the 8 plates.

All proceeds (not just the profits) from the sale of this collection are going toward our support of the Surry Arts Council’s Mayberry Days festival in Mount Airy, N.C.

Most of the plates are in their original protective styrofoam containers. The others are carefully protected in bubble wrap. Some contain their original paperwork, but some do not. Though 20+ years old, all the plates are preserved in new condition.

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Screening Room

Weaver’s has individual Season sets of “The Andy Griffith Show,” as well as The Entire Series  (now only $109.00!) and a 50th Anniversary Collection of TAGS on DVD, Season 1 of TAGS on Blu-ray plus DVD sets of  “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”  “Mayberry R.F.D.” and favorite movies and other features starring Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and the Dillards.

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 Mayberry Choppers and Mayberry Union High designs–each available as a T-shirt, Sweatshirt and Hoodie.

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Miss Crump’s Book Nook:

A Cuban in Mayberry–Looking Back at America’s Hometown

$30.00  $25.00
NEW!!!

We’re really excited about this brand new and outstanding book about TAGS, the first book directly about the show itself in about a dozen years. It’s titled A Cuban in Mayberry–Looking Back at America’s Hometown, by Gustavo Pérez Firmat, a native of Cuba who is a professor of humanities at Columbia University. (He also has lived and taught for decades in North Carolina.)

Don’t let the title fool you.  This is neither a book about a lost episode nor some sort of fan fiction about Ricky Ricardo visiting Mayberry.  It’s much more than that. This well-written 194-page book from the University of Texas Press is a very scholarly discussion about TAGS.

It’s basically written from the perspective of somebody like “Stranger in Town” Ed Sawyer, someone who’s not native to Mayberry, but eagerly sees the joys and wants to understand and be a part of the friendly town. Gustavo Pérez Firmat (in Mayberry, he surely would be simply Gus) identifies with the Ed Sawyer experience.  And he’s also a lot like Howard Sprague, who makes his own relatively late appearance in our view of Mayberry, but is welcomed as one of the gang.

Professor Pérez Firmat makes keen observations about TAGS, its production, and its relevance in culture and social history. While there might be a tendency among many in academia to too easily dismiss TAGS as just more TV fluff that’s not worthy of their intellectual attention, Professor Pérez Firmat is not of that school.  He has an obvious affection for TAGS and strives to enhance that affinity with a deeper understanding.  He has definitely been wearing a bucket on his head and taking a think under there.

Professor Gustavo Pérez Firmat, you have no worries.  You should know that you are heartily welcomed as a fellow citizen of Mayberry.  In other words, “Attaboy, Gus!”

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Game On!

Enjoy family fun with these fantastic Mayberry board games.  Two are out of production and are now quite rare.  And the third may be ending production (again) soon.  All three are filled with fun Mayberry trivia and memories…and strategy.

 

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Christmas Corner

In addition to our wide variety of Mayberry items that make great gifts year-round, we have several geared especially for Christmas. You’ll find them in the Christmas Items section.

Shop for all of these items and much more at weaversdepartmentstore.com, or just click on the Weaver’s button at the top left or top right of the page whenever you’re visiting www.imayberry.com.

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Enjoy a Nostalgic Pause in Your Shopping

Here’s  a link to a favorite Mayberry-ish video recitation to get you into the holiday spirit.  It’s “Andy & Opie Christmas” by TAGSRWC’s own Charile Monk (aka the Mayor of Music Row). Take 4 1/2 minutes to relax and let Charlie remind you what you’ve always loved about this special season.

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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. 13: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Christmas Story” episode of TAGS, the first one directed by Bob Sweeney, 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.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

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

* Dec. 19: “Mayberry Christmas” show starring Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, Maggie Peterson, and David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning will be presented at the Jones County Civic Center in Trenton, N.C.  Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 in advance online or $25 at the door.  For more info, visit www.coastalca.org.

* Dec. 21: “Mayberry Christmas” show starring Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, Maggie Peterson, and David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning.  This performance is FREE!  Presented by the Fountain of Life Bible Church at the Freedom Hall Auditorium in Johnson City, Tenn. Doors open at 6 p.m. for Deputy patrolling.  Show time is 7 p.m.

