FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2003

Half of "Mayberry in the Midwest II" tickets sell out on first day of ticket sales

New Castle, IN - The Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau is proud to announce that half the tickets for both ticketed events of "Mayberry in the Midwest II" have already sold out!  In the first day of ticket sales on Wednesday, March 19th, ticket purchases continued non-stop from 8:30am until 4:30pm.  Piggybacking on the success of last year's inaugural "Mayberry in the Midwest", the number of tickets sold actually outpaced last year's first day of ticket sales by 25%.   Taking place once again in New Castle, Indiana, this year's "Mayberry" event is the weekend of July 11 and 12, 2003.  Friday, July 11th the City of New Castle presents an "Evening of Mayberry."  This evening event includes a charity auction and dinner with the stars of "The Andy Griffith Show" at the Henry County Arts Park.  The event begins at 6:00pm and tickets are $20 each.  Saturday, July 12th is a "Cast Reunion Show" performed by the stars at 7pm at Bundy Auditorium at a cost of $25 each.  Tickets are available at the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Office during regular business hours.  The CVB is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm and is located at 2020 S. Memorial Dr. (State Road 3), Suite I in the Castle Point Shoppes.  Cash, Visa and Mastercard are acceptable payment.

"Mayberry In The Midwest III" is a two-day event celebrating the wonderful fun and cherished memories of the loveable "The Andy Griffith Show" characters. The stars of the now world-wide syndicated show, scheduled to appear and perform are George Lindsey (Goober), Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), The Dillards (The Darling Boys), Maggie Peterson (Charlene Darling), and James Best (Jim Lindsey-a small guitar playing role, but best known as "Rosco P. Coltrane" on the "Dukes of Hazard"), all of whom are returning from last year's inaugural "Mayberry in the Midwest."  Joining this year's scheduled to appear cast line up are Elinor Donahue (Ellie Walker), Jean Carson (Fun Girl Daphne), Bernard Fox (Malcolm Merriwether), and Margaret Kerry (Christmas episode characters "Bess Muggins" and "Helen Scobey".)  Fan favorite David Browning, "The Mayberry Deputy" is returning as the "Barney Fife" impersonator.  Also joining him are returning impersonators Allan Newsome as "Floyd the Barber" and "Kenneth Junkin as "Otis."  Making this event the largest gathering of impersonators (or tribute stars) at any Mayberry themed event are the additions of Phil Lee as "Ernest T. Bass," Jeff Branch as "Howard Sprague," Tim Pettigrew as "Goober," and Jamie Sullivan as "Opie Taylor."

These stars will be in attendance at the first event planned for the weekend, an "'Evening of Mayberry" presented by the City of New Castle.  This evening consist of a charity auction and dinner with the stars at the Henry County Arts Park Friday evening.  This evening will be filled with fun and many activities.  The charity auction, featuring many "Mayberry" signed memorabilia and other wonderful items, benefits the Henry County United Fund and the Art Association of Henry County.  "The Young Relics with Mike Fleming" are the featured performers of the evening.  This local favorite will have a "Mayberry feel" to their music that evening and the band will entertain the crowd during dinner.  This evening costs $20 per person and starts at 6pm.  Ticket sales are extremely limited (with approximately 550 seats available) and all are encouraged to get their tickets quickly.

The weekend's featured event is the "Mayberry in the Midwest" Cast Reunion Show. Taking place at Bundy Auditorium on Saturday evening at 7pm, this approximately 3 hour show features each of the mentioned actors. The show is a wonderful array of stories, character portrayals, skits, and music. Similar to a Branson, Missouri-type of show, this is a once in a life time experience to see your favorite stars of this wonderful show and it is brought to you by the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau and a number of sponsors. Tickets cost $25 per person.   This is sure to be a fun and unique evening, and all are encouraged to buy their tickets early!

As mentioned, the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau is the Title Sponsor of this fantastic event, but this event would not be possible if not for the help of many wonderful sponsors. The following current sponsors have signed on to bring this unique event to New Castle: Producing Sponsors- City of New Castle; New Castle KFC, Ameriana Bank and Trust, Best Western Raintree Inn (the hotel of the stars), and Creative Renovations, Inc.; Associate Sponsors- Citizens State Bank, Macer-Hall Funeral Home, New Castle Community School Corporation and Team Pride; and Participating Sponsors - Anderson Lock & Security/ASI, Baker Insurance Agency, Bill's Diner, Sherman and Kathy Boles, Cardinal Healthcare Pharmacy, EZ-Look.com Websites & Advertising, Henry County Saddle Club, Hudson Rental & Sales, Leakey Insurance Agency,  Mainsource Bank, The Mayberry Cafe, The Pfenninger Agency, Schroeder Chiropractic, and the Steve Alford All-American Inn.  The media sponsors are UPN Indiana television, WMDH radio, and The Courier Times newspaper.

The inaugural "Mayberry in the Midwest" was a huge success last year.  The event received national coverage including a brief mention on Paul Harvey's "Noon News and Comments" in May of 2002.  Ticket sales were also quite an accomplishment with ticket purchases from states as far away as New York and California.  The state of Indiana alone saw over 80 cities represented.  This wide array of states and cities only added to the briskness of ticket sales.  Friday night's event sold out in one week last year and Saturday night's event sold out in two months.  Ticket sales are expected to be much faster this year with already 56,000 hits on the mayberryinthemidwest.com website from January of this to date.

Many events are happening in conjunction with this wonderful weekend including a number of autograph sessions.  More details will be forthcoming in the future months.  Log onto www.mayberryinthemidwest.com for more details and future updates or call 888-676-4302.

"Mayberry In The Midwest III" is a wonderful weekend of family fun and entertainment.  Tickets for the July 11th, Friday evening "Evening of Mayberry" featuring a charity auction and dinner with the Mayberry Stars and Saturday evening's July 12th "Mayberry in the Midwest II" Cast Reunion Show go are on sale now.  Call the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) at 888-676-4302 or 765-593-0764 or stop into the CVB office located at 2020 S. Memorial Dr., Suite I in New Castle.  Tell your friends and don't miss this wonderful opportunity.

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Contact: Christine Mallette
Director of Tourism and Marketing
765-593-0764