When Life Imitates Art or Vice Versa

I recently watched an old Andy Griffith episode (yes, I’m one of those people), called “Mayberry Goes Hollywood”. It opens with the mayor and other town councilmen having a discussion with a Hollywood producer who is making a pitch to film a movie about the town. The producer falls in love with Mayberry and its people and plans to film the town “as is” because of the quality that stands out and easy-going way of life.

But everything quickly goes topsy-turvy when the councilmen along with overzealous towns people completely change all of their store fronts, dress modern, and decide that a 200-year-old oak tree had to be chopped down for the sake of being modern and upscale.

Thank goodness and with seconds to spare, the Hollywood producer stops the town leaders from chopping down the old tree. He gives them a polite tongue lashing and everyone looks embarrassed and ashamed.

I immediately saw the similarities between Mayberry and Ball Ground, Georgia, and the turn of events where everything seemed to change after the Tom Cruise movie production team finished filming in Ball Ground. Suddenly the town had money in the bank to make little improvements such as pretty sidewalks, the painted mural of the Cherokee tribe playing field hockey and the facelift to the park.

And with the improvements, came the disappearance of what makes Ball Ground special and memorable. In particular, some store fronts and long-standing community businesses were told they weren’t aesthetically pleasing and had to close shop and sell the buildings. What the local government doesn’t understand, is that it was those store fronts that got people talking about Ball Ground and drew them to spend time in the town. It was those stacked marble pieces and beautiful quartz on display, or the orange tabby cat sleeping curled up in the Haithcock Well Drilling shop window that made Ball Ground “Ball Ground”.

There are some sounds that are unforgettable, and sadly I haven’t seen since. I was on the sidewalk when I heard the clopping of hooves on the blacktop. What was the occasion? Was it a holiday that I had forgotten? No, it was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon when a gorgeous team of mules made its way down the main avenue of Ball Ground. What a sight to behold as everyone, and I mean EVERYONE stopped what they were doing and stood in awe of the team. They looked so proud and were completely at ease traveling in the traffic.

I haven’t seen the mule team in a long time. They used to drive in front of my farm weekly, but sadly that seems to have stopped largely because of the onslaught of high speeding construction traffic. With the increase sightings of expensive German sportscars, man-buns and skinny jeans, what we grew to love about Ball Ground has turned into that Andy Griffith episode. Wouldn’t it be an epiphany if the local politicians all watched that episode of Andy Griffith? Hint- hint . . . .