Mayberry Days

Mayberry Days

Last full weekend in SeptemberThis annual event celebrates "The Andy Griffith Show," a weekly television comedy show about the adventures of a small-town sheriff in a fictional town called Mayberry that was produced from 1960 to 1968 and remains on the air in syndication. The festival was first held in 1990 in actor Andy Griffith's home town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary. Since that time it has grown into a three-day event that attracts fans of the show from all over the United States and Canada.
Highlights of the festival include concerts by the Doug Dillard Band (Doug Dillard appeared on the show as one of the Darling boys, a mountain family that visited Mayberry), a "Sheriff's Choice" golf tournament, and Colonel Tim's Talent Time, which is modeled after the talent show that takes place in one of the program's episodes. There is also a parade, a Mayberry trivia contest, a pie-eating contest, a barbecue cook-off, and a silent auction. Actors associated with the show are often special guests at the festival, and watching reruns of old shows is a favorite activity.
CONTACTS:
Surry Arts Council
218 Rockford St.
Mt. Airy, NC 27030
800-286-6193 or 336-786-7998; fax: 336-786-9822
www.surryarts.org