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ANSWERS
A1. Snappy Lunch, located at 125 North Main Street, is the only surviving business that Andy mentioned by name on the show. The episode, which originally aired November 14, 1960, was called “Andy the Matchmaker,” and near the end, Andy says to Barney: You want to double date? I’m going to take Miss Ellie to the picture show Saturday night, do you and Miss Rosemary want to go? After the show we can go down to Snappy Lunch and get something to eat and some coffee. Want to? Thesnappylunch.com
A2. Actress Betty Lynn, who played Barney’s girlfriend, Thelma Lou, moved to Mount Airy in 2007. After her California home was reportedly burglarized, she decided to seek a safer locale. And what’s safer than Mayberry? Mount Airy is the closest real-life locale to the Mayberry persona. Her 95th birthday was to be celebrated in late August. She’s participated in many Mayberry Days celebrations and health-willing, she’s scheduled to appear this year as well.
A3. While “The Andy Griffith Show” was in production, the Ford Motor Company would provide a squad car for use in filming each year. These cars were generally Ford Galaxies, but the first season featured a Ford Fairlane model. Entrepreneur Mike Cockerman operates Squad Car Tours, running out of Wally’s Service Station at 625 South Main Street in Mount Airy, where guests can tour ($40 for a carload of 5 or fewer) notable points in the town and the world’s largest open faced granite quarry. Cockerman acquired a fleet of vintage Ford Galaxies and retrofitted them to look like the squad car from the show. Tourmayberry.com
A4. Fans can experience first-hand the boyhood home of Andy Griffith. The small house, located at 711 East Haymore Street is available for overnight accommodations. Andy lived here with his parents until he graduated from high school. The house has two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living room. It’s a close stroll to the Andy Griffith Playhouse and the downtown area. bit.ly/2SDxHg9
A5. Mount Pilot is referenced quite a few times on the show. The inspiration came from Pilot Mountain, a neighboring town to Mount Airy. Andy also mentioned communities outside of Mount Airy, such as Dobson, Toast, Flat Rock, Fancy Gap, Triplett and Bannertown. In an episode where Barney is out of town, a substitute deputy played by Jerry Van Dyke serves as a crossing guard at the corner of Rockford Road and Haymore Street—Andy grew up a block or so from the intersection of Rockford and Haymore. In episode 3, season 4, Ernest T. Bass starts throwing rocks at windows around town, and Andy says, “We’ll wait for him at the corner of Pine and Main.” Pine and Main intersect in Mount Airy.
A6. Emmett Forrest was a close lifetime friend of Griffith and he saved the world’s largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia. That collection became the core of The Andy Griffith Museum. It houses hundreds of items related to Andy’s life and his prolific career in theatre, film and music. Andy also named a character after Emmett on the show. surryarts.org/agmuseum
A7. Mayberry Days is an annual festival in Mount Airy. Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry County Arts Council, gives a nod to Jim Clark for sparking the idea for the annual Mayberry Days celebration. Clark co-founded The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC) in the late 1970s. The first Mayberry Days festival took place in 1990 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show. This year, Mayberry Days runs September 21-26 with a line-up of family-friendly activities. While in town, make sure to check out the replica Mayberry Courthouse and Jail located adjacent to Wally’s Service Station. A replica of the Darlings’ cabin sits out back. surryarts.org/mayberrydays
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2021 issue.
