![]() ![]() As I waited, a long-time local customer clued me in on the restaurant’s history. Although a few just wanted to order food to go, most were waiting for a place to sit because all 12 seats at the counter as well as the booths by the front window were occupied. Several customers, standing by a wall, were chatting in small groups and with others in the drive-in that they recognized. 64 was a gravel road when the drive-in was opened by Leonard and Christine Johnson in 1946.Ĭlaxton Johnson, son of the late founders, was on the grill when I arrived. Now a four-lane road with constant traffic, U.S. It is the choice for many Southerners traveling on U.S. Johnson’s Drive-In has a history of satisfying customers for more than 65 years. The town where Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) retired after starring on The Andy Griffith Show, Siler City is better known as the home of Johnson’s Drive-In. I have noticed over the years that it was often spelled "Bee" which never made sense to me as her name was "Beatrice." 10:29 AM Anonymous said.Want to eat at an old-fashioned place with time-honored values that seems to thrive even as its town has fallen on hard times? Then travel to Siler Ci ty, a historic railroad town with about 8,000 residents in a farming community in the center of North Carolina. I had also heard that "Aunt Bea" didn't always get along with the rest of the Mayberry cast. You have had a lot of interesting times, Ginnie. That had to be exciting for you Ginnie, I too loved the show! I also heard of Francis Bavier's difficult demeanor. ![]() When we lived in High Point, my parents saw Andy Griffith at a local Club in Greensboro, doing his "Big Orange" and "What it was was Football" skits. I I spent part of my childhood there, in fact we lived in Souther Pines and Aberdeen at different times. I saw your name on the GabbyGeezer's blog. ![]() It is nice to know that he is - or was that time. I have always thought he must be a wonderful person. It was his turn to dish out just what she needed. Here was “little Opie” turning the table on his old “Aunt Bea”. Looking back on this memory I can’t help but see the irony of it. He was able to calm her down and she became a much more pliant patient. He was just there for those two days but the nurses on “Aunt Bea’s” floor reported that his visit was a great boon for them. One of the secretaries asked him for an autograph and he promised to bring in a stock photo with his signature the next day. (Of course we were thrilled to give him the info and didn’t tell him he’d come in the wrong entrance!) Rumor had it that he was in the Pinehurst area to see her and, sure enough, he showed up at the front desk of the ER asking for her room number. The one member of the cast who seemed to be able to placate her was Ron Howard (“Opie”). This was no surprise since I’d often read that her co-workers thought of her in the same way. I never saw her but the scuttlebutt had it that she was a difficult and demanding patient. ![]() About 10 years later “Aunt Bea” suffered some medical problems that were serious enough to have her hospitalized and she spent 6 days in our facility. In 1978 our family moved to North Carolina and I got a job as a secretary in the ER of the large hospital in Pinehurst, NC, fairly close to Siler City. a rural area that closely resembled the fictitious town of Mayberry portrayed in the TV series. It is interesting to note that, in 1972, Frances Bavier (“Aunt Bea“ from the show) retired and bought a home in Siler City, NC. “Aunt Bea” was portrayed as a sweet elderly lady who loved nothing more than providing her two men (“Andy” and “Opie”) with her home baked goodies. In the 1960’s “The Andy Griffith” show dominated the TV scene and re-runs are still popular today. ![]()
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