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The eBullet
An Online Newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
Volume 19, Issue 5
September 2019
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Floyd’s Barbershop
Bulletin Board
&
Event Calendar
There may be no listings for Falcon Keeper on Floyd’s bulletin board at the moment, but there are plenty of other interesting items.
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The Andy Griffith Museum, features the late Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia. The museum is open daily in Mount Airy, N.C. For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
These happenings have been posted on Floyd’s bulletin board:
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* Sept. 19: Karen Knotts performs “Tied Up in Knotts” at a luncheon show from 1:30 to 3:30 at Wright’s Chicken Farm Restaurant in Harrisville, R.I. The cost is $69 for the all-inclusive round-trip motorcoach that is part of part of a group tour, or $45 for just the luncheon and show (drive yourself). For more info visit www.travelgrouptrips.com.
* Sept. 20: Betty Lynn greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum 1:00-3:00 p.m. She will have 8 x 10 photos available for autographing ($10). For info, visit the website at www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.
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* Sept. 23-29: 30th Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C. Tickets are available for many of the week’s events, including for concerts by Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band and by LeRoy “Mack” McNees & Friends, a presentation by Ronnie Schell (two episodes and Duke Slater on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”) of his Comedy Revue and Special Tribute to Andy Griffith, and a presentation of “A Deputy’s Daughter” by Karen Knotts (daughter of Don).
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PACES IN THE CROWD–A scene from the 2018 Mayberry Days Parade.
Photo by Kenny Hooker.
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LET’S MAKE A DEAL–Calvin Peeler signing his contract to appear on “Mayberry R.F.D.” as Dick Linke looks on. Calvin will share memories of his journey to Mayberry during a screening of his “Youth Takes Over” episode on Friday during Mayberry Days.
Other TAGS stars confirmed so far include Mount Airy’s own Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), Maggie Peterson Mancuso (Charlene Darling), Clint Howard (Leon), Keith Thibodeaux (Opie’s pal Johnny Paul Jason), Dennis Rush (Opie’s pal Howie), Joy Ellison (Mary Wiggins and five others), Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey), Calvin Peeler (Martin Barton on “Mayberry R.F.D.”; his first-ever Mayberry event), Gary Nelson (director of “Malcolm at the Crossroads” episode; his first Mayberry Days) and Bruce Bilson (assistant director for Seasons 1 and 2).
Also attending will be Bettina Linke (wife of associate producer Richard O. Linke), Dreama Denver (wife of Bob “Gilligan” Denver, who played Dud Wash in “Divorce Mountain Style”), and Stark Howell and Cort Howell (sons of Hoke Howell, who played Dud Wash in the first two Darlings episodes).
RIGHT TO THE POINTE–Featured performance on Tuesday (Sept. 24) of Mayberry Days.
Tickets are also available for The Emmett Golf Tournament (and the dinner and entertainment featuring comedian Henry Cho), performances by Ballet Magnificat (Christian ballet company operated by Kathy and Keith Thibodeaux), country music star Collin Raye, bluegrass award-winners The Grascals, the bluegrass comedy of The VW Boys, plus The Embers, Envision, and Legacy Motown Revue, as well as comedy performances by John Floyd (The Mouth of Mayberry) and James Gregory (“The Funniest Man in America”). Other ticketed events include Professor Brower’s Lecture with Bruce Bilson/TAGSRWC Meeting and Colonel Tim’s Talent Time. Also attending this year is Dick Atkins, producer of Murder in Coweta County, starring Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash, and directed by Gary Nelson. Dick and Gary will be on hand for a special joint screening of “Malcolm at the Crossroads” and Murder in Coweta County Thursday morning at the Earle Theatre.
For advance tickets, visit www.mayberrydays.com. And of course, many parts of Mayberry Days, including assorted contests and performances and the parade, don’t require a ticket.
* Oct. 5: 20th Annual Fall Celebration in Granville, Tenn. Mayberry is the theme this year as the town’s Clover Street transforms into Mayberry’s Main Street. The Celebration includes the town’s Scarecrow Festival (which is Tennessee’s largest and runs all of October), which this year features scarecrows of favorite Mayberry characters. For more info, visit www.granvilletn.com.
