The dogwood is the state flower. Milk is even listed as the state beverage. Soon, the Tar Heel state could get an official state TV show.
It’s because of NC House Bill 557, which reads “an act adopting ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ as the official television show of the state of North Carolina.”
The 1960s sitcom has been remembered at Mount Airy’s Andy Griffith Museum for years, and Surry Arts Council Director Tanya Jones says if the bill passes, it would have widespread significance.
“This is huge,” she said. “Not just for Mount Airy, but for North Carolina.”
The bill recognizes the show for celebrating North Carolina and its rich traditions and culture for a national audience. It also recognizes the “positive character values” the show portrays.
“It’s goodness,” Jones said. “I think trust and respect were hugely important to Andy, not just on ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ but Andy as a person.”
The bill also pays tribute to the many North Carolina places near and dear to the late Griffith, such as UNC-Chapel Hill, the Outer Banks, and, of course, Mount Airy, which was refashioned as the small town of Mayberry on the show.
Fans of the show like Rick Grim say the small-town atmosphere of the show is sentimental to them.
“Reminded me of my own childhood playing in the woods,” he said. “And the families that were around in that era of time.”
The bill also contains plenty of references any Andy Griffith fan would know, including: “Whereas, most importantly, everyone should know better than to accept a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from Leon.”
For fans like Grim, the bill’s passage would be another way for the show to continue being remembered.
“This should be because this is part of American history,” Grim said. “And the show has just been aired for years and years, from generation to generation.”
“It will be a legacy,” Grim added. “It will just definitely be a legacy.”
House Bill 557 passed through the state House on Wednesday and is now off to the Senate for a vote.
