This past weekend, from Thursday, September 27 to Sunday, September 30, the 23rd annual Mayberry Days celebration was held in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and was the first one since Andy Griffith passed away on July 6 of this year.
As many as 30,000 people attended the event from around the country, and as close by as Raleigh, to enjoy the festivities, food, and the many events. The Surry Arts Council and the City of Mount Airy, which are sponsors of the celebration, no doubt used flyer printing and printing to make Andy Griffith fans aware of the event, so they could attend the special celebration.
One of the featured speakers at the event was Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor in the series from the age of 6 - 14 and is now an Academy Award-winning film director. His remarks were part of a tribute to Andy Griffith, who he accredited with having a major impact on his life and his approach to work. According to Howard, Griffith was able to combine a hard work ethic with creativity and he demonstrated how much enjoyment could be derived from doing a show that he loved.
Howard added that Griffith’s collaborative efforts, even when he was only six years old, helped him with his career as a director. Griffith allowed him to participate in the making of the show and allowed him to learn about originality, discipline and inspiration that could help to create the moments and scenes which can make a show memorable
