In a message dated 1/6/2011 11:42:52 A.M. Central Standard Time, wbmutbb-requ...@wbmutbb.com writes:
Has the subject ever been brought up as to what folks might think Mayberry would be like today... What a great question, Victor. I would think Mayberry would still be similar in a lot of ways, and I'm basing this on my knowledge of such real-life Alabama cities as Ashland and Lineville (both of which have beautiful, Mayberry-like town squares). After all, small towns like those still are lacking in decent cell phone service and internet speed, so a lot of favorite activities (the Chamber dance, whittling, peeling an apple without breaking the peel) would still be intact. On the other hand, Sarah would probably be long retired and deceased and Mayberry now on digital dialing with E911. Still, I have to wonder if anyone in town would be running a booming Ebay business devoted to selling and restoring old candlestick phones? The Mayberry squad cars would likely be Ford Crown Victorias (although Ford is discontinuing those...maybe they'll switch to the Dodge Chargers?) and would bear the DARE logos. In fact I envision Mayberry having a new, modern sheriff's office with more deputies (maybe three) and maybe even a full time investigator. The old stills would, sadly, give way to meth labs (but hopefully not). And there would be separate judges handling district and circuit court, perhaps the district judge would be local and the circuit judge would come over from Mount Pilot? Business would be booming at the Bluebird Diner, now that it has a Facebook presence, wi-fi access, a menu of healthy foods and a reputation around the county for being a good "meat and three." And Juanita now runs the place. I don't know that Mayberry would have a big box but I could see Mount Pilot having a Walmart Supercenter and perhaps even a Target. Mayberry itself would surely, by now, have a Subway and a McDonald's. (It apparently had a Baskin Robbins in the early 1960s!) And it would probably have two or three really nice convenience stores, perhaps Foley's grocery giving way to an IGA, an Ingram's or a Winn Dixie. Wally's service would probably be long gone and Gomer and Goober retired but still working out of their home garages, but I'd like to think the old Wally's building would now be an antique store. (And the old courthouse would be where the town council now meets, with a newer courthouse nearby.) The people of Mayberry would probably have their same basic character, except the population would be more diverse, and I think they'd get along as well as always. I wouldn't be surprised to see, say, the new sheriff's office (with a more modern jail) named in honor of Andy or Barney, and perhaps (in honor of his service to the community) a community center is named in honor of Floyd Lawson. Perhaps a Chester Schwump Memorial Library? Dixon _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list WBMUTBB@wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
