During this year’s Mayberry Days festivities The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will have on display the tuba that Andy Griffith played while a member of the Grace Moravian Church.
Griffith’s first foray into music was with the trombone. He worked to save money to purchase the instrument then approached Rev. Edward T. Mickey Jr., who had recently started the brass band at Grace Moravian, asking the reverend if he could teach Griffith to play. A quick study, Griffith was soon playing pretty much every instrument in the band but most often played the tuba.
“We’re really excited to be able to display this storied instrument, it’s actually a piece we’ve been hoping to be able to display for many years,” said Matt Edwards, the museum’s executive director.
In among the nearly 35,000 square feet of exhibits, the museum has permanent exhibits related to Andy Griffith and his family history and connections in Mount Airy and across the region.
Museum board member Calvin Vaughn and Grace Moravian Church band Director Hubert McMillian worked to facilitate the loan of the instrument for public display during this year’s Mayberry Days. The instrument will be on display at the museum through the weekend.
“With an entire museum dedicated to Andy’s show biz life just down the street we’re not looking to compete so much as to compliment. In reality Andy is part of a much bigger regional story that we tell here, and there are really only a few key objects that we need to tell that story and this we consider to be one of those,” Edwards said.
The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will be open to the public Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. For more information contact the museum at 336-786-4478 or online at www.northcarolinamuseum.org
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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