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The eBullet: Volume 11, Issue 3 July 2011

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The eBullet
An Online newsletter of
“The Andy Griffith Show” Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC)
Volume 11, Issue 3
July 2011
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Welcome to the third issue of The eBullet for 2011. There’s a lot going on. “Just jump in where you can and hang on!” We’re also in the process of making the transition with this newsletter to a blog format, which we hope will allow it to be even more accessible and easy for Mayberry fans to find online. We’ll also continue to e-mail each issue free to our subscribers and maintain our eBullet Archives of back issues in the Newsletters section of www.imayberry.com.
Please pardon any “peculiar hitches” in our get-along as we get used to this new format. It’s Goober v. Gremlins at the moment, and we’re not sure who’s winning! Fortunately, we’ve seen Anteaters From Outer Space, so we know a few tricks for fighting Gremlins! But enough shop talk. Let’s get on to what’s happening around Mayberry, starting with the latest notes posted on the bulletin board over at Floyd’s.

Floyd's Barbershop Bulletin Board

The Andy Griffith Museum, featuring Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia, is open daily in Mount Airy, N.C. You’ll usually find Emmett himself there on Thursdays (and oftern other times), and Betty Lynn generally greets fans there during the afternoon of the third Friday each month. For info, visit the website at http://www.andygriffithmuseum.org or call (336) 786-1604.

Rodney Dillard
* July 9: Maggie Peterson and Rodney & Beverly Dillard are special guests and performers for the 11th Annual Mayberry Squad Car Nationals and 7th Annual “Mayberry Comes to Graysville” Festival in Graysville, Ala. (northwest of Birmingham). The event also features many Mayberry tribute artists.
There’s a Mayberry-style parade (including the guest stars) down Main Street at 10 a.m., the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals (with Mayberry Squad Car replicas racing on an obstacle course) around Noon on the ballfield at the Community Center, and then trivia and other contests and vendors throughout the afternoon, followed by a barbecue dinner 6 p.m.and the evening concert with Maggie, Rodney & Beverly and the Mayberry tribute artists at the Community Center.
The parade, Mayberry Squad Car Nationals and the afternoon events are free. A ticket for the Dinner and Evening Concert is $20

* July 10: Rodney and Beverly Dillard present their Mayberry Values program at Graysville United Methodist Church in Graysville, Ala. at 11:00 a.m.

* July 11: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride perform in the Kimberling City Summer Bluegrass Concert Series, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., outside at the Kimberling City Shopping Mall. (Bring your own lawn chair.)

* July 15: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10).

* July 23: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride perform in the Kimberling City Summer Bluegrass Concert Series from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. outside at the Kimberling City Shopping Mall. (Bring your own lawn chair.)

* Aug. 5: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning is a shoe-in at the Bristol White Sox game in Bristol, Va.

* Aug. 6 and 23: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride perform in the Kimberling City Summer Bluegrass Concert Series, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. outside at the Kimberling City Shopping Mall. (Bring your own chair.)

* Aug. 7: Maggie Peterson and Rodney Dillard and The Dillard Band are joined by David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning for an inspirational morning at the Fountain of Life Church at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tenn.   The service is from 10:30 a.m. to Noon and is open to all. For more info, call (423) 461-4855.
* Aug. 8: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning shines at the Princeton (W.V.) Rays baseball game.

* Aug. 12: Mayberry Country Boy LeRoy “Mack” McNees performs three concerts in conjunction with the New Day Community Church in Boulder, Colo. Details TBA.

* Aug. 12 and 13: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning is on guard for the National Antique Auto Club of America’s Southeastern Fall Car Show in Bristol, Va./Tenn.

* Aug. 13 and 14: James Best appears at the Hazzard Homecoming in Sperryville, Va., with fellow “Dukes of Hazzard” stars. For more info, visit http://www.cootersplace.com/.

Floyd's Barbershop T-Shirt
* Aug. 18: Fans do a doubletake when David Browning patrols the Elizabethton (Tenn.) Twins baseball game.

* Aug. 19: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) greets fans at the Andy Griffith Museum from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. She will have autographed 8×10 photos available ($10).

* Aug. 20 and 21: Maggie Peterson, Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band, and David Browning perform at a Mayberry Moments show at St. John’s Evangelical Protestant Church in Cullman, Ala., on the 20th, and Rodney and Beverly Dillard present their Mayberry Values program at the church on the 21st. Details TBA.

