Building Momentum
Twenty Mayberry Days. Haven’t
they gone by in a blink!
Can 2009 really be the 20th
Mayberry Days? It just doesn’t seem
possible. It seems like just yesterday
that the idea for the festival was
hatched.
In 1990, a cast reunion was being
held down the road in Charlotte to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of
“The Andy Griffith Show.” The
Surry Arts Council thought it would
be nice if Andy’s hometown had
some activities to round out the
weekend for local fans and those
traveling from all over the country to
North Carolina.
The Doug Dillard Band was the
featured act for that first Mayberry
By Jim Clark
Days. Let me rephrase that. The
“Head Goober”
Doug Dillard Band was the act.
Doug’s performances have continued
to be the centerpiece of Mayberry Days ever since. Doug hasn’t
missed one yet.
Each year more of Doug’s fellow “Andy Griffith Show” cast and
crew members have joined him. At first, there were just one or two
others, but over the years, the festival has grown to where it now
routinely hosts around 10 stars and their family members. (This
year Karen Knotts, daughter of Don Knotts, makes her Mayberry
Days debut.) How big can the lineup get? Well, in 2004 Cindi
and Andy Griffith were on hand for the dedication of the TV Land
for
Mayberry
Landmark statue during Mayberry Days. Aw, big wasn’t the
word for it!
But as much as the big stars, it’s the little moments of
Mayberry Days that make the festival special. It’s the aroma of a
pork chop grilling at the Snappy Lunch and mixing with the whiff
of witch hazel next door as Russell Hiatt finishes up a haircut at
Floyd’s City Barbershop.
Mayberry Days is special because of the chance conversation
you might strike up while sharing a bench with a stranger, as you
both sip sodas and watch passersby. Many a friendship has been
born just like that. And just as likely, friendships are forged in the
heat of competition of the Mayberry Days horseshoe pitching or
trivia contests.
Discovering new friendships and renewing old ones are at the
heart of Mayberry Days. The shared love of “The Andy Griffith
Show” is a powerful common interest that can form tight bonds.
Of course, with the passage of so many years, the natural ebbs
and flows of life have touched Mayberry Days and all of us who
attend. Various circumstances cause folks not to be able to attend
some years.
Some of our friends might miss several years, only to bring
smiles to many faces when they’re able to return. The thrilling
return of the legendary “Schwumpsters” is a recent instance of
good friends coming back after an absence of several years.
And each year there are inevitably some great friends who have
passed away. Each of us likely has friends or family members
we’ve lost that we think about especially during Mayberry Days.
Some of the friends we’ve lost since this time last year that I’ll
be thinking about especially this year are L.P. Venable (owner
of the Mayberry Motor Inn, where pretty much exactly the same
group of folks has stayed for every Mayberry Days), big-hearted
and
Beyond
Mayberry author David Fernandes and Ruth Spencer, a wonderful
lady, who, among her many kindnesses and talents, lovingly sewed
felt Goober beanies for fans.
With the missing faces each year also come new faces in the
crowd and new friendships. And this year there’s also a new
building! The new Andy Griffith Museum will officially open
during Mayberry Days.
The museum, nestled adjacent to the Andy Griffith Playhouse
and the TV Land Landmark statue, is shaping up as an outstanding
home for Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith and
“Andy Griffith Show” memorabilia. And with the building come
the bonuses of areas devoted to old-time music and Mount Airy’s
famous Siamese Twins.
Emmett’s collection of Andy Griffith items is the world’s finest
and is still growing. Even in its temporary homes of the last few
years, the collection has been a tremendous magnet for tourists and
fans. The collection will now have space to expand into full bloom.
The new building and its dazzling exhibit areas, new display
cases, multi-media flourishes, and other interior enhancements,
most of which will be added in the next phase of the museum’s
development, are sure to make the impressive collection all the more
appealing to visitors flocking to Mount Airy from around the country
and the world.
