Earlier this week the Surry Arts Council dedicated the new Andy Griffith Museum building to the council’s executive director, Tanya Jones.

We could not think of a more fitting tribute to Jones, nor a better name to have gracing a plaque in the museum.

Capitalizing on Mount Airy’s association with the fictional town of Mayberry has done wonders for the city’s economic growth. More than two decades ago Jones and the council decided to put on the festival as a celebration of “The Andy Griffith Show,” and that has blossomed into an annual event which draws an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people.

That has led to many area merchants adopting the Mayberry theme, which in turn has made the city a continual draw for tourists to the region.

A driving force behind all of that, perhaps the driving force, has been Tanya Jones. She has spent much of her adult lift championing the cause of the arts in Surry County, as well as being a major reason Mount Airy has embraced its role in the creation of the television town Mayberry. She has married the two in a way that has been beneficial for both the arts community and the greater business community.

That the building which houses the Andy Griffith collection also serves as a home to the Old-Time Music Heritage Center is evidence of that. One level of the building serves as a homage to the Griffith show, while another pays tribute to the area’s role in the development of old-time and mountain music while spurring local residents to pursue their own musical interests.

Jones said during the surprise dedication ceremony this week that bringing the museum to fruition has been a long-term team effort, and she is right. But every effective team has a leader, and Jones has served that role.