We hurry up and wait through most of life. We wait on the TV Repair guy (unless it’s George’s TV Repair”). We wait on the lady on the phone after she tells us your wait time is 18 minutes. We wait on the person to get someone on the phone to answer our question about whether or not they have a product on the shelf at one of those big box stores. We wait on a table when we go out to dinner, even though we made a reservation. (Unless it’s the Bluebird Diner.)
Now, let me back up, and allow my blood pressure to come back down, and talk about the NOT having to wait.
Mayberry fans all over the world have come to know the meaning of “Two chairs. No waiting.” It’s the dream of Floyd Lawson, the quirky town barber, to have two barber chairs in his shop so there wouldn’t be any wait time for customers. Of course he’d have to have two barbers, and that didn’t work out so well in “The Bookie Barber” episode (S2 E28). Nonetheless, Floyd had to give it a try, and certainly had “the magazines to swing it.” I know that I can walk right down the street to Floyd’s Barber Shop and NOT have to wait a long time. Even if I did, it would be a fun wait.
I also know that I can tune in on most Monday nights and 8:00 PM (EST) and find a lot of my friends in a Guest Chat Room, because here is the “Two Chairs. No Waiting” podcast. The easiest way to find it is to go to www.imayberrycommunity,com and click on the podcast there. You can listen to the podcast, and enjoy some of the best entertainment news on the planet. News about cast and crew, tribute artists, upcoming events, trivia, interviews, new books, and more. You can even join in the Chat Room. The proprietor of “Two Chairs. No Waiting” is Allan Newsome. He’s done over 400 podcast episodes to date. Allan also owns the iMayberryCommunity.com fan page, the WBMUTBB (Who’s Been Messing Up the Bulletin Board) fan page, along with several others, and he and his wife Jan also operate Weaver’s Department Store (even on days when Bert Miller isn’t working his street stand). Allan is also the tribute artist that portrays Floyd, the Barber, and has ably done so for about 20 years. Along the parade routes and through the Mayberry crowds, he’s always willing to give you a snip and check the length of your sideburns. In real life, he’s an engineer and lives in the state of Alabama. No matter how busy his personal life is, he always finds time to share his love of Mayberry. Whether you’re a casual fan of the show (and it’s hard to just be a casual fan), or a diehard “trained notice” like Barney Fife, Allan’s podcast will give you that down home good feeling. It’s light hearted, chocked full of information, and provides insights into the lives of the cast, crew and tribute artists that collectively keep the show’s life blood flowing.
I enjoy all of the pages Allan maintains for our enjoyment, the Facebook posts he makes, the pictures he shares, the podcasts he produces, and most of all, appreciate the energy he puts into making Mayberry fun for all of us. Not only will you get to know more about Mayberry, but you’ll come to appreciate more of who Allan Newsome is and has been for all of our enjoyment. Like Floyd once said to Andy…we say to Allan…”you’re a prince of a fella.” So find and join the imayberrycommunity.com page, join the WBMUTBB page and tune into the "Two Chairs. No Waiting" podcast...you'll be glad you did.
