Mayberry R.I.P.

We've been off the eccentric blog highway for some time now...metaphorically broken down on the side of the road, you might say, but hoping to get back behind the wheel soon. During this time, we were sad to hear of the passing of the namesake of a great attraction we visited back in 2012. Mount Airy, North Carolina barber Russell Hiatt, known as the real-life inspiration for the Floyd the barber character on "The Andy Griffith Show," passed away at age 92 on May 3. Here's a rerun of the post we did about his place:

 The great Howard McNear as Floyd the barber on "The Andy Griffith Show"

 Russell Hiatt, the real Floyd

 Floyd's City Barber Shop is on Main Street in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the real Mayberry.

  Russell and his most famous customer

 Russell is a barber showing photographs of every head he's had the pleasure to know.

That long-haired fellow looks like he could use a trim.

Russell Hiatt has been a barber for over 60 years in Mount Airy, North Carolina and he used to cut the hair of Mount Airy's most famous resident, Andy Griffith. Mount Airy's small town charm became the inspiration for Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s and the easy-going, often-befuddled town barber on the show was named Floyd, with the great eccentric actor Howard McNear playing the part. "The Andy Griffith Show" became one of the all-time classic TV sitcoms and McNear's portrayal of Floyd is a real one-of-a-kind, with his rapid-fire delivery in the early seasons, and then his slow, somewhat bizarre line-readings in later episodes (McNear had a stroke during the run of the show that altered his performance but not his ability to be really funny). Mount Airy takes great pride in being put on the map by Andy and Floyd's City Barber Shop is still in business on Main Street, with Mr. Hiatt and his staff giving haircuts (still for $8 reads the sign in the window). Unlike the one-chair Floyd's on the show, it's a two-chair shop, packed with mementos and plastered with photographs of Floyd's satisfied customers and visitors on the walls. I had just had my hair cut back home so I didn't get the once-over, but I did step inside for a moment to gawk like a tourist, which they're used to there. And Mr. Hiatt was sitting in one of the barber chairs, engrossed in his newspaper, just like the TV Floyd. It's great to see a small town business still thriving, even if it is due to pop culture. After all, as the TV Floyd would say, "you hate to see anyone fall into the hands of a strange barber."

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em: The Siamese Twins exhibit of Mt. Airy, North Carolina

 The Chang and Eng Museum is conveniently located next to the Andy Griffith Museum in Mt. Airy.

 The Yates sisters, aka Mrs. and Mrs. Bunker

A musical was performed in 1997 and still tours. In 2000, a novel was written and actor Gary Oldman has acquired the film rights.

Andy and Aunt Bee aren't the only famous folks to reside in Mayberry. Y'all come back now, y'hear?

We've blogged a bit about the friendly little town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith's hometown and the inspiration for Mayberry. What we weren't expecting to see mixed in with Floyd's Barber Shop and Wally's Filling Station is a museum dedicated to Chang and Eng, the Chinese conjoined twin brothers for which the term "Siamese Twins" was coined. It seems the brothers, born in 1811 and joined at the sternum, were "discovered" by a British merchant in 1829 and were paid to travel as a curiosity around the world, eventually going into business for themselves. They settled in the Wilkesboro, North Carolina area in 1839 and were wealthy enough to buy a 110-acre plantation, own slaves and give up touring. Wanting to fit in, they took the last name Bunker (though I'm guessing an American-sounding last name didn't prevent them from still kinda sticking out from the locals) and they married two sisters, Adelaide and Sarah Anne Yates. The couples shared a bed built for four and Chang and his wife had 10 children and Eng and his wife had 11. Boom-chicka-wow-wow. Eventually, the wives had a falling out and two separate households were set up, with the twins, er, splitting their time at each three days a week. The twins died on the same day in 1874. Today their descendants number around 1500 (!) and they had a reunion in 2011 in Mt. Airy to celebrate Chang and Eng's 200th birthday.

It's too bad Andy never used this part of Mt. Airy's history for The Andy Griffith Show. Then again, maybe Gomer and Goober recast as Siamese twins would have been a bit too David Lynch for Mayberry.

Well, gaw-lee! Scenes from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, the real Mayberry

Mr. Emmett Forrest stands next to the statue of his lifelong friend and fellow Mount Airy native Andy Griffith in front of the Andy Griffith Museum.

This wonderful statue of Andy and Opie walking to the fishing hole was commissioned by the TV Land network.