2015

* Jan 9: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at the Norris Center in Naples, Fla.  Show time is 7:30. For more info, call 239-213-3058 or visit www.naplesgov.com.

* Jan. 11: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at the Florissant Civic Center in Florissant, Mo., at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $28.00.  For more info or tickets, call (314) 921-5678 or visit www.florissantmo.com.

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

* Feb. 15: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts at the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. Show time is 7:30. For more info, call 888 467-6442 or visit www.howard.andrews.edu.

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

* Mar. 5-7: The 18th Annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival in Florence, Ala. Details TBA.  For updates go to www.lindseyfilmfest.com.

* Mar. 8: Barbara Eden (Mayberry manicurist Ellen Brown) and Hal Linden (Barney Miller) perform Love Letters at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio, located in Wert.  Show time is 3 p.m.. Tickets go on sale Dec. 10, and prices range from $20 to $40.  For more info or tickets, visit npacvw.ticketforce.com, or call (419) 238-6722.

* Mar. 14: Barney Google and Snuffy Smith cartoonist John Rose will be doing a “Snuffy Smith” Chalk Talk and book signing at 1:00 p.m.  at the Public Library in Mount Airy, N.C.  John is also an editorial cartoonist and will show examples of his editorial cartoons, including his touching editorial cartoon tributes to George Lindsey and Andy Griffith that he drew upon their deaths. In his chalk talk, John will discuss his career as the Barney Google and Snuffy Smith cartoonist, show samples of his cartoon work and draw some of the comic strip’s most popular characters for the

audience.

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

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

* May 1 and 2: Fifth Annual Mayberry Comes to Westminster  festival in Westminster, S.C.  Details TBA. Photo highlights from 2014 at www.mayberrywestminster.com.

* May 5-8: Memories from Mayberry: Timeless Truths from America’s Hometown offers a fun TAGS experience in another one of America’s hometowns, lovely Clarksville, Tenn. (about an hour north of Nashville). The event features fun-filled Bible studies based on favorite episodes, uplifting preaching and worship, gospel concerts, a visit to Fort Campbell, and more. The all-inclusive price includes three nights, seven meals, and program fee. Contact Frances at frances@clarksville.tn.us for more info.

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

* May 15-17: Mayberry in the Midwest returns to Danville, Ind. Among the festival’s highlights are the parade, the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals, and performances by the Mayberry Tribute Artists. Karen Knotts will perform her “Tied Up in Knotts” show.  Other guest stars and details TBA.  For now, just mark your calendar.

* June 13: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Bailey’s Bad Boy” episode of TAGS, featuring Bill Bixby, 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.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

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

* July 11: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Briscoe Declares 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.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

* Aug. 8: Neal Brower, author of Mayberry 101, presents a lecture on the “Andy and Opie, Housekeepers” 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.  For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

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

* Sept. 20-23: Life Lessons From Mayberry: It’s All There in Black and White in Ridgecrest, N.C. (just outside Asheville) is a Bible study event drawing on the biblical truths and life applications found in “The Andy Griffith Show.” The event is $300 per person (based on double occupancy), and includes three nights of on-campus lodging, eight meals, Bible study sessions based on favorite TAGS episodes, dynamic preaching, worship, bluegrass concert, and special guest Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins in “Christmas Story” and Helen Scobey in “Andy Forecloses”). To register, call Ridgecrest Conference Center at (800) 588-7222 or visit www.lifeway.com/mayberry.

* Sept. 24-27: 26th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C.  Mayberry Days started in 1990, so this 26th annual festival marks its 25th Anniversary, and also the 55th Anniversary of “The Andy Griffith Show” itself.  The festival already shows signs of being more chock-full of fun than ever before.  If that’s even possible!

Tickets are already available online for key parts of the weekend, including the Mayberry Days Golf Tournament (aka The Emmett) and banquet show; a concert by Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, with special guest Maggie Peterson;  the comedy show of James Gregory (“the funniest man in America”); the VW Boys Tribute to Mayberry; Neal Brower’s Lecture; Colonel Tim’s Talent Time, and more.  For info, updates and tickets, visit www.surryarts.org .

* Oct. 8: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at 2 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.  Venue and other details TBA.