* Aug. 25: David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning is chief of the grandstands for the Danville (Va.) Braves baseball game.

* Aug. 27: Rodney Dillard and Maggie Peterson are joined by several of the Mayberry tribute artists (including David “Mayberry Deputy” Browning, Kenneth “Otis” Junkin, and Jeff “Howard” Branch) for a concert benefiting the Montgomery County DARE program. The evening concert will be at the James H. Garner Center in Troy, N.C. Details TBA. For more info, visit http://www.bluegrassintroy.com/.

* Sept. 3 and 17: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride perform in the Kimberling City Summer Bluegrass Concert Series from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. outside at the Kimberling City Shopping Mall. (Bring your own lawn chair.)

* Sept. 3: David Browning entertains the crowds at Community Family Day in Crossville, Tenn.

* Sept. 5: No day off today to wear the ol’ Salt & Pepper for David Browning as he patrols the Labor Day celebration in Saltville, Va.

* Sept. 9 and 10: David Browning stakes out the Tom Johnson Camping Center’s Fall Barbecue in Marion, N.C.

* Sept. 12-14: The Doug Dillard Band and also Rodney Dillard and The Dillard Band are featured at the all-star 100th Birthday Celebration of Bill Monroe in Owensboro, Ky. For info, call 270-926-7891 or visit http://www.bluegrassmuseum.org/general/CentennialCelebration.php#schedule.

* Sept. 20-22: Life Lessons From Mayberry: It’s All There in Black and White in Ridgecrest, N.C. (outside Asheville), is a celebration of “The Andy Griffith Show” and the biblical truths and life applications found in the show. The three-day event includes fun-filled Bible study based on some of your favorite episodes, great preaching and worship, bluegrass bands, country cooking, and lodging nestled in the North Carolina mountains. Life Lessons From Mayberry immediately precedes Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, so start a week of Mayberry fun and inspiration here!

* Sept 23: Rodney Dillard and The Dillard Band perform at 8:00 p.m. at the Gram Parsons Annual Guitar Pull and Tribute Festival at Okefenokee Fairgrounds in Waycross, Ga. Festival tickets are $35.00. For more info, call (912) 288-3712.

* Sept. 22-25: 22nd Annual Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, N.C. Shows already confirmed include two concerts by The Doug Dillard Band, a new one-man show with Ronnie Schell (two “Andy Griffith” episodes and Duke Slater on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”), “An Afternoon with James Best,” “Tied Up in Knotts” starring Karen Knotts, Memories of Elvis with Michael Hoover, the “Salute to Mayberry” with the VW Boys, Professor Brower’s Lecture with Neal Brower (featuring “Andy Griffith Show” assistant director/future Emmy-winning director Bruce Bilson, who’ll be attending his first Mayberry Days), the Mayberry Days Golf Tournament and Banquet, and Colonel Tim’s Talent Time.
Other confirmed Mayberry stars so far include Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), Maggie Peterson (Charlene Darling), Elizabeth MacRae (one “Andy Griffith” episode and Lou Ann Poovie on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.), LeRoy McNees (of Mayberry’s Country Boys), and Margaret Kerry (Bess Muggins and Helen Scobey). For info and tickets, go to http://www.mayberrydays.org. More stars and events TBA.

* Sept. 24: George Lindsey is being inducted into the University of North Alabama Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony on campus in Florence, Ala. Details TBA.

* Oct. 1: Dean Webb and Missouri Boatride close out the 2011 Kimberling City Summer Bluegrass Concert Series from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. outside at the Kimberling City Shopping Mall. (Bring that chair one last time!)

* Oct. 7-9: Darling Boy Dean Webb and his Missouri Boatride band perform at the Wooley Creek Bluegrass Festival in Cape Fair, Mo.

* Nov. 6: Rodney Dillard and The Dillard Band perform at 3:00 p.m. at the Sheldon Theater in St. Louis, Mo. Tickets are $20 to $25. For more info, call (314) 533-9900.

* Nov 12-17: A Cruise to Mayberry 6: A 5-day Western Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. Leaving from Tampa, Fla., with ports-of-call in Cozumel and Costa Maya, and 2 days at sea. For more details, contact Sharon at All About Cruises by phone (10 a.m.-5 p.m. ET) at 1-800-832-7993. For more details, visit the Mayberry Cruise section of the All About Cruises web site. (Note: You must have booked through All About Cruises and be part of the “Mayberry Cruise” in order to attend Mayberry portions of the cruise.)

