Rachael Polston Named Honorary Grand Marshal of Mayberry
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
DANVILLE – A computer virus led to Rachael Polston having one of the best birthday presents ever. She got to serve as the honorary grand marshal Saturday in the parade for the Mayberry in the Midwest festival in Danville and meet two of the stars of “The Andy Griffith Show.” “It was great. It was absolutely great. They treated me like a celebrity,” Rachael said in a telephone interview this morning. Rachael, wife of Warsaw School Board Secretary Randy Polston, is a huge fan of “The Andy Griffith Show” and Mayberry. In December she had two heart attacks. After her recovery, Randy told her this was the year for living. He decided to surprise her by getting tickets for a concert in Danville featuring performances by two cast members of “The Andy Griffith Show.” Randy got online to get the tickets, but the website had a virus, Rachael explained. He called the Danville Chamber of Commerce to purchase the tickets and to let them know about the virus. During his conversation with a woman from the chamber, Randy told her how big of a fan Rachael was of the show and everything Mayberry. Two days later, when the Danville Chamber Board of Directors held a meeting, a board member suggested having a “superfan” serve as an honorary grand marshall. The woman Randy had talked with knew immediately who to invite – Rachael. She called Randy and he was thrilled. Because Rachael was selected, she got to attend the VIP Meet and Greet Dinner Friday evening with a couple stars from “The Andy Griffith Show,” including Maggie Peterson, who played Charlene Darling, and Rodney Dillard, one of the Darling Boys. Rachael said there were impersonators of characters from the show there too. The impersonator who did Barney Fife had served as Don Knotts’ driver and opened for him on stage, Rachael said. He was really good and knew all of Fife’s mannerisms, she said. Saturday morning, Rachael served as the honorary parade marshal. Peterson was the parade marshal. “It was the first time I got to ride in a Corvette,” Rachael said. “This weekend was a first for a lot of things.” Saturday night, Randy and Rachael attended the concert, with performances by Peterson and Dillard and his new band. They performed songs from the show, like “Salty Dog.” Rachael said the concert lasted about three hours. “It was just lovely. It was just absolutely wonderful,” she said. “It was the best birthday present ever,” she also stated. Her birthday is June 4.
