Mayberry statue sponsored by TV Land

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Mayberry statue sponsored by TV Land

Cable's TV Land is creating a bronze statue depicting Andy and Opie Taylor, the fictional North Carolina father and son played by Andy Griffith and director Ron Howard in the 1960s. TV Land 's proposal to erect a life-size sculpture of the pair on their way to a fishin' hole was unanimously approved by the Raleigh City Council.

Raleigh? Wait, isn't Mayberry based on the town of Mt. Airy, NC, where the Andy Griffith Museum is located? Apparently the state capital has more appeal to TV Land's PR program, which favors busy venues. TV Land has placed a bus-driving Ralph Kramden at the Port Authority in NYC and a hat-tossing Mary Richards in Minneapolis.

But we're not complaining. There really are no rules when it comes to honoring made-up TV people with monuments....

Jan 2003 update: The statue will be erected in Pullen Park. [11/30/2002]

Statue of Andy and Opie

Address:: Ashe Ave., Raleigh, NC
Directions:: Pullen Park. I-440 exit 2A. Drive east on Western Blvd for two miles. Turn left onto Ashe Ave, then left into Pullen Park. The statue is to the left, to the left of the carousel.
Hours:: July 2011: Reported inaccessible.

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