Hendricks County

A New Visitor Guide Debutes During National Travel Week

DANVILLE – A magazine featuring a mom and daughter sipping an Oasis Diner milkshake on its cover now greets Hendricks County visitors and locals as the travel industry celebrates National Travel & Tourism Week.
This new Hendricks County Visitor Guide digs much deeper than the beautiful photo on its cover. The completely redesigned 34-page, full-color handbook has grown up compared to its previous counterparts, more than doubling in size and packed with amazing imagery and unmatched local content describing the best places to shop, eat and enjoy in Hendricks County.
“We are so proud of this county and the amazing hidden gems that both visitors and locals can find that we wanted a magazine-sized guide to showcase the best of what our county offers,” said Sarah Ferguson, Visit Hendricks County’s Director of Marketing. “We feel this reimagined magazine captures that.”
The new Visitor Guide is divided into six distinct sections – Arts & Culture, Shopping, Restaurants, Recreation, Motorsports and Lodging – with listings of every locally-owned visitor attraction as well as rich content with detailed insider storytelling including Visit Hendricks County’s top 8 shopping recommendations and top 10 reasons to explore the county. It also includes a separate Restaurant and Hotel Guide pull-out section.

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Mayberry in the Midwest

May 19-21/DANVILLE – A new original cast member from The Andy Griffith Show, some new and additional entertainment and the same whacky fun that visitors have come to expect will again be on display during this event. The typically quiet Hendricks County seat of Danville will again transform into the iconic 1960s fictional community that was home to Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee and Barney. Two former cast members, entertaining tribute artists and other activities, will take visitors on a journey to experience life in Mayberry.
The festival begins with the annual VIP Meet & Greet at 6 p.m. May 19 at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds & Conference Complex. One of the festival’s few ticketed events ($30 per person), the Meet & Greet allows participants to mingle with two former cast members – Ronnie Schell, who will be attending the festival for the first time, and Maggie Peterson, a festival regular who portrayed Charlene Darling on the show. Tribute artists reprising many of the show’s most popular characters including Barney, Goober, Gomer, Floyd the Barber, Ernest T. Bass and more also will attend.
The festival officially kicks off on Saturday around the historic Hendricks County Courthouse Square with numerous themed activities including the popular Mayberry parade on Saturday morning, Opie’s World for kids, Tractor Town, reruns of the show on the big screen at the historic Royal Theater, zany contests, demonstrations at the Hendricks County Historical Museum, food and vendor booths and much more. Schell and Peterson will also make appearances as will the tribute artists signing autographs, mingling with the crowd and performing on stage.
Other activities at this year’s festival include:

• Ronnie Schell Performances – Schell will present two performances at the Royal Theater. At 9:30 p.m. Saturday he will present A Serious Evening of Hilarious Comedy. Tickets are $20 each. Then on Sunday afternoon, he will entertain visitors with My Life After Gomer, which will include exclusive outtakes from his work with Jim Nabors on the TV show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Tickets for that show will be $15.
• Celebrity Basketball Game – Back for a second consecutive year, this isn’t any ordinary pick-up game inside Danville Town Hall building, which is just a couple blocks east of the square. You can bet the Tribute Artists have something up their sleeves that will make this fun for the whole family.
• Live Entertainment – Multiple bands performing bluegrass and gospel will perform both days on the free stage.
• Squad Car Nationals – Back for another year but moved to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Hendricks County Government Center, just a few blocks south of the square, this fun event is like an obstacle course on wheels.

For more information, to purchase tickets or to see the weekend’s complete schedule, visit MayberryintheMidwest.com.