**** News of Cast & Crew ****

Andy Griffith is enjoying a quiet summer at home on the coast of North Carolina.

Ron Howard is still working the kinks out of the complex and massive multi-format productions he plans for Stephen King’s Dark Towers. The latest word is that Ron still wants to direct at least some of the installments.
Ron and Imagine Entainment partner Brian Grazer are also working with “Amazing Race” producers on a movie-inspired reality competition show called “The Great Escape” for TNT. Imagine is also working on a film version of MAD Magazine’s Spy v. Spy comic strip, and Ron is producer of J. Edgar, a film about J. Edgar Hoover, and is executive producer of the much-anticipated Arrested Development movie, which likely will include Ron as the narrator.
Ron also is mulling the possibility of directing Rush, a film about Formula One racing and a version of Frankenstein from Igor’s point of view. Meanwhile, Cowboys and Aliens, the film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde that was produced by Ron with Brian Grazer (with executive producer Steven Spielberg) comes to theaters July 29.


Jim Nabors greets the crowd at the 100th Indy 500 in May. He continued his decades-long tradition of singing “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Photo: http://photos.indystar.com

In late May, George Lindsey participated in a “Hee Haw” reunion with a couple of dozen of his former cast mates. The special is scheduled to be released on DVD by Time Life in the next few months. George also continues to get stronger every day after his emergency appendectomy a few months ago.


George Lindsey shares a laugh and grin (and a knee) with Victoria Hall Traver (in yellow) and Lulu Roman and Larry Gatlin (seated to George’s left) during a May taping of a “Hee Haw” reunion show.

Maggie Peterson was a featured speaker for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, Mo., in late April. She was also in Alabama in May for a couple of appearances. And see the event calendar above for some of Maggie’s other upcoming appearances, including some with Mayberry brother Rodney Dillard.

Doug Dillard is still recuperating well from his collapsed lunch back in February, and wife Vikki is on the mend from recent major surgery as well. (Maybe they’ve done the right Darlings “incant” for their various ailments to help with their healing.)

Margaret Kerry (two TAGS episodes) has just come back from an appearance at a Disneyana event in Dayton, Ohio. And she’ll be in British Columbia for another one in August. She also hard at work on her autobiography and hopes to have it done in time for for her appearance at Mayberry Days in September.

James Best and Rick Hurst on location for Return of the Killer Shrews.
James Best and Rick Hurst on location for Return of the Killer Shrews.

James Best has just wrapped principal filming in California of Return of the Killer Shrews, a sequel to Attack of the Killer Shrews, the cult classic in which he starred in the 1950s. The film stars John Schneider and also features fellow “Dukes of Hazzard” actor Rick Hurst, as well as Jennifer Lyons, Bruce Davison, Patty Browning and David Browning (not as the “Mayberry Deputy” this time).
James is shrewdly both producing and acting in Shrews this time around. To stay current on the latest Shrews news (including sneak peeks from the set, visit www.killershrewsmovie.com. Be very afraid!

****
There’s no graceful way to make the transition from discussing Killer Shrews to the following sad update, except to say that the kooky fun of Killer Shrews is something Barbara Stuart surely would have enjoyed.
It is with tremendous sadness that we report that Barbara passed away on May 15. She lived in Utah the last few months of her life in order to be near family members who live there.
Though remembered in Mayberry as bank robber Pat Blake in “TV or Not TV” (Episode 150) and probably even more so as Miss Bunny, Sgt. Carter’s girlfriend on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”, Barbara had a long and varied career of memorable roles.
Some favorites included playing an hilarious scene as Robert Stack’s wife in Airplane! and most recently the recurring role of Alice in the acclaimed Showtime series “Huff.” A testimony to her range as an actor, she also worked in Hellfighters with John Wayne and in Bachelor Party with Tom Hanks.  Beginning in the mid-1950s, Barbara’s 50-year film career spanned an amazing cross-section of top dramas and comedies. Most of her work was in TV.
Barbara was born on January 3, 1930, in Paris, Illinois. By her mid-20s, she was well on her way with a solid career in Hollywood. Her characters were often feisty and never failed to please. In roles big and small, her performances always had great energy and spirit.
Barbara was just as full of energy and fun in her personal appearances, including many Mayberry reunions and other gatherings over the years. She was always game for doing improvised sketches with friends and fellow “Gomer Pyle” stars Ronnie Schell and Elizabeth MacRae. The sketches were a huge hit with audiences.

