The Mayberry Retreat

Special Guest David Browning, the actor
who portrayed “The Mayberry Deputy” at
many events centered on The Andy Griffith Show.

Featuring an audio/visual presentation
by Mayberry author Randy Turner titled
How Andy Griffith Became Andy Taylor

Musical entertainment by recording artist
Tim White, host of the PBS series
Song of the Mountains

May 8-10, 2024

Sauder Heritage Inn
Archbold, Ohio

The second Mayberry Retreat was held May 8-10, 2024.

The intimate gathering of discerning fans of The Andy Griffith Show enjoyed activities centered solely on The Andy Griffith Show and entertainment in keeping with the spirit of the series. Think of it as all-Mayberry all-the-time.

We will share photos from the event soon, but what follows was the original description:

The retreat will begin Wednesday afternoon and conclude late morning on Friday. Registration includes lodging Wednesday and Thursday nights, all meals including taxes and gratuities, and much more.

Attendees will enjoy:

• An on-stage interview of Mayberry icon David Browning.  David created “The Mayberry Deputy” as a tribute to the great Don Knotts.  Knotts was so impressed with David as an improvisational master and amazing impersonator, he had David open for him at various appearances.

David is much-loved and much-missed by the Mayberry Community. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see and spend time with this fan favorite again.

 An extended multi-part audio-visual presentation titled “How Andy Griffith Became Andy Taylor” by Mayberry author and historian Randy Turner. The entertaining and detailed presentation will examine Griffith’s early career and the origin of The Andy Griffith Show.

• Musical entertainment by recording artist Tim White. The host of the long-running series Song of the Mountains airing nationwide on PBS and the weekly syndicated radio program The Tim White Bluegrass ShowTim’s concert will be filled with bluegrass, humor, and a tune or two Mayberry fans will recognize.

• A new Mayberry book by Randy months before it will be available to the public.

• Communal viewing of select Mayberry episodes with commentary by Randy

• Several Mayberry and retreat-related mementos, including a t-shirt for first-time attendees

The Mayberry Retreat will be held in the beautiful Sauder Heritage Inn. This country lodge in Northwest Ohio is within a day’s drive from much of the country. The lobby features natural wood timbers and hand-forged lamps and railings. The inn includes several atriums in which to relax in comfortable furniture. “The Great Oak Tree,” an impressive and beautiful sculpture, anchors the breakfast area near an enclosed pool and hot tub.

Sauder Heritage Inn
The inn lobby
“The Great Tree”

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

• Specific bed requests (king or two queen beds) will be filled first come, first served.  If room is double occupancy but shared with a friend, the room will contain two queen beds.

Download the brochure with the registration form to sign up through the link below. Please note that the number of attendees will be quite limited by design.

2024-Mayberry-Retreat-brochure

Scroll down for additional topics!

Value of The Mayberry Retreat

When I attend Mayberry Days this fall, the wonderful festival centered around The Andy Griffith Show in Mount Airy, North Carolina every September, my room at the Hampton Inn with tax will be just over $300 per night. That amount entitles me only to the free breakfast which is certainly okay but definitely not close to home cooking. And, of course, my $600 for two nights does not entitle me to any concerts, presentations, or souvenirs such as books.

That alone is one reason that The Mayberry Retreat is actually a greater value than one might realize at first. But that’s not the main benefit to my way of thinking.

To me, the biggest plus in attending such an intimate gathering is the opportunity to have true fellowship with a smaller group of true fans and the retreat guests.

My goal is for everyone that attends to leave feeling they have been pampered for a few days. This will assuredly be a relaxing all-Mayberry, all-the-time unique experience for the devoted Mayberry fan that is not to be missed.

The Sauder Heritage Inn

I have used the Sauder Heritage Inn before for different types of retreats. The facility will be perfect for our group. Still, it had been a number of years since I had held an event there, so I recently visited to be sure it was as nice as I remembered it. (Spoiler alert: It is!)

As I drove up from southern Ohio, I left the highway at Lima and followed backroads through Ohio farmland to reach the inn. I knew something felt right when I passed a sign pointing that the town of Gomer was three miles away!

As I toured the hotel,  I noted the many prints of artwork that adorned the walls, such as Amish prints by P. Buckley Moss. But the last print in one of the halls held a special meaning.

It was The Angelus, the painting that hung over the fireplace in the Taylor home through most of the series.