* Oct. 12: Rodney Dillard & the Dillard Band bring their Mayberry Moments show to Marion, Va., as part of the “Song of the Mountains” TV show.
Ronnie Schell
Dixie Griffith
(aka tribute artist for Fun Girl Skippy)
* Nov. 2-7: Cruise to Mayberry 14 sets sail with Ronnie Schell (two episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” and also Duke Slater on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”) and Dixie Griffith (daughter of Andy) and a boatload of Mayberry tribute artists aboard Carnival’s Sunshine from Charleston to Nassau and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. For good measure, Elvis impersonator Wayne Euliss and bluegrass band Cane Mill Road will also entertain.
For more info, e-mail cruise organizer Sharon Euliss of All About Cruises at PWESJE@aol.com or call her at (336) 538-4926.
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**** News of Cast & Crew ****
Ron Howard has completed the bulk of filming for Hillbilly Elegy, which has been on location in Georgia, Ohio and elsewhere this summer. The film with a cast including Amy Adams, Glenn Close and TAGS alum Bo Hopkins, is expected to be released by Netflix in 2020.
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CAP SHUNNED–Ron Howard was interviewed by reporter Jeffrey Brown for a seven-minute segment for “PBS NewsHour” that aired on August 7. The interesting segment covered highlights of Ron’s career, and Ron also discussed his approach to storytelling.
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IMAGINE THAT–Ron with Brian Grazer.
Ron is onboard to direct his first animated feature film, The Shrinking of Treehorn, based on the beloved 1971 children’s book written by Florence Parry Heide with drawings by Edward Gorey. The film is a joint project between Imagine Entertainment and Australia-based Animal Logic. It’ll be distributed by Paramount.
A recent New York Times article about Ron and Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer discusses their company’s history, current projects and game plan for the future. The two were also on hand as keynote speakers for this month’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Ron’s daughter Bryce Dallas Howard was also at TIFF promoting her directorial debut for her documentary titled Dads, which features interviews with Ron and others. It was also announced during the festival that Apple has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the film.
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PICTURE IN A PICTURE–Ron Howard and daughter Bryce grin for their selfie while also being photographed for a publicity shot for her new Dads documentary.
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BACK TO MAYBERRY–Clint Howard (right) and Stark Howell visiting the Fishin’ Hole.
Ron will be in Rome in October to present his Pavarotti documentary at the Rome Film Festival. The film has been well received by audiences and critics alike since its official release in June.
Also, at the very end of this issue, check out the link to the short rock-skipping video that Ron posted online this summer.
In July, Clint Howard took an afternoon trip with lifelong friend Stark Howell (son of Hoke “Dud” Howell) to the Franklin Canyon Reservoir, the location for filming the opening (and closing) credits and other TAGS scenes. As hard as it may be to believe, Clint didn’t recall previously ever visiting the site.
Here’s a link to the four-minute video of their visit, which Stark posted on his Mayberry Man page on Facebook. Stark, brother Cort Howell, Greg Schell (son of Ronnie) and several other children of TAGS actors, and some of the original actors themselves, are spearheading Mayberry Man, an independent film project that is scheduled to begin filming in 2020.
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IN THE KEY OF “UP”–Maggie Peterson Mancuso and Mayberry brother Rodney Dillard enjoy their time performing at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville on September 14. They’ll be back on the Darling truck and heading to Mayberry Days in Mount Airy in a just over a week.
Photo by “Deadline Dennis” Beal.
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Betty Lynn drew a huge crowd of fans (including the N.C. Secretary of State and dignitaries from Thailand) wanting to visit with her and get her autograph at her July autograph session at Mount Airy’s Andy Griffith Museum.
And she’s scheduled to be back at the Museum on Sept. 20 (this Friday!), and then also to serve as the unofficial host of Mayberry Days as she welcomes her fellow Mayberry stars and thousands of fans back to Mount Airy.
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THAI TIME–Betty Lynn poses with visitors from Thailand during her monthly meet-and-greet session at the Andy Griffith Museum on July 19. Officials from Thailand’s Samut Songkhram province were in Mount Airy for the official signing of a Sister City agreement. Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins of the 1800s, were from the province and eventually settled in Mount Airy. A Bunker family reunion coincided with the signing ceremony as well as with Betty’s own weekend for signing.
