Mayberry In The Midwest IIII

July 9-10, 2004 - New Castle, Indiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

"Mayberry in the Midwest III" tickets go on sale this Wednesday, April 14, 2004.

 

New Castle, IN - The Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is proud to  bring "Mayberry in the Midwest III" to New Castle, Indiana the weekend of July 9 and 10, 2004.  Friday, July 9th the City of New Castle presents an "Evening of Mayberry."  This evening event includes a charity auction and dinner with the stars of "The Andy Griffith Show" at the Henry County Arts Park.  The event begins at 6:00pm and tickets are $20 each.  Saturday, July 10th is a "Cast Reunion Show" performed by the stars at 7pm at Bundy Auditorium at a cost of $30 each.  Ticket sales begin Wednesday, April 14th at the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau Office during regular business hours.  The CVB is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm (Eastern Standard Time) and is located at 2020 S. Memorial Dr. (State Road 3), Suite I in the Castle Point Shoppes.  Cash, Visa and Mastercard are acceptable payment.

 

"Mayberry In The Midwest IIII" is a two-day event celebrating the wonderful fun and cherished memories of the loveable "The Andy Griffith Show" (TAGS) characters. The stars of the now world-wide syndicated show, scheduled to appear and perform are George Lindsey (Goober), Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), The Dillards (The Darling Boys), Maggie Peterson (Charlene Darling), and Elinor Donahue (Ellie Walker), all of whom are returning from last year's "Mayberry In The Midwest III."  Joining this year's scheduled to appear cast line up are, Ronnie Schell (Duke Slater from TAGS spin-off "Gomer Pyle USMC"), Keith Thibodeaux (Johnny Paul Jason-Opie's best friend and "Little Ricky" on "I Love Lucy"), Barbara Stuart (Miss Bunny from "Gomer Pyle USMC") and Arlene Golonka (Millie-Howard Sprauge's girlfriend).  Fan favorite David Browning, "The Mayberry Deputy" is returning as the "Barney Fife" impersonator.  Also joining him are returning impersonators Allan Newsome as "Floyd the Barber" and "Kenneth Junkin as "Otis."  Making this event (just like 2003's Mayberry In The Midwest III) the largest gathering of impersonators (or tribute stars) at any Mayberry themed event, are the additions of Phil Lee as "Ernest T. Bass," Jeff Branch as "Howard Sprague," Tim Pettigrew as "Goober," and Jamie Sullivan as "Opie Taylor." 

 

These stars will be in attendance at the first event planned for the weekend, an "'Evening of Mayberry" presented by the City of New Castle.  This evening consist of a charity auction and dinner with the stars at the Henry County Arts Park Friday evening.  This evening will be filled with fun and many activities.  The charity auction, featuring many "Mayberry" signed memorabilia and other wonderful items, benefits the Henry County United Fund and the Art Association of Henry County.  "The Young Relics with Mike Fleming" are the featured performers of the evening.  This local favorite will have a "Mayberry feel" to their music that evening and the band will entertain the crowd during dinner.  This evening costs $20 per person and starts at 6pm.  Ticket sales are extremely limited (with approximately 550 seats available) and all are encouraged to get their tickets quickly.

 

The weekend's featured event is the "Mayberry in the Midwest" Cast Reunion Show. Taking place at Bundy Auditorium on Saturday evening at 7pm, this approximately 3 hour show features each of the mentioned actors. The show is a wonderful array of stories, character portrayals, skits, and music. Similar to a Branson, Missouri-type of show, this is a once in a life time experience to see your favorite stars of this wonderful show and it is brought to you by the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau and a number of sponsors. Tickets cost $30 per person.   This is sure to be a fun and unique evening, and all are encouraged to buy their tickets early!

 

As mentioned, the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau is the Title Sponsor of this fantastic event, but this event would not be possible if not for the assistance of many wonderful sponsors. The following current sponsors have signed on to bring this unique event to New Castle: Premier Sponsor-City of New Castle; Producing Sponsors-New Castle KFC, Ameriana Bank and Trust, Best Western Raintree Inn (the hotel of the stars), and Creative Renovations, Inc.; Associate Sponsors- Anderson ASI, Citizens State Bank, Macer-Hall Funeral Home, New Castle Community School Corporation, and Team Pride Athletics; and Participating Sponsors -AAA Travel-Muncie, Bill's Diner, Creative Internet Consulting, Henry County Saddle Club, Hudson Rental & Sales, MainSource Bank, The Mayberry Cafe, R.E. Construction, Raintree Muffler Shop, Schroeder Chiropractic, Steve Alford All-American Inn, and Walnut Ridge Family RV Sales and Service.  The media sponsors are UPN Indiana television, WMDH radio, and The Courier Times newspaper.

 

The second "Mayberry in the Midwest" was a huge success last year.  The event received national coverage including many locally filmed interviews of the stars, done for a CBS special called "The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry" which aired in November of 2003.  Ticket sales were also quite an accomplishment with ticket purchases from states as far away as Maine and Washington.  The state of Indiana alone saw over 80 cities represented.  This wide array of states and cities only added to the briskness of ticket sales.  Half the tickets for this weekend's events sold out the first day of ticket sales and the events sold out one month faster than the inaugural year of 2002.  Ticket sales are expected to be much faster this year with already 90,000 hits on the mayberryinthemidwest.com website in 2004 alone.

 

Many events are happening in conjunction with this wonderful weekend including a number of autograph sessions.  More details will be forthcoming in the future months.  Log onto mayberryinthemidwest.com for more details and future updates or call . 

 

"Mayberry In The Midwest IIII" is a wonderful weekend of family fun and entertainment.  Tickets for the July 9th, Friday evening "Evening of Mayberry" featuring a charity auction and dinner with the Mayberry Stars and Saturday evening's July 10th "Mayberry in the Midwest III" Cast Reunion Show go on sale this Wednesday, April 14, 2004 starting at 8:30am.  Call the Henry County (CVB) at     or or stop into the CVB office located at 2020 S. Memorial Dr., Suite I in New Castle.  Tickets sell quickly, so tell your friends and don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity!

# # #

 

(Return to Main Page)