HAPPY DAY–Barbara Stuart is flanked by Ronnie Schell and Jim Nabors as they pose with fellow “Gomer Pyle” cast member Elizabeth MacRae and Maggie Peterson during Jim’s induction into the Alabama Stage & Screen Hall of Fame in Tuscaloosa in 2006. Photo: TAGSRWC Archives

 

Barbara’s great friend Jackie Joseph (Mayberry’s Ramona Ankrum) shared these thoughts about Barbara in a recent column she wrote for the Tolucan Times:

With sadness I need to talk about the passing of Barbara Stuart, who lived in our community for many decades. Always beautiful, always funny and always working, Barbara will be remembered, by those who knew and loved he as a loyal friend, a generous giver of her home and her heart, and a beautiful actress. As Bunny in “Gomer Pyle,” she was deeply adored by the Mayberry fans. Give her a Google and see how Barbara Stuart entertained you in so many diverse ways.

We were strippers together in 1964 in a memorable “Dick Van Dyke Show” called “Dear Mrs. Petrie, Your Husband Is in Jail.” She was called Maureen Core, dressed in short military glitz, with a small working canon. I was her partner, Alberta Schweitzer, wearing a leotard and a long-veiled pith helmet. We both ended up in the clink along with Dick. So much fun! We were neighbors, friends and colleagues. And I need to offer a warm recognition to Barbara Stuart’s best pal, the exceptional Ruta Lee. When the chips were down, Ruta was a great example of what a good friend really is. Brava. A standing “O” for all concerned.

Editor’s note: Jackie’s column appears regularly in The Tolucan Times. Check it out. It’s always great reading.
And here’s a link to the obituary for Barbara that ran in Variety. And a link to another: Tribute in the Canyon News. (The latter has a few minor facts wrong, but overall is an insightful and positive remembrance of Barbara.)

**** Chapter Update ****

We’re pleased to welcome seven new chapters since our last eBullet:

Chapter City, State
Hometown Fife Morgantown, W.V.
Blackie Liberty Hill, Tex.

We now have had 1,375 chapters founded since TAGSRWC started in 1979. If you’re interested in starting a chapter of TAGSRWC, all you need to do is choose a name that hasn’t already been picked, and submit it with a list of your founding members to TAGSRWC’s HQ in Nashville (see addresses below). The hardest part is simply finding a name that hasn’t already been chosen. There’s a searchable list of chapter names at www.tagsrwc.com.
Once you successfully choose a name that’s “all yours and nobody else’s,” you’ll receive your Official Chapter Charter, fancily inscribed (and “suitable for framing”) by Sherry Hyatt, one of our “Compelsion Nuts” in East Tennessee.
What you do as a chapter is entirely up to you. Your group can do as much or as little as you like. The idea is simply to have lots of Mayberry fun with whatever you do.
Or if you’re feeling more like a joiner than a starter, you can write to us about how to contact a chapter near you. Our mailing address is TAGSRWC, 9 Music Square South, PMB 146, Nashville TN 37203-3211. Our e-mail address is Goober@iMayberry.com.
Or you can join our online “Who’s Been Messin’ Up the Bulletin Board?” chapter. (It’s really quick and easy to do. Info is at tagsrwc.com.)
Either way, we hope you can enjoy the fun of being part of a TAGSRWC chapter!

**** Merchandise Update ****

Ben has some hot summer deals to tell us about!

We have several Fundraisers for Charities, including one for the Japan Disaster, going on right now at Weaver’s. The tornadoes and floods and fires have been coming so fast across the United States this year that, instead of targeted fundraisers for each one, we’ve just been donating proceeds from Weaver’s directly to the American Red Cross, Mobile Medical Disaster Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, etc. We are, however, working on a special fundraiser of prime Mayberry memorabilia designated for tornado victims in Joplin. We expect to have that in place by our next issue. As soon as all the pieces are in place in the next few weeks, we’ll also have info about it up on www.imayberry.com, www.weaversdepartmentstore.com and on http://www.facebook.com/tagsrwc.
Ol’ Ben Weaver has really loaded up his shelves for summer. And in honor of Andy Griffith’s birthday month (June 1) and Don Knotts’ birthday month (July 21), we’ve got bunches of items on sale–even more than usual, including most of the Fine Art prints in our Art Gallery section. And the summer heat and the cicadas (even worse than those ring-g-g-ing doorbells!) must be getting to Ben’s star employee, Bert Miller, because Bert’s gone around and put lower prices on items everywhere, especially the DVDs section.