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BLOOEY!–Betty Lynn blows out the candles on her chocolate birthday cake during the celebration with a full house at Mount Airy’s Loaded Goat restaurant on Aug. 29. (Members of several TAGSRWC chapters were on hand for the party.)
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The Kentucky Colonels (who earlier, including for their two TAGS episodes in 1961, were billed as The Country Boys) will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame on September 26. (Late band member Clarence White was previously posthumously inducted individually in 2016, and bandmate/brother Roland White was individually inducted in 2017.) “LeRoy Mack” McNees of the group will be performing at Mayberry Days the day after the induction ceremony! Congratulations to all of the band members on this well-deserved honor!
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HERE AT THE ROCK–All signs indicate things are secure, and everybody is all smiles as Jackie Joseph (Mayberry’s Sweet Romeena) poses with members of TAGSRWC’s Mayberry chapter (Knoxville, Tenn.) during the chapter’s Mayberry-themed tour of Southern California in June.
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Amid touring her “Tied Up in Knotts” and “A Deputy’s Daughter” shows this year, Karen Knotts (daughter of Don) had a very successful stand-up comedy show in the Los Angeles area in July.
George Lindsey Jr. has released a new 3-song CD called George Lindsey Jr. and Friends: Songs on the Patio. A music video is being pondered for one of the songs. George is also playing a gold prospector in a sci-fi movie called Angel Girl. (Spoiler alert: His character’s prospects aren’t golden.) And George also performed his Western comedy show at the Ventura County Fair in August. Giddy-up!.
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**** Chapter Update ****
We’re pleased to announce that two new chapters have started since the July eBullet:
“Sittin’ on a Velvet Pillow” Hayden, Ala.
“Gas It Up, Chickie Baby” Lindenhurst, N.Y.
Both chapters definitely sound like high-octane groups that are ready to rev up lots of Mayberry fun. A big TAGSRWC welcome to our two newest chapters!
We now have had a total 1,462 chapters founded since TAGSRWC began.
Starting a chapter of TAGSRWC is really simple to do. Just pick a name that hasn’t already been selected by another group and let us know who your founders are and where you’re based.
You can check the searchable list of chapter names already taken at www.tagsrwc.com. Then submit your chapter’s name with a list of your founding members by e-mail (to Goober@imayberry.com) or by U.S. Mail to TAGSRWC’s HQ (118 16th Avenue South, Suite 4, PMB 146, Nashville, TN 37203-3100).
Whether or not you start or join a local chapter, you can always join our online “Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” chapter or any of several chapters on Facebook.
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**** Merchandise Update ****
You’ll find a variety of new Mayberry-related items and best-selling classics online at TAGSRWC’s Weaver’s Department Store.
Here are some highlights:.
2020 Andy Griffith Show Wall Calendar
Nostalgic Hair Styles Poster
$12.00
Just in time for those back-to-school haircuts, Mr. Weaver has arranged with Floyd to bring you a recreation of the “Official Hair Styles for Men and Boys” print that hangs in Floyd’s Barbershop. (They’re hair styles and they’re “official”!)
The print is 16″ x 20″ on heavyweight stock. The print will be shipped in an art tube to protect it during shipment.
The print includes a recreation of the sample hair styles offered at Floyd’s shop and a scene representative of a certain man and his son walking home from the fishin’ hole in the top left corner. Get a copy for yourself and some for the whole crew!
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Miss Crump’s Reading List
New!
We have all kinds of great books about Mayberry. The latest was published just last month:
Mayberry Firsts: A Compendium of Historical Essays on the Classic Television Series ($20, 224-page softcover) by TAGSRWC member Randy Turner.
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T-Shirts Galore!
Weaver’s now has more than 50 different T-shirt designs to choose from!
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Just a few of the designs in our T-shirt lineup.
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Most of our adult-sized T-shirts are just $20. A few designs are $18, and the Lawmen and Sheriff all-over designs are $25. (The long-sleeved Sheriff shirt is $40.) Several designs are available in sweatshirts (and some also as hoodies) as well.
$12.00
Be ready for Halloween all year long with this haunting print of the very painting that hangs in the Old Remshaw Place in Mayberry.
The eyes have it!
