This past weekend, we had the chance to take my mom and dad to Mount Airy, NC. Mount Airy is the hometown of Andy Griffith. It is the basis for the fictional town of Mayberry. We had a great time as we visited the various shops around town. We even took a long walk, instead of driving to a mock-up of the old courhouse from the television show. It looks like they caught me in jail! You can see my son the sheriff in the next picture.
One of the things that surprised me was how much Mt. Airy has grown since the last time we were here in 1994. We visited here as part of an eight day/eight state youth choir tour (that’s a story for another day.) I remember being there on a Saturday morning before and the place was practically deserted.
Since moving here to Virginia, we have gotten reaquainted with this classic television series. It’s amazing that after all these years, The Andy Griffith show is still popular. Our teen Sunday School class even had a bible study a few months back based on the show. Perhaps people still long for the a bit of the “good old days.” People are longing for “small-town values.” When was the last time you heard someone say, “Wow! I like his big city values.” No, people desire a place where people are real and authentic. They desire a place of real community. Perhaps this is the fasination with Mayberry. People identify with the values they find there.
