Andy Griffith is gone ... but the best part of Mayberry is still here.
And when we say "here," we mean exactly that.
Griffith, who died Tuesday at age 86, enjoyed early acclaim with his comic albums before starring in "No Time for Sergeants" and "A Face in the Crowd."
He enjoyed further critical success in the 1980s series "Matlock." But Griffith's legacy shall always be playing sheriff Andy Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" in his mythical rural town of Mayberry.
In many ways, Oneonta is Mayberry. So is Laurens _ and New Berlin and Portlandville and Downsville and many other towns and villages in our area.
A lot of us moved here from the cities and suburbs, seeking a slower-paced lifestyle where we didn't spend half our lives in traffic jams or riding an elevator in a high-rise building.
Oh, just about all of us use computers, and our college-educated neighbors aren't the rubes we saw Andy Taylor have to deal with each week, but make no mistake about it, this, in many ways, is still Mayberry.
Like Floyd's barbershop, some folks in Oneonta will stop by Mac's when they don't need a haircut, just to pass the time of day. Around here, getting a cone at the Dairy Queen on a summer night can be something special. Feeding the geese at the Fly Creek Cider Mill still makes children laugh.
Perhaps that's the reason those of us who grew up here as well as many who moved here are so resistant to change, whether it be wind farms or fracking or heavy industry. We're trying to cling to something precious, something that once taken away shall never return.
Yes, Mayberry.
We yearn for a place where crime can be controlled by Andy Taylor and his shaky deputy, Barney Fife, who has to keep the lone bullet for his gun in his shirt pocket.
But life's realities encroach upon our lives, with heroin arrests and other crimes becoming daily events, necessitating a well-trained and professional police force.
Mayberry had a town drunk, Otis Campbell, who would accommodatingly check himself into the jail. Here, substance abuse of all kinds is a growing problem, just as it is everywhere else.
We long for a place where we don't have to worry about our children, and Opie and Aunt Bee and Goober and Gomer will greet us with a smile.
"The backbone of our show was love," Griffith once said. "There's something about Mayberry and Mayberry folk that never leaves you."
We'll miss Andy Griffith, but amid all the perils of modern life, it's comforting to know that at least something of Mayberry lives on right here.
Editorials
Griffith gone, but Mayberry lives on
- Editorials
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Casino in our area worth talking about
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Take precautions to prevent kidnappings
It has been nearly two weeks since the arrest of Ariel Castro in Cleveland on rape and kidnapping charges for acts that should send a chill through the spines of everyone in America.
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IRS, Justice actions violate our trust
After the recent actions of the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Justice Department, belief in the integrity of our government is hanging by a very slender thread.
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After 40 years, it was time to get married
This newspaper publishes lots of wedding announcements, but one that appeared prominently in Monday's edition was especially heartwarming.
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Cheers
To three longtime public servants who recently announced their decisions to leave their posts.
Continued ... - Monday, May 13, 2013
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Military culture of abuse must change
26,000.
Continued ... - Saturday, May 11, 2013
- Remember mothers on their day
- Friday, May 10, 2013
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In Our Opinion: Cellphone alert system can only help
Since the early days of radio, broadcasters have been able to break into programming to alert listeners about dangerous situations.
Continued ... - Thursday, May 9, 2013
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Home rule decision is good for all
What lawyer Thomas West called an "exit strategy" for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, we call common sense, plain and simple.
Continued ... - Wednesday, May 8, 2013
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Internet tax would benefit local businesses
Let's suppose you're the owner of a bicycle business in our area, and a customer comes in to look at a new bike. He asks you questions about it, maybe even sits on it or takes it for a spin. He compares it with other models, looks at the color and checks out what would be the best size for him.
Continued ... - Tuesday, May 7, 2013
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Cheers
To the city of Oneonta's tree giveaway, the town of Hartwick's "Clean Sweep" day, and Bassett Healthcare's patient-centered medical home program.
Continued ... - Monday, May 6, 2013
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In our opinion: Take steps to prevent fire tragedy
Oftentimes it takes a tragedy to remind us to do the little things that may save our lives.
Continued ... - Saturday, May 4, 2013
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Collins deserves to be cheered
It's likely that unless you are a big basketball fan, you never heard of Jason Collins before Monday, when he became the first active player in any of the four major American professional sports to announce that he is gay.
Continued ... - Friday, May 3, 2013
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College's amnesty policy can save lives
The statistics on overdoses among college-age Americans are downright sobering.
Continued ... - Thursday, May 2, 2013
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Reality of sequester is scary enough
"Scare tactics" was a phrase used frequently by President Barack Obama's critics about the sequester.
Continued ... - Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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Let LDC handle Manor sale
It's a dilemma, make no mistake about it.
Continued ... - Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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In Our Opinion: Cheers
To OH-Fest, Kevin Rous for his fundraising derby car, and Cathy Decker on her Green Cap award.
Continued ... - Monday, April 29, 2013
- Keep working on common core test
- Saturday, April 27, 2013
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When disaster strikes, volunteers are ready
It can be said that there are two types of people in any emergency â€" the ones running away from danger, and the ones running toward it.
Continued ... - Friday, April 26, 2013
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Abortion doc's trial deserves coverage
The coverage of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell's trial, in which he is accused of delivering live babies before killing them, has come under fire from anti-abortion activists who have accused to media of a conspiracy of omission.
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Casino in our area worth talking about