The Incredible Mr. Don Knotts

And the Incredible Mr. Don Knotts book is at an equally incredible price! It makes for specially timely and poignant reading for Don’s birthday month (July 21).
All New Box Set of All Eight Seasons of The Andy Griffith Show on DVD
Complete Series (with pilot and movie)
Box Set now 30% off original list price
online at Weaver’s!!!

In addition to some brand new items, we’ve also recently restocked several out-of-production and otherwise rare items that we haven’t carried for a while, sometimes even for years. We have only a small handful of some of these items (as few as just one or two), so browse our online shelves soon! Here are some merchandise highlights:

 

The Grascals--Dance 'Til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin'

New CD Just Has Arrived!
Dance ‘Til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin’
$6.00

This exciting new Mayberry-inspired bluegrass CD from the mega-award-winning Grascals features 7 tunes, including 5 from TAGS–“Dooley,” “Boil Them Cabbage Down,” “Ol’ Joe Clark,” “Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”–plus the “Mayberry’s Finest Theme” and a song written just for this CD, “Boy, Giraffes Are Selfish.”
You can tell The Grascals are not only world-class musicians and performers, but also true Mayberry fans. This CD is truly a hoot! And great music to boot.
And here’s a video of The Grascals’ Birthday Salute to Andy Griffith.

 

Attaboy Don Knotts Comic Legends/Tied up with Laughter DVD
$15.00
Available Now!

Attaboy Don Knotts Comic Legends/Tied up with Laughter DVD

Beyond Mayberry’s beloved Barney Fife, this Don Knotts: Tied up with Laughter! DVD shows Don in a series of wonderful, hilarious stand-up routines and skits in rare performances from the 1960s and ’70s.
In this special hour-long comedy collection released just this spring, Don is joined by singer-actress Joey Heatherton, actress Jane Powell, former Dallas Cowboys player Lance Rentzel, comic (and Mayberry deputy) Jack Burns, Don’s Love God movie co-star Maureen Arthur (also wife of “Andy Griffith Show” producer Aaron Ruben), and the legendary Jimmy Durante.
Bonus material includes Don with Lucille Ball and an early look at Don’s comedy career and some “never before seen” special features.
This DVD is sure to be a great treat for all fans of our favorite deputy-one of the true, cherished comedy legends of our time…and of all time. And at a great price.

Cool Mayberry Caps for Hip Mayberry Cats

Embroidered Show Logo and Security by Fife Caps
Embroidered Show Logo and Security by Fife Caps

$17.00

These officially licensed, cool canvas hats (in Mayberry Sheriff Dept. tan!) are finely embroidered with a choice of the official “Andy Griffith Show” logo or Security by Fife. Adjustable for just the right fit for any occasion.

Goober Beanie
The Goober Beanie is Back!
$9.00

This genuine Goober-Style Beanie Hat Fashioned from brown felt has the look any Goober will love. Best of all, you get to cut your own holes in the top, just as Goober himself would do. Get your beanie, baby, and say “Yo!” One size fits most.

The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary--The Best of Mayberry DVD

The Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary–The Best of Mayberry” DVD
$25.00

$22.00

This is a really exciting item that was released at the end of last year. It’s an item that we had long been hoping for. In addition to a bunch of the very best episodes, this 3-disc set includes uncut versions of the “Danny Thomas” pilot for “The Andy Griffith Show” and the 1986 Return to Mayberry movie. And all at a phenomenally low price, even before Ben Weaver’s additional discount. Here are some of the highlights of what’s on it:

* 17 Favorite Episodes:

