Goodbye Don Knotts -- Barney Fife forever.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060225/ap_on_en_tv/obit_knotts

[Edited on February 25, 2006 at 6:11 PM. Reason : kj]

2/25/2006 6:10:57 PM

Goodbye, Mr. Chicken.

2/25/2006 6:14:13 PM

We'll miss you Mr. Farley

2/25/2006 6:35:20 PM

Furley

2/25/2006 6:58:42 PM

2/25/2006 7:19:04 PM

2/27/2006 8:11:57 AM

one step closer to my hometown losing its nickname mayberry.

2/27/2006 8:34:05 AM

^ it needs to keep that nickname as long as possible. unfortunately, tourism is about the only thing keeping the town going right now....

2/27/2006 10:20:11 AM

what about our granite? don't ppl want to see it? i mean half the bell tower is made out the ground from mayberry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Airy%2C_North_Carolina

Quote :

"Mount Airy, North Carolina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Mt. Airy, North Carolina) Jump to: navigation, search Mount Airy is a city located in Surry County, North Carolina, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,484. Mount Airy was the home of American actor Andy Griffith, and the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show. Several locations mentioned in the show reflect real sites in or near Mount Airy, including Mount Pilot (nearby Pilot Mountain) and Snappy Lunch, a restaurant which still stands in the city's downtown. The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration which regularly attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. Mount Airy is also the home of the famous Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), Chinese brothers born in Siam, now Thailand. Chang and Eng were joined by a band of cartilage at the chest (xiphopagus). In modern times, they could be easily separated. For many years they traveled with the Barnum circus. In the 1840s they married sisters Sarah and Adelaide Yates of North Carolina and purchased two adjoining farm properties just west of Mount Airy. Together they fathered between 20 and 23 children (accounts vary, and in any case, many of the children passed away in early childhood). The twins would spend three days at one farm then three days at the second farm. They owned slaves and during the American Civil War many of the their descendants fought for the Confederacy. In January of 1874, Chang, who was a heavy drinker and had fallen ill with pneumonia, died during the night. Eng also died within a few hours, surrounded by his and his brother's families. Many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area. Even though Mayberry may be representative of Mount Airy, it is not to be confused with the fictional town. There are some similarities but the differences outnumber them. The City of Mount Airy markets and profits off of the idea of Mayberry, which draws tourists and money into the area. Citizens of Mount Airy normally take pride in the Mayberry theme, but others are embarrassed by the association. These citizens would actually like to see Mount Airy showing off and marketing its own rich heritage. In any case, downtown Mount Airy looks nothing like TV's Mayberry, as the show was filmed entirely in Hollywood, California, on the RKO Pictures backlot called "Forty Acres". Mount Airy's most notable feature is its granite quarry, the largest open-faced quarry in the United States. Mount Airy is also the hometown of country singer Donna Fargo. "

"Citizens of Mount Airy normally take pride in the Mayberry theme, but others are embarrassed by the association"

The Andy Griffith Show showed actual neighboring towns to Mt. Airy, NC too... like where my grandparents are from - Low Gap. But they said you had to cross a log to get there b/c it was so back woodsy. I'm not really proud or embarressed by it, I think its kinda dumb that they renamed part of a highway after Andy Griffith when already half of the stores have "andy griffith" or "mayberry" in their name. I do use the nickname mayberry as a point of reference sometimes, but something better would be nice.

I just noticed on the demographics for my home town that
"For every 100 females there are 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 78.4 males."

Maybe we should advertise that more eh?

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 10:35 AM. Reason : .]

2/27/2006 10:34:32 AM

haha perhaps. i'm hoping they will get their act together and try to bring in some industry. there are too many people out of work since all the mills have shut down. i have noticed that they are starting to go after a more generalized "small town near the mountains" tourism (bed and breakfasts, candy stores, antiques, etc) than just andy crap. after another generation, no one will remember let alone visit "mayberry".

aha your family is from low gap j/k i went to white plains elem so i can't say too much....

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 11:52 AM. Reason : spelling]

2/27/2006 11:50:36 AM

my mothers side of the family is from out there, my dads side is from mt airy. haven't really seen much of the dads side ever since i stopped going to they annual private xmas gatherings at Olympia family restaurant or riverside restaurant or whatever they are calling it now.

Franklin Elementary, to Gentry Middle, to North Surry High here… (my mother taught at Mt Airy for 20 years or so though, so I never really had strong rivalry feelings)

^Yeah mayberry might not being played up as much any more, but theres only so many people you can get to visit for that, they need a new angle, seems like everyone goes to winston for work. Bringing in some industry would be good for the city, but I can't imagine what kind of company could profit from it.

There is a little area thats becoming more alive with the new theater with staggered seating, and the new pizza hut, and surrounding areas. I loled when I found out the old theater went out of business & became a church instead. I can't figure out how a theater set up fits with a church operation. As long as gold leaf (or whatever the drive in theaters name is) doesn't close I'll be happy.

2/27/2006 12:48:39 PM

aha white plains --> gentry --> north surry here too. guess you came through right after me.

have you tried the good life? they took the old meadows of dan building and turned it into a coffee shop/store/bar/music venue. there is a group - the lowry's - that play on thurday, friday, and saturday. they are actually pretty good and play a wide variety of music. my parents live in the renfro lofts so that is what we do when i go home to visit.

i'm hoping they could get some heavy industry (stuff that isn't so easily shipped out) - machining, car parts, or similar. the workforce there isn't super skilled but they do know how to run machines and they do know how to show up for work everyday at 6am and work shift work. i think the bread company (they do stuff for quiznos) is a good start - it is in the undistrial park off 601 i believe.

