Well, this weekend the crowds will start rolling into town. Not the normal weekend tourist crowds, but the larger groups of Mayberry fans who turn out year after year for the Surry Arts Council’s annual Mayberry Days festival.

The actual festival events won’t start until Thursday, but the stars will be coming to town to get ready a couple of days before that.

Each year, thousands, and I mean thousands, of people flock to Mount Airy to be part of something they grew up watching, “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Even those who are my age know about “The Andy Griffith Show,” and many of them likely grew up watching reruns of the show with their parents. I know I did.

The late Don Knotts, who played Deputy Barney Fife, Sheriff Andy Taylor’s sidekick, was a hoot. He always brought smiles and laughter to the faces of those watching the show.

This year, Don Knotts’ daughter, Karen, will be performing in her own show, “Tied up in Knotts,” on Friday after the opening ceremony. This will be her first appearance at Mayberry Days.

Rodney and Doug Dillard, who portrayed the Darling Brothers, part of the mountain family who visited Mayberry in the show, will be back again to perform for fans. Did you know Doug Dillard performed in the very first Mayberry Days festival 20 years ago and hasn’t missed a year since then? He is the only star who has been to all 20 festivals.

Then you have the Darlings’ sister, Charlene, aka Maggie Peterson Mancuso, who will be in attendance again this year.

Betty Lynn, who filled the role of Thelma Lou, Fife’s girlfriend, and a newer resident of Mount Airy, will again entertain everyone with her genuine smile and waves. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without a smile on her face. It seems she truly does love the fans.

This will be the first time in several years that I will miss the annual Mayberry Days parade. Instead I will volunteering at Bannertown Fire Department’s annual BBQ fundraiser the same day, but in my mind, I’ll be watching the stars, the old cars and all the other Mayberry paraphernalia make its way down Main Street toward the Andy Griffith Playhouse where the ribbon cutting will be held for the new Andy Griffith Museum.

My friend, Emmett Forrest, will be the center of attention as he and other area officials will gather to open the newly-constructed museum building, for which the groundbreaking was held indoors at last year’s Mayberry Days due to threatening wet weather.

The long weekend of events will include a golf tournament and dinner at Cross Creek Country Club, autograph sessions with stars of the show, trivia contests, BBQ contests, horseshoes, reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show” and other films and shows featuring stars of TAGS, and much, much more.

As people come into town for the event, we should welcome them with open arms just as they do in their hometowns like Charleston, S.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wilmington, Asheville, New York, and I could go on. People literally come from all across the United States and even outside the country to attend Mayberry Days events, and we should welcome them.

I look forward to meeting some of the people who will be coming as they stroll down Main Street or attend some of the festival activities next week. I hope you take time to meet some of them as well.

Wendy Byerly Wood is the associate editor of The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at wbyerly-wood@mtairynews.com.