Mr. Forrest has assembled his impressive collection of Andy memorabilia into the Andy Griffith Museum. In it you'll find Andy's sheriff uniform (from Nudie's Rodeo Tailors of Hollywood) and the seersucker jacket he wore on "Matlock", Barney's salt-and-pepper suit, worn on dates with Thelma Lou and cut just right for dancing the dip, Goober's Jughead-style cap, and Otis's rumpled jacket and hat, not to mention tons of scripts, posters and other mementos from Andy's impressive and long career. 

No pictures were allowed inside the museum but I did take advantage of this photo op in the lobby. That's Betty Lynn as Thelma Lou.

Betty Lynn moved to Mt. Airy several years ago and makes frequent appearances around town.

Visitors interested in the full Andy Griffith experience can stay a night or two in the real Andy's childhood house, a modest middle class bungalow on East Haymore Street and now rented out by the Hampton Inn folks.

 Along Main Street, gift shops are bursting with "T.A.G.S." souvenirs...

The Snappy Lunch, in business since 1923, was mentioned by Andy in the "Andy, The Matchmaker" episode. They're known for their pork chop sandwiches.

Mount Airy also has a recreation of Wally's Filling Station, where Gomer and Goober plied their trade. You can take a tour of Mount Airy in an early 60s Ford Galaxy squad car just like the one Andy and Barney used to patrol the mean streets of Mayberry. 

 Old dead-eye Barney keeps watch over the Vera Bradley merchandise.

In 2002, Gov. Mike Easley dedicated 10 miles of US 52 from Interstate 74 to the Virginia state line The Andy Griffith Parkway.

 The faux Mayberry Courthouse

 The oddest souvenir in Mount Airy: Andy, Barney, Opie and Goober dressed up as Kiss

The Andy Griffith Show is such a part of the character of Mount Airy, they put Andy and Opie on the water tower.

The northwestern North Carolina town of Mount Airy was where Andy Griffith grew up and he used it as the inspiration for Mayberry, the fictional locale of his classic 1960s TV series, "The Andy Griffith Show". Even though "T.A.G.S." went off the air in the late 60s, Mount Airy still celebrates their favorite son all over the older downtown area. Mount Airy is actually a pretty big place now, with a Walmart, motels, fast food and a population of over 10,000. But if you head to the old downtown area, you can still get a taste of the small town that Andy loved. And don't that beat everything.

Eccentric parked car of the week

Mount Airy, North Carolina is very proud of being the inspiration for Mayberry, the fictional small southern town on "The Andy Griffith Show". There's a Subway restaurant there with a unique Mayberry-flavored attention-getter out front: a Nash Metropolitan done up like a Mayberry squad car. Any Nash Metro is tops in our book (check this one out), but the Mount Airy one is a real curiosity, as Andy and Barney always patrolled around town in Ford Galaxies, not Metros, and they usually ate at the Bluebird Diner or Snappy Lunch, not Subway. We love it, though, for its retro incongruity and salute Subway for repurposing a true classic. As Andy would say, "You beat everything, you know that?"

Floydian slip: The real Floyd's Barber Shop of Mount Airy, North Carolina

 The great Howard McNear as Floyd the barber on "The Andy Griffith Show"...

 ...or Pink Floyd if you prefer.

 Russell Hiatt, the real Floyd

 Floyd's City Barber Shop is on Main Street in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the real Mayberry.

 Russell and his most famous customer

Russell is a barber showing photographs of every head he's had the pleasure to know.

That long-haired fellow looks like he could use a trim.

Russell Hiatt has been a barber for over 60 years in Mount Airy, North Carolina and he used to cut the hair of Mount Airy's most famous resident, Andy Griffith. Mount Airy's small town charm became the inspiration for Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s and the easy-going, often-befuddled town barber on the show was named Floyd, with the great eccentric actor Howard McNear playing the part. "The Andy Griffith Show" became one of the all-time classic TV sitcoms and McNear's portrayal of Floyd is a real one-of-a-kind, with his rapid-fire delivery in the early seasons, and then his slow, somewhat bizarre line-readings in later episodes (McNear had a stroke during the run of the show that altered his performance but not his ability to be really funny). Mount Airy takes great pride in being put on the map by Andy and Floyd's City Barber Shop is still in business on Main Street, with Mr. Hiatt and his staff giving haircuts (still for $8 reads the sign in the window). Unlike the one-chair Floyd's on the show, it's a two-chair shop, packed with mementos and plastered with photographs of Floyd's satisfied customers and visitors on the walls. I had just had my hair cut back home so I didn't get the once-over, but I did step inside for a moment to gawk like a tourist, which they're used to there. And Mr. Hiatt was sitting in one of the barber chairs, engrossed in his newspaper, just like the TV Floyd. It's great to see a small town business still thriving, even if it is due to pop culture. After all, as the TV Floyd would say, "you hate to see anyone fall into the hands of a strange barber."