2/27/2006 4:05:21 PM

honestly this is one of the more important actor deaths i've had to experience in recent years

2/27/2006 4:20:51 PM

I visited a friend of mine who works for an engineering company in Mt. Airy - she made it a point of showing me not just the "shrines o' Andy Griffith," but also the granite quarry

2/27/2006 4:23:04 PM

Quote :

"aha white plains --> gentry --> north surry here too. guess you came through right after me."

i only spend a week or so out of each year in mt airy nowadays, so i'm not too up too date on the goings on. i'd like to see things take off there, but it always feels behind the times there. based on your age, you may have been a senior when i was a freshman there.




Its a kinda long quote from here on out in this post( i hacked it up alot to make it shorter)... not to important to the actor discussion, but its relevant to the Mt Airy (Mayberry) survival subdiscussion.

Quote :

"Businessman leaves legacy to Surry students • First recipients of Armfield scholarship announced at SCC. By Carrie Sidener Staff Reporter Thanks to the generosity of one Surry County businessman, 46 students have the boost they need to pay for college. The scholarship fund, set up by the Edward M. Armfield Sr. Foundation, announced the first of its scholarship winners on Wednesday during a reception held at Surry Community College. The foundation established scholarships for students graduating from Surry County high schools, including Elkin and Mount Airy high schools, and 10 scholarships to graduating Surry Community College students who also graduated from high schools in Surry County. "When he died, he developed a foundation to help people that helped him during his lifetime," Billy Sawyers, assistant superintendent of Surry County Schools, said. "Surry County people made a difference in his life and he wanted to give something back to the community. The textile industry has taken a hit. There is a cycle of poverty in all sectors of the county. Education is a way to break that cycle." "He was humble and smart enough to know that it (his success) was due to the people here," Bedford Cannon, Armfield’s nephew, said. "This community, in large part, what made him what he was … He wanted to better Surry County. What better way to do that than to give scholarships to children? The majority of his wealth will go to educating the children of Surry County." Elkin High School students received three scholarships for public institutions and two for private. East Surry students received five for public and two for private; North Surry, 10 for public and one for private; Surry Central, eight for public; and Mount Airy, three for public and two for private. Ten scholarships were awarded to Surry Community College students. Scholarships are valued at $4,000 for public institutions and $7,500 for private institutions. "We ended up with a total of 46 scholarships for the county," Steve Joyce, executive director of the Armfield Foundation, said. "The total disbursement is $208,500 … Next year we will give the same amount to the schools. After four years, if everyone stays in college and stays qualified, we will pay out over $800,000." "

North Surry received the most... I think I knew all the recipients at North Surry. I was part of the first round, but this guys money has been going to more people each year. I should be part of the first round to graduate with it. Outside all the formality, I'm not sure if this guys intent was to help revitalize surry county through ppl returning educated, to help young people escape from the county/poverty, or some combination. It’d take a nice job offer for me to ever return to live & work there, but I don’t see Mt Airy as having any demand whatsoever for philosophers. Although I know NCSU is increasing their philosophy program (expanding into grad school degrees)… in 4 to 6 years I’ll have to do some low level teaching for a while as a philosophy professor… if surry community college were to have developed a philosophy program I might go for that for my intro level work there.

the workforce there isn't super skilled but they do know how to run machines and they do know how to show up for work everyday at 6am and work shift work.

Mt. Airy can be off putting to outsiders… and a willingness to do unskilled labor can only take one so far. The whole attitude of the place needs to change from Mayberry/MountainTown if they wanna draw a new kind of crowd.

It was a nice place to grow up, but I don't know why anyone would want to live there (unless they were just born and raised there and never experienced anywhere else)

The Autumn leaves festival is kinda fun though.

[/random compiled useless thoughts on my hometown]

2/27/2006 9:07:29 PM

another television icon whom I dont care about gone

2/27/2006 9:57:24 PM

i'm the same - i go for maybe two weekends per year. can't say i'd ever even consider moving back but it is a nice place to visit.

the scholarship is awesome. they need it. tho not as badly as the people 10 minutes north - my mom retired from surry county schools and is teaching in patrick county. if you think mt.air is behind.... sweet jesus patrick county is something out of deliverence.

they have a new position in the city council - that person's job is entirely to scout new industry. my mom is in pretty good with all the main street merchants/tourism board/etc (she might run for mayor next go around) and she said this lady is doing a pretty good job. at least she is trying. the current mayor doesn't do squat (except drink martinis at cross creek). hopefully they will get soemthing. i think if they can get one decent sized plant to come in, others will follow. the location is pretty good - on 77, 52, not too far from 40, etc.

3/2/2006 4:02:10 PM

I want to meet some of the 1/100 azn descendants of Cheng and Eng

3/2/2006 4:16:16 PM

haha one of the brother's great great great etc grandson lives next door to my aunt.

3/2/2006 5:19:00 PM

there's a guy at state who's a grandkid of eng and chang

and i almost got the armfield

PMOUNTWHAT

3/2/2006 5:23:50 PM