Mayberry and Hee Haw mingle Thursday at senior center show

Oct. 25—Minnie Pearl, Mama's Family, Mayberry and more: At the Donald E. Green Active Adult Thursday, the hilarious homespun TV hits of the past are coming to life — all thanks to a troupe of talented (and energetic) local seniors.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, the country-themed twang of Hee Haw and other classic comedy shows will ring out at the senior center for the "Mayberry Goes To Hee Haw" variety revue show, a gig the seniors already have perfected thanks to a round of earlier successful performances over the summer. Written and directed by organizer Jamie Looney, it's a mash-up of the family-friendly television series of the past — with a healthy dose of bona fide pickin' and grinnin' on the side.

Entry to Thursday's performance is $10 per person at the door, and if the crowd response from past shows is any indication, it might just be a popular ticket: First-timers who think they're in for some fuddy-duddy stuff have a track record of walking away from the events with their sides aching from laughter — and a new appreciation for the talent and comedic timing of their older local neighbors.

Looney and her diligent gang of seniors have been staging Hee Haw-themed shows every year since 2018, local productions which always have required an all-hands effort from dozens of participants, whether they're up on stage or toiling behind the scenes on costumes and set design. But this year's "Mayberry Goes To Hee Haw" marks by far their biggest and most carefully-choreographed outing yet, reflecting what a hit the shows have been not only with audiences, but for the seniors who get to show their creative side as actors, artists, and musicians.

"They really work hard at it, but that's because they really enjoy it," Looney told The Times earlier this year, just as the show was set to go on at Wallace State's Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre. "It keeps me on my toes. I think they probably enjoy it as much as the crowd does!"

Admission fees for the show help cover the cost of production, with leftover funds going toward future senior community events. So bring your sense of nostalgia and an even bigger sense of humor: The show goes on beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.