ShareThisFor 15 years, memorabilia relating to Andy Griffith and his role in the fictitious Mayberry have been displayed in various locations in Mount Airy, N.C., the small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains where the actor-singer was born 83 years ago.
Now a permanent museum has opened that expects to welcome huge crowds this year as the town celebrates the 50th anniversary of the debut of "The Andy Griffith Show" in 1960.
Mount Airy was the inspiration for the folksy town of Mayberry, the focus of this sitcom that ran for eight seasons and the later "Mayberry RFD."
Just before Thanksgiving, the 2,500-square-foot museum opened a half-mile from the actor's boyhood home. Spearheaded by the local arts council, the museum was built with more than $500,000, partly financed with grants and donations.
Most of the items have been collected by Emmett Forrest, a schoolmate and close friend of Griffith. There are the iconic signs from the show's courthouse doors that read: "Sheriff" and "Justice of the Peace," keys to the jail, Barney Fife's chair and signed scripts, as well a suit that Griffith wore in his later series, "Matlock."
Cast members from both Mayberry shows also have donated items for the collection.
Forrest spends much time at the museum, often giving impromptu tours. The collection has attracted people from all 50 states and 43 countries, he says.
A good time to visit might be during "Mayberry Days," the annual weekend festival in Mount Airy each September sponsored by the Surry Arts Council. Now in its 21st year, it offers pie-eating contests, checkers games, bluegrass music and more. This year it will be held Sept. 23-27.
The Andy Griffith Museum, at 218 Rockford St., is open seven days a week. Admission is $3. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. For details, call 1-336-786-1604 or visit www.AndyGriffithMuseum.com.
Griffith continues to work. One of his most prominent roles lately was of Old Joe, the cranky owner of the cafe in the 2007 movie "Waitress."
(Virginia Linn can be reached at vlinn(at)post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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