The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club Event Calendar

* Sept. 16-21: Ronnie Schell headlines in the Comedy Improv Room at Harrah's in Las Vegas, Nev.

BREAKING NEWS: There are likely to be some big updates coming from Mount Airy between now and Mayberry Days because the Surry Arts Council recently got a big (really big…big-big!) grant from the State of North Carolina . It’s earmarked for helping to fund the building of an addition to the Andy Griffith Playhouse in order to house Emmett Forrest’s amazing collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia. So stay tuned for updates related to that news as they’re posted here on the Event Calendar at mayberry.com and also at surryarts.org.

* Oct. 5: David Browning throws his hat in the ring for the Wise Fall Fling in Wise, Va.

* Oct. 11: David Browning is vintage Mayberry at the Vinton Fall Festival in Vinton, Va.

* Oct. 21-26: Ronnie Schell performs at Harvey's Hotel & Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

* Oct. 26: David Browning is on the track to write up any and all speeders at the Atlanta Motor Speedway's NASCAR race in Hampton, Ga. (Better bring an extra ticket book, deputy!)

* Oct. 27: The Plummeting Man: A Conversation with Norman Lloyd (father of Josie Lloyd) at
7 p.m., UNA Performance Center, Florence, Ala. A one-on-one discussion (moderated by Terry Pace) with the legendary Hollywood actor (Saboteur, St. Elsewhere, Dead Poets Society), director and producer (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour) and longtime associate of Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, Orson Welles, Jean Renoir, Lewis Milestone, Martin Scorsese and Curtis Hanson, followed by a book signing of Lloyd’s 1993 autobiography, Stages … Of Life in Theatre, Film and Television. More details coming soon.

* Oct. 28: Spellbound: The Hypnotic Power of “The Jar” at 7 p.m., UNA Performance Center, Florence, Ala. A screening of the Emmy Award-winning 1964 episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, based on the classic gothic-horror story by Ray Bradbury. Followed by a panel discussion (moderated by Terry Pace) featuring the show’s director, Norman Lloyd, plus actors James Best and George Lindsey and (via live videoconference), author Ray Bradbury. Followed by an autograph session with Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Best and Mr. Lindsey. More details coming soon.

* Nov. 1-2: Doug Dillard and Rodney Dillard perform during an event at the Great American Entertainment and Event Center in Ramseur, N.C. Details TBA. Check for updates http://www.thegreatamerican.net.

* Nov. 1-6: A Cruise to Mayberry (click here for more info and photos of past cruises) to the Bahamas aboard Carnival's Fascination ship. This 5-day cruise departs from Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, November 1, and cruises to: Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and 2- “Days at Sea” returning back to Jacksonville on Thursday, November 6. The VW Boys are joining the Mayberry family with their mixture of Music, Magic & Comedy. Tribute artists, Ken “Otis” Junkin, Allan “Floyd” Newsome, Bob “Briscoe Darling” Mundy, Jeff “Howard Sprague” Branch, Jamie “Opie” Sullivan, Gary “Gomer” Crain, Tara “Juanita” Spath, and Samantha “The Manicurist” Miles. Others TBA. Rates start at $259 plus $179.92 Port Tax per person, based on two per cabin. For more info, call Sharon Euliss at All About Cruises in Burlington, N.C., at 1-800-832-7993. Or e-mail her at PWESJE@aol.com.

* Nov. 20: David Browning is booked for the Friends of Smyth-Bland Regional Library Meeting in Marion, Va. No word yet on whether he'll be reading from Poems of Romance by T. Jonathan Osgood.

* Dec. 15: David Browning is aboard for the 22nd Second Annual Morgan Shepherd Christmas Charity Trip in Stuart, Va., and through the mountains to nearby communities. For more info, visit http://www.morganshepherd.com

Jan. 23-Feb. 15: Ronnie Schell performs in the musical-comedy revue Don't Leave It All to the Children at Hollywood Playhouse in Hollywood, Fla. For more info, visit http://www.hollywoodplayhouse.com/.