Monday afternoon, Americans will experience a historic event. It will be an event that has not taken place for 99 years. U.S. citizens will view the first full Solar Eclipse since 1918. The excitement brings to mind the exuberant citizens of Mayberry when the gold truck came to town.
Barney and the gold truck
The episode of "A Back Day in Mayberry," aired on the "Andy Griffith Show" on November 11, 1963. In this particular episode, a truck of gold was being rerouted through Mayberry on the way to Washington D.C. It was supposed to be a secret but deputy Barney Fife let it slip, and eventually, the entire town knew.
When the truck came down Main Street, the entire town came out to greet it. People were cheering and even holding a sign that read "Mayberry welcomes gold truck."
Unknown to Barney and the townspeople the truck was a decoy, and the gold was in a different vehicle going in another direction. Americans are purchasing special glasses, and some traveling across the country in order to view the solar eclipse. The excitement and exuberance, bring to mind that episode of "The Andy Griffith Show," from 54 years ago. It is popular and may still be seen in reruns to this day.
Big events like a gold truck and a solar eclipse bring people together
Mayberry was a fictional place in North Carolina, where the residents were overjoyed to have something big come their way.
The gold truck episode was sort of tongue in cheek, and poking fun at the mindset of small town America. In their 1963 world, the truck bearing gold was something to celebrate and an event that may not have come their way again. In 2017, a solar eclipse, where the sun will be totally obscured by the moon, is indeed something that we have not seen before in our lifetime and won't see again until 2024 in the U.S.
Such events bring people together, and for a short time, everyone can forget current situations. A small town receiving a truck of gold, headed to the U.S. Mint, was a once in a lifetime, larger than life occurrence for the town of Mayberry. The sun, the moon, and earth all in sync are the same to Americans in 2017. Perhaps there will be unity today, and Americans can for a few brief moments get a reprieve from the drama that has been unfolding daily in the White House since November.
Unfortunately, these circumstances that may bring a town or a nation together do not last long, and as soon as they are over it will be back to business as usual. We can, however, enjoy the big event that the universe has chosen to bestow on us Monday afternoon. We may not be holding signs like the townspeople of Mayberry, but in our hearts, we are, shouting to the high heavens, "America welcomes the solar eclipse."
