Brad Paisley and Andy Griffith

I've always been a big fan of Brad Paisley and his music. He seems like such a genuine guy and his music speaks to me personally. One thing many don't realize is that he's an amazing guitarist and songwriter. He's not a cookie-cutter country singer. So, when I saw his new video for his song "Waitin' on a Woman" I was thrilled to see one of my heroes, Andy Griffith, in the video. What's more...it was filmed down east in North Carolina.

Here's a great story on HamptonRoads.com.

Watch the video for "Waitin' on a Woman"

Mayberry Days! Only a month away!

Can you believe we're less than a month away from the 2008 Mayberry Days Celebration in Mount Airy, NC?

No...I can't either.

Equally amazing to me is that this is the 18th year for The Andy Griffith Show fans who keep coming back year after year to Andy's hometown. Most are there to celebrate the show, but many are also in town to celebrate Small Town, USA and the feeling they get while in Mount Airy.....which, needless to say, is very much like the feeling you get while watching The Andy Griffith Show.

18th Annual MAYBERRY DAYSThursday - Sunday, September 25-28, 2008

Check out VisitMayberry.com for more info!

The #12 Dream Town

Welcome to the #12 'dream town'

By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer

They call them "dream towns" -- small American towns that offer the highest quality of life -- and two South-Central Pennsylvania communities are high on a list of 140 such towns.
Chambersburg is ranked No. 12 on a recently released list of the country's top 140 micropolitan communities, and nearby Gettysburg in Adams County is No. 13.

Local officials are delighted with Chambersburg's designation by the organization that compiled the rankings. Franklin County Area Development Corp. President Mike Ross calls the listing "an affirmation of what we locally already know," and Chambersburg Mayor Pete Lagiovane said he is not surprised at the ranking.

Chambersburg's borough manager, Eric Oyer, agreed, saying both Chambersburg and Gettysburg ooze small town charm while providing many amenities people look for in larger communities. "I think it is great that our communities can be recognized by an outside source as great places to live and work," he said, pointing out that both communities with their rich history and many amenities are also good places to visit.

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Small Towns Are Great Business Locations

Written by Chris on August 20, 2008 – 12:00 pm

Thinking about taking your business to the next level or starting one in general? If you live in a small town, then you should definitely consider it! Small towns and cities offer some advantages and benefits that you may not find in larger, more populated areas such as Washington D.C., New York, Baltimore, Miami, or Los Angelos. Looking at places like Roanoke, VA, Colorado Springs, CO, etc. you will find plenty of business opportunities that could be very successful.

Here are 11 reasons why small towns and cities are attractive business locations:

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Good Article On Small Town Preservation

Five Stages of Small-Town Preservation Induced Grief
August 19, 2008

Sleepy, little towns with a small main street, railroad tracks, a school, and church always appear just so picturesquely American. The pace of life is slower and people don’t have to lock their doors, kids run around barefoot in the summertime, and people just have a good time. That is the general romanticized notion, isn’t it? Is that the reality? Not having lived in a sleepy, small town, I cannot say for sure; however, I would guess that no, romanticized notions are never the reality. They are what they are: romanticized with a mixture of nostalgia and Norman Rockwell.

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Rachel, Kansas....a special small town

Simpler times. This is a fictional town emanating from The Andy Griffith Show, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and a few other plots. It is described as the "homeplate of wheat and democracy." This is a small town from the middle of the twentieth century that embodies the ideals of Midwestern life, albeit shown in a comical fashion, not unlike River City, Iowa.

This is something my friends and I used to describe as our ideal fantasy town, where we all could live and perform an essential civic function, according to our talents and degrees. The idea of moving away after college and finding our lives separate from one another, while inevitable, is sort of depressing, and this way we could have some kind of hope in our minds.

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The NC Oyster Festival is Coming!

October 18-19 2008 marks the 28th anniversary of the NC Oyster Festival, once again hosted by the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce on Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Awarded North Carolina Event of the Year 2007 by the North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events, the 28th Annual North Carolina Oyster Festival will feature: Live entertainment, a road race, a surf contest, kids area, over 120 arts & crafts vendors and 13 food vendors, North Carolina Oyster Shucking Championships and an Oyster Stew Cook-off.

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Small towns with a Heart

Spurning sprawl, more towns upbeat on downtown

Sat. August 16 - 2008
Chris O’Malley - comalley@ibj.com IBJ staff

From Andy Griffith’s Mayberry, the small town evolved into the likes of Avon, Ind. The tree-shaded bungalow on Oak Street within walking distance of the town center became the vinyl-clad, single-family home planted in a former cornfield with a contrived name ending in “creek” or “woods” or “farms.” Residents have to jump in the car if they want to buy a cup of coffee or to patronize the predictable chain restaurants and big-box retailers. The Best Buy on Avon’s main drag, Rockville Road, might as well be the Best Buy on Center Road in Avon, Ohio.

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Blog: Students Apply Media Ethics to Andy Griffith Episode

On Tuesday, I got to watch Andy Griffith episode with two classes of journalism and English students at Aurora High School in Aurora, Mo. To be more specific, it was episode #61, "Andy on Trial," which aired in April 1962.We discussed the journalism Code of Ethics put together by the Society of Professional Journalists. Then we watched the video and applied the Code of Ethics to what happened in the story. It is a topic that struck a cord of interest with the students.

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Writer Nails Top NC Towns To Retire In...

When the time comes to retire, many people dream of retreating to the quiet life of a small town--preferably one conveniently located near the amenities of a larger city. For people looking for just such a situation, North Carolina is a haven. The state offers a slew of choices that can fulfill any prerequisite hopeful retirees might have: quiet life, outdoor activities, good weather, top-notch medical care, cultural events, easy access to major highways...you name it. What follows below, and in the related college-town feature, is our look at just a few of the many options that await you in North Carolina.

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VERY Small Towns in NC

This data indicates dozens of towns in NC with a population of less than 1,000.

Let's move!

http://www.city-data.com/city/North-Carolina3.html