“Christmas Story”
“The Pickle Story”
“Barney and the Choir”
“Mr. McBeevee”
“Convicts-at-Large”
“Man in a Hurry”
“Class Reunion”
“The Darlings Are Coming”
“Barney’s First Car”
“Dogs, Dogs, Dogs”
“Mountain Wedding”
“Opie the Birdman”
“The Sermon for Today”
“Citizen’s Arrest”
“Fun Girls”
“Barney’s Sidecar”
“Goober and the Art of Love”

* “Danny Meets Andy Griffith” (the “Danny Thomas” pilot for TAGS)
* Clips from Season Premiere nights for the 1962-63 and 1963-64 seasons
* The 1986 Return to Mayberry reunion movie
* Original sponsor commercials featuring cast members

This collection is chockfull of great Mayberry moments. And the price makes for a truly unbeatable combination of quantity, quality and value. We think it’s a dream come true for Mayberry fans everywhere.

I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry CD by Rodney Dillard
I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry CD
by Rodney Dillard $16.00

This CD, released in Fall 2010, features Rodney Dillard singing lots of favorite Darlings tunes from “The Andy Griffith Show,” along with other popular Dillards tunes and some later songs about the Darlings. These are some classic bluegrass and Mayberry songs for any fan of, well, bluegrass and Mayberry.
Features 19 tracks and some bonus material. Ol’ Ben Weaver knows a toe-tappin’ good deal when he sees one!

TRACKS:

1. MAYBERRY MOMENT
2. THE DARLIN’ BOYS
3. THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
4. THERE IS A TIME
5. WICKER ROCKING CHAIR
6. DOOLEY
7. DOUG’S TUNE (Instrumental)
8. SALTY DOG
9. EBO WALKER
10. THE MAYBERRY HAT
11. BANJO IN THE HOLLOW (Instrumental)
12. LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS
13. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
14. WET SHOES IN THE SUNSET SUITE
15. LEAKY BOAT
16. G-MAN BARNEY
17. PICTURES
18. GOOBER AND ROY
19. PARENTING

Bonus Material: A Tribute to Mayberry Values
From the archives of the popular radio show “Mayberry Minute,” hosted by Rodney. The radio show ran nationally for three years as Rodney took a look back at “Andy Griffith Show” episodes and the life lessons they taught.

Limited Edition “The Andy Griffith Show”
50th Anniversary Portrait

$60.00
$30.00

Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Lithograph

This beautiful print has been hugely popular in the year since it was issued. It’s sure to be a cherished lifetime keepsake marking this special time in the history of TAGS. But more than a keepsake, it’s a superb work of art whose many smiling faces will bring an instant grin to the face of everyone who sees it.
Printed with premium inks on archival paper, this outstanding 12 in. x 16 in. collage pencil portrait is signed and numbered by talented Wilmington (N.C.) artist George Murray and officially licensed by CBS Consumer Products.
The suggested gallery price for this commemorative print is $60, but we’ve got it for just $30. That’s right…half off! (That summer heat really is getting to ol’ Ben Weaver. He’s going totally soft on us.) We have only a handful left of this limited edition print. Get yours while you can.

And More…

Complete Season 6 of Matlock on DVD We’ve got the first six seasons of “Matlock” (the Sixth Season was released in January) along with all seasons of TAGS (including a Box Set with all eight seasons, the “Danny Thomas” pilot and the Return to Mayberry movie) and all five seasons of “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” Box Set of All 5 Seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on DVDAnd we have a nice assortment of some of the best movies starring Andy Griffith and Don Knotts. They’re in the DVDs Section at Weaver’s.

Also, be sure to check out our Collectibles & Special Items at Weaver’s. There are some unique and rare items there that could make really special gifts or additions to your own collection. And we have a wide assortment of great licensed Mayberry products in the Cool Gifts section and throughout the Weaver’s shopping area at imayberry.com.

**** Phone Orders ****

In addition to accepting orders online or by mail, our Weaver’s Dept. Store has a phone number FOR ORDERS ONLY (615) 604-1298. The phone number is generally in operation from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday. (They sneak out to go fishin’ for carp and pike a lot, so if you miss them during business hours, just leave a message with a number where they can call you back.)
Please call this number only for ordering or for inquiring about orders placed by phone. All inquiries about online orders and mail orders should be made online or by mail.

