Story by Joe Nelson
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown Metropolitan Theatre, in partnership with Morgantown Magazine and Visit Mountaineer Country CVB, wants residents to celebrate the life and career of a local entertainment icon.
In commemoration of the 100th birthday of Don Knotts, the annual Don Knotts Festival will be hosted from Saturday through next Wednesday where various parts of the Morgantown area will highlight the historic television actor’s Mountain State roots. This will include live performances and storytelling at The Met Theatre in downtown Morgantown from members of Knotts’ family. This will be in between the always popular reshowing of four classic Don Knotts films and a chance to see real-life locations that impacted the life of The Andy Griffith Show star.
“On Saturday, July 20, we have his brother-in-law, Daniel de Vise, coming in to talk about his book Andy and Don,” said New South Media (Morgantown Magazine parent company) founder Nikki Bowman Mills. “Share some clips from Don Knotts’ career, we have some videos, and also just to talk about his life.”
Knott’s nephew Bill Knotts and cousin Josh Knotts will perform on Monday and Tuesday, with Bill Knotts discussing the family life and early career of the five-time Emmy Award winner. Josh Knotts, a WVU graduate and illusionist, will perform a Vegas-style illusion show with large-scale sets that helped him earn the Merlin Award. The four films selected for the festival will be shown in between performances to show Knotts outside of his well known Barney Fife character, with tickets priced at $1 per person.
“We have The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, we’ve got Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, The Apple Dumpling Gang, so we’re going to be running those movies during the day on Saturday, and Sunday and Monday,” said Bowman Mills.
A Morgantown area Don Knotts-themed walking and driving tour will also be offered for anyone who wishes to learn more about Knotts outside of The Met Theatre. The tour includes over a dozen locations around Morgantown and Westover that are all within a 15-minute drive of each other. Visit Mountaineer Country CVB and Morgantown Magazine will offer interactive maps on their websites with fun facts about Knotts provided for each location.
“There’s a self-driving tour we’ve created in partnership with Visit Mountaineer Country CVB, you can go and drive and see all the places of significance to Don Knotts,” said Bowman Mills.
The Don Knotts Festival will not only coincide with the 100th birthday of the Morgantown native, but also the 100th anniversary of the Met Theatre opening its doors. To celebrate both occasions the Met will also show off historic pictures of the building, some of which involved performances with Knotts. With a chance to take a picture with the historic Don Knotts statue outside of the Met Theatre and some other Mayberry props, Morgantown area residents are encouraged to come to downtown Morgantown and celebrate the life of Don Knotts.
“Right in front of The Met, we’re going to have a squad car, harping back to Mayberry days. so you can come, get your selfie, take some pictures there,” said Bowman Mills. “Lots of fun stuff going on.”
Tickets for Daniel de Vise and Bill Knotts storytelling cost $10 per person. Tickets for the Josh Knotts illusion show cost $15.