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

Ron Howard was a huge hit with his talk (moderated by film critic Leonard Maltin) for Guilford College’s Bryan Series. An audience of 3,500 (including Betty Lynn!) at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum loved every minute of his fascinating 90-minute talk about his life and career, including lots of Mayberry stories. (See another photo below.)

Ron’s also still very involved in post-production for his next feature film release, In the Heart of the Sea, which will be in theaters next March.  Here’s a link to the first trailer for the film.

And Ron begins directing Inferno, the latest movie adaptation in author Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code series) in April. The movie will again star Tom Hanks as lead character Robert Langdon and is slated for release in theaters during the 2015 holiday season. Ron has been going back and forth to Europe scouting locations for filming.  Much of the story takes place in Rome and Florence.

Also, Imagine Entertainment has signed to make a TV pilot based on Digital Fortress, the Dan Brown novel from 2003, for ABC-TV. There’s no word on whether Ron might be directing the pilot or any future episodes if a full series develops.

The Imagine duo of Howard and Glazer also co-produced The Good Lie, a feature film about the Lost Boys of the Sudan starring Reese Witherspoon that has been in selected U.S. theaters since October.

 

 

 

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Clint Howard has been working on his usual full slate of indie film projects, and also had a fun non-speaking cameo in a November episode of Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele.”

Maggie Peterson and TV brother Rodney Dillard are teaming up with David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning this month for a mini-tour of their “Mayberry Christmas” stage show.  Rodney’s also booking dates for his “Mayberry Moments” show with wife Beverly at churches.

James Best has had an active year with performing and making personal appearances. He and wife Dorothy were also Grand Marshals of the Christmas parade in Hickory, N.C., where they live. And James is preparing for his next movie role as Joe McBee in Old Soldiers with Hugh O’Brian and Clifton James. It’s a film about three WWII veterans taking a trip together to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.  It’s expected to be released next year.

Jackie Joseph participated in a Hollywood celebrity memorabilia show in Los Angeles In October to raise money for one of her pet causes, Actors & Others for Animals.  And she was active in promoting the 8th Annual Los Angeles VisionWalk, which was held in Van Nuys on November 1.

Joy Ellison recently worked as a dialect coach on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, which will be soaking up box-office business in February.

 Karen Knotts has had a big year of performances of her “Tied Up in Knotts” stage show (including at Mayberry Days).  And she has more shows coming up in early 2015 and at the Mayberry in the Midwest festival in May and Mayberry Days in September (see Floyd’s calendar above).

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 **** Mayberry on the Web ****

The iMayberry Community
This TAGSRWC online group is organized and overseen by webmaster Allan “Floyd” Newsome.   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.  Combined with TAGSRWC chapters and the various Mayberry events for all fans (from Mayberry Days to ocean cruises), not to mention enjoying the sites of Mount Airy year-round, the world of Mayberry fun keeps expanding.

And best of all, it’s all rooted in watching the show itself.  Whether through DVDs and Blu-ray, streaming video, local stations, MeTV, or TV Land, loving to watch the show continues to be the energy that feeds all the other Mayberry fun and activities that we enjoy.  What a wonderful thing Andy Griffith and his talented team of actors, musicians, writers and crew people created 54 years ago–for us and generations to come!

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 while the show is being recorded on Monday evenings). Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view episodes you’ve missed. (There have been 308 episodes since Allan started the podcasts six years ago.)

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. If you’ve got sound on your computer or have an iPod or similar device, you can easily tune in live or download these podcasts.

Also, check out the podcast area of our www.imayberry.com site for info about a Mayberry Bible Study Podcast, also hosted by Allan, and a “brother figure” podcast called Burke on Mayberry, hosted by Kevin Burke.

TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook now has more than 105,000 friends! You can find us at www.facebook.com/tagsrwc. There’s a variety of comments about Mayberry, and a lively stream of thoughts from fans about TAGS, plus photos. And our Facebook page is also one of the first places we post announcements and breaking news about TAGS. 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!

**** 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.

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TAGSRWC also publishes The eBullet in more or less 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 with more features and depth and a little less emphasis on merchandise news. To sign up, go to:www.tagsrwc.com/ebullet/joinebullet.htm.

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 2015 is scheduled for February, with the new year’s first eBullet planned for January.

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