As you look closely at the print, you will likely notice that the eyes seem to follow you when you move around the room. Of course, “It’s probably just the lighting.”
The print is 16 in. x 20 in. on heavyweight stock. The print will be shipped in an art tube to protect it during shipment.
The print includes the image of the original painting and the image of the frame (just as seen). Get yours before they disappear. And remember that it’s just a print. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Isn’t that right, Gomer? Gomer? Gome?
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We’ve Got You Covered!
SIDECAR EXPRESS–Rev up for cooler weather with a Mayberry sweatshirt, like this super-cool and ultra-warm Mayberry Choppers design! (This design and Mayberry Union design are also available in a pullover hoodie.)
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And there’s more! We have caps, Goober beanies, deputy patches, and both Mayberry Sheriff and Mayberry Deputy badges.
Also, remember that your purchases from Weaver’s help support Mayberry events and Mayberry-related charitable causes all year long at locations all around the country. Those sales also help keep our online Mayberry newsletters and communities available to everybody free of charge. As always, thanks for browsing Weaver’s!
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Sneak Peek:
Coming to Weaver’s any day now…for Mayberry fun every day next year:
The new edition of the daily flip calendar of Mayberry facts and milestones.
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**** Chapter News ****
Chapters have been doing lots of activities since the July eBullet. We’ll share most of the news through photos and captions..
Members of “We the People” and Barney chapters (both of Greensboro, N.C.) and Andy chapter (Nashville, Tenn.) got together for a meal and Mayberry chitchat in July. Mavis Neff (Durham, N.C.) and Sarah chapter also joined members of the Andy group for visits in August, as did Remembering Mayberry (Chillicothe, Ohio) earlier this month.
Briscoe of Mayberry (Indianapolis, Ind.) and other chapters near Danville, Ind., continue to meet regularly at Danville’s Mayberry Cafe. Mayberry Firsts author Randy Turner will be joining the group for a meeting in October. He’ll also be giving a Mayberry presentation in conjunction with “A Dollar and a Quarter” chapter (New Philadelphia, Ohio) next month in Dover, Ohio, as well. (You can find info about the presentations HERE.)
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HERE’S YOUR SIGN…THAT YOU’RE A MAYBERRY NUT–Members of Blood Brothers chapter (Macon, Mo.) are all keyed up as they pose on a porch during their annual summer picnic in July. They provided this summary of their summery event: “We had a pot luck dinner, enjoyed some trivia and gave out a door prize, as well as the first annual “Aunt Bee’s Kitchen Award” to the person who brought a dish made from a recipe from Aunt Bee’s Mayberry Cookbook.
“Our meeting ended with a relay race similar to the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals. Three volunteers ran a timed course making Leon’s PB&J sandwich, tying a pony tail with Lydia’s hair ribbon, serving Aunt Bee’s pickles, baiting Miss Peggy’s fishing hook with worms (ICK!) and spitting out Otis’s spring water.” They really beat everything, you know that!
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Nary a Thing chapter (Madison, N.C.) and The Western Friends of the Library will hold the inaugural Mayberry Fantastic Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 5 on the grounds of the Madison-Mayodan Public Library in Madison. Admission is free. The event will feature craftspeople, artists and food vendors. For info, call 336-548-6553 or visit www.rcpl.org.
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DON’T THE TREES SEEM NICE AND FULL?–Here’s one last shot from Mayberry chapter’s summer trip to L.A. The group is seen here on the iconic trail walked by Andy and Opie in the TAGS credits (located in Franklin Canyon, just north of Beverly Hills). At far left is Stark Howell, son of Hoke Howell (Mayberry’s first Dud Wash). And that’s no ordinary interloper wearing the red shirt. That’s Mayberry 101 author Neal Brower of Barney chapter. Neal appears to be the only one whistling the TAGS theme in this photo. Either that or he just tasted one of Aunt Bee’s homemade pickles!
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With that, we’ll conclude Chapter News for this issue. If you have news or photos of your chapter activities that you would like to share with The eBullet, please send your updates to Goober@imayberry.com.