**** Chapter News ****

Chapters and members at large have been busy attending and organizing a full slate of Mayberry events this spring and summer. Several TAGS cast members have been making personal appearances and doing performances, and fans have been flocking to see them.
The biggest upcoming TAGSRWC-supported event coming up (besides Mayberry Days, the granddady of them all, in Mount Airy in September) is the Mayberry Squad Car Nationals/Mayberry Comes to Graysville on July 9 in Graysville, Ala. (See Floyd’s bulletin board above for details.) The event is spearheaded by the “Hearty-Eatin’ Men and Beautiful Delicate Women” chapter (Tuscaloosa) and hosted by Mayberry Minutemen (Graysville). Fans and Mayberry squad car replics from about 10 states usually turn out for the annual event. With Maggie Peterson and Rodney Dillard both there this year, it’s sure to be another high-octane day. Y’all come!

Members of Barney chapter (Greensboro, N.C.) gathered in May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Phase II expansion when members of Neal Brower’s TAGS class joined forces with founders Nancy and Blake Clark. Photo courtesy of Phyllis Rollins.


**** Mayberry on the Web ****

Two Chairs, No Waiting Internet Radio Show http://www.iMayberry.com/podcasts is TAGSRWC’s weekly podcast hosted by Allan Newsome, our webmaster.

Two Chairs, No Waiting has TAGS news, interviews and pretty much whatever happens to be going on in and around Mayberry. There’s a new episode every Tuesday and also an Archives in case you want to listen to episodes you’ve missed. (There are about a dozen dozen episodes so far!) We think you’ll find these podcasts creative, fun and informative. There’s a lot of info and discussions that you simply won’t find anywhere else, including rare interviews (vintage and new) with cast and crew members of TAGS.
If you’ve got sound on your computer or have an iPod or similar device, you can easily tune in or download these podcasts.
And there’s also a Brother Figure podcast to Two Chairs, No Waiting. It’s hosted by longtime TAGSRWC member Kevin Burke, who does a great job of describing and discussing individual episodes. It’s called Burke on Mayberry. Check it out.

TAGSRWC’s official page on Facebook now has more than 7,000 friends. You can find at www.facebook.com/tagsrwc. There’s a variety of comments about Mayberry, and a lively stream of fans’ favorite TAGS lines. And our Facebook page is also one of the first places we post announcements and breaking news about TAGS. If you haven’t already dropped by the page, we hope you’ll check it out sometime when you have the chance.

**** Miss Crump’s Mayberry Quiz ****

Why does Miss Crump look so happy? Well, Maybe it’s because she has decided not to have a trivia quiz this issue. You know what that means…no papers to grade! When will she return with a new quiz? We don’t know. She looks awful happy. (Don’t say “awful happy,” Opie! Just say happy.) Maybe she’ll have a tune-up quiz before the Mayberry Days Trivia Quiz (the Super Bowl of Mayberry Trivia) in Mount Airy in September.

Maybe. But we won’t be holding our breath waiting for her to come back with a quiz. (And star pupil Dennis Beal…don’t go throwin’ a tantrum if she doesn’t!)

AND SPEAKING OF “TRIVIAL TRIVIALITIES”…
“Trained noticers” have likely noted that our website addresses in recent issues now say imayberry.com instead of just mayberry.com. Both versions still work for getting to various areas with TAGSRWC’s content on the web, but imayberry.com is the one that we’re going to be primarily promoting from now on. To make sure you can always find us, remember the saying, “E before N in Chicken and i before Mayberry in www.imayberry.com.” (i always forget that rule, but not anymore!)

**** Post Note ****

If you ever miss receiving an issue of The eBullet, you can always catch up by reading it in the eBullet Archives in the Newsletters section at iMayberry.com. Each issue is usually placed in the Archives within about a week of its being distributed to subscribers.
Between issues of The eBullet, keep up with the goings-on 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.
And TAGSRWC publishes Weaver’s Newsletter in more-or-less alternate months to The eBullet. Like The eBullet, the Weaver’s Newsletter is free. Its focus is mainly on new Mayberry merchandise and collectibles and quick newsflashes. To sign up, go to: Weaver’s Newsletter Sign-Up
TAGSRWC’s other main vehicle for Mayberry information is simply our web site at www.tagsrwc.com (and its sister site www.iMayberry.com). Both sites have extensive content and links for just about everything a Mayberry fan might be looking for.
The next issue of The eBullet is scheduled for mid-September, with the next Weaver’s Newsletter planned for August. 10-4 and out for now!