By the time we celebrate both the 20th Anniversary of Mayberry
Days and the 50th Anniversary of “The Andy Griffith Show” in the
fall of 2010, Mount Airy and Surry County will be more prepared
than ever to give visitors a fantastically fulfilling experience for
Mayberry Days—and every day—for many years to come.
Thank you, Andy Griffith, Emmett Forrest, and Mount Airy for
producing, sharing, and building so much for us to enjoy!
Siamese Twins Exhibit ~ Downstairs Andy Griffith Playhouse
WORLD FAMOUS SIAMESE TWINS “ENG AND CHANG BUNKER”
May 11, 1811
Birth in Siam to Nok and Ti Eye, ¼ Siamese and ¾ Chinese origin
1819
Twins father and many other family members die of cholera
December 18, 1822 Birth of Sarah Yates to Nancy and David Hayes Yates
October 11, 1823 Birth of Adelaide Yates to Nancy and David Hayes Yates
1824
Robert Hunter visits twins in their village in Siam
1825
Twins visit the King of Siam (King Rama III)
1827
Twins sent on goodwill trip abroad
1828
Captain Abel Coffin visits Siam and meets Twins
April 1, 1829
With King’s permission, Twins leave Siam with Hunter and Coffin
August 29, 1829 Twins arrive in Boston, hire James Hale, visit New York and Philadelphia
October, 1829
Twins depart New York for Great Britain with Hale, Captain and Mrs. Coffin
November, 1829 Twins arrive in England, begin 14 month tour and medical exams
January, 1831
Depart England for New York, Hunter sells his interest
March, 1831
Twins arrive in New York, Coffin turns over business to his wife
1831-1832
Tour Eastern US, Charles Harris replaces Hale
June, 1832
Twins become independent and begin touring
1839
Twins vacation in Wilkesboro, buy land
October, 1839
Twins apply for American citizenship, become farmers
June, 1840
Twins complete home in Trap Hill, NC, begin using name Bunker
April 13, 1843
Married, Age 31
1845
Establish home in Mount Airy so children can be near a school
1857
Divide farm, build second home for Chang’s family, Begin 3 days at each home
1860-1868
Spend brief periods with PT Barnum
1868
Mark Twain’s essay on Siamese Twins is published
July, 1870
Chang has stroke during return trip from Liverpool
January 17, 1874 Death of Eng and Chang
April 29, 1892
Death of Sarah/Sallie (not buried with twins)
May 21, 1917
Death of Adelaide, age 94, Twins bodies moved to White Plains Baptist
Church, Adelaide buried with twins
January 25, 1951 Death of Robert Bunker, last living child of twins (Eng)
1956
Eng Bunker home destroyed by fire
Page 6
Children of Adelaide and Chang Bunker (10)
Josephine Virginia Bunker
02-16-1844
Christopher Wrenn Bunker 04-8-1845
Nancy Adelaide Bunker
06-05-1847
Susan Marianna Bunker
10-07-1849
Victoria Bunker
05-21-1851
Louise Emeline Bunker
04-13-1855
Albert Lemuel Bunker
04-22-1857
Jesse Lafayette Bunker
04-07-1861
Margaret Elizabeth Bunker 10-06-1864
Hattie Irene Bunker
09-12-1868
Children of Sarah and Eng Bunker (12)
Katherine Marcellus Bunker 02-10-1844
Julia Ann Bunker
03-31-1845
Stephen Decatur Bunker
04-12-1846
James Montgomery Bunker 12-15-1848
Patrick Henry Bunker
05-07-1850
Columbus Bunker Died in November, 1850;
Birth date uncertain
Rosalyn Etta Bunker
01-27-1852
William Oliver Bunker
01-31-1855
Fredrick Marshall Bunker
02-01-1857
Roselle Virginia Bunker
06-01-1859
Georgianna Columbia Bunker 05-09-1863
Robert Edman Bunker
04-17-1865
The Siamese Twins Exhibit is open daily from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. downstairs at the
Andy Griffith Playhouse. The exhibit features items on loan from descendants as well as
items on permanent loan from the UNC-Global Center.
Guided tours and talks are available for groups by reservation.
www.surryarts.org