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Special Programming Alert–Keep an eye on your local stations for a Mayberry infomercial from the folks at Time Life. They’ve put together a fun half hour of Mayberry clips promoting their new DVD set, which, along with favorites from TAGS and “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”, also includes the first-ever DVD release of episodes from the second and third seasons of “Mayberry R.F.D.” Even if you’ve already got your quota of episodes in your personal collection, the infomercial provides an entertaining 30 minutes of cleverly edited Mayberry clips. NOTE: Time Life has also generously donated one of these DVD sets for this year’s fundraising Mayberry Days Raffle. Look for your chance to enter the drawing at the Information Booth and elsewhere during the festival.
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**** Mayberry on the Web ****
The iMayberry Community
This TAGSRWC online group is organized and overseen by webmaster Allan “Floyd” Newsome with help from Keith “Col. Harvey” Brown. You can check out the fun 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 pages, online newsletters (such as The eBullet!), weaversdepartmentstore.com and chat rooms.
“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. Most weeks also include a Mayberry History Lesson from special correspondent Randy Turner.
There’s a new episode every Tuesday (and you can watch and listen live during tapings on Monday evenings). Past episodes are in an online Archives in case you want to listen to or view classic installments you’ve missed. (As of this week, there have been an astounding 548 episodes since Allan started the podcasts in 2008.)
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GROUP FUN–Some of the folks who attended July’s 7th Annual Mayberry Meet-Up (sponsored by the “Two Chairs, No Waiting” podcast) gathered for this group photo at the Mayberry Motor Inn in Mount Airy. Some are still in their outfits from the Amateur Mayberry Look-Alike Contest. See if you can spot ’em. (Let’s see…Clarence Earp…Col. Harvey…Otis…Rafe…Emma…Goober…Asa…Mr. McBeevee…Miss Ellie. We’re not sure if Count Istvan Teleky was in the contest, but Floyd says he saw him. “If he was there, of course I saw him.”)
Photo by Jan Newsome.
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And you’ll also find links on that web page to a couple of other outstanding Mayberry-related podcasts: Burke on Mayberry (hosted by TAGSRWC’s Kevin Burke) and the Mayberry Bible Study Podcast (another one hosted by Allan Newsome).
TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook has over 245,000 Mayberry friends! You can find us at www.facebook.com/tagsrwc. 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!
We also have links in our “Liked by this Page” section to the pages of several TAGSRWC chapters on Facebook (including the Gomer and Goober Pyle Comic Book Literary Guild), as well as to Facebook pages of Mayberry Days, the Andy Griffith Museum, TAGS actors and others..
WHAT? NO CAPTAIN MARVEL OR CRAB MONSTER? SHAZAM!–Members of The Gomer and Goober Pyle Comic Book Literary Guild (among them are folks who are also members of local TAGSRWC chapters from Ohio and Indiana) gather after a talk in Milford, Ohio, by Guild co-founder Randy Turner (center back) on Sept. 14.
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Ben Weaver also has his own Facebook page at www.facebook.com/weaversdepartmentstore. It features all the latest in Mayberry items and merchandise news.
**** Post Note ****
You can always catch up on back issues by visiting the eBullet Archives in the Newsletters section at imayberry.com. Each issue is placed in the Archives at the same time that it’s published.
Between issues of The eBullet, keep up with all the happenings in Mayberry with the daily Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board? (aka “WBMUTBB?”) Digest. It’s a free subscriber list that consists entirely of comments, newsflashes, and questions and answers from subscribers. You can sign up for that list by going to the Mailing Lists link at tagsrwc.com. “WBMUTBB?” also has its own Archives where you can follow the ongoing stream of messages.
TAGSRWC publishes Weaver’s Newsletter (our brother-figure publication) in alternate months to The eBullet. Like The eBullet, Weaver’s Newsletter is free. Its focus is tilted slightly more to Mayberry merchandise and collectibles and quick newsflashes. It has some content overlap with The eBullet, sometimes earlier and sometimes later, depending on the timing of the news. To sign up, go to Weaver’s Newsletter Sign-Up.
The next regularly scheduled issue of The eBullet will be our post-Mayberry Days/pre-holidays edition in November (also the final issue of the year). The next Weaver’s Newsletter is set for October.
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ROCK IT, MAN–Ron Howard posted this video last month of him showing he’s “still got it” when it comes to flinging rocks into water.
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