Andy and Helen are finally getting married and Andy is having his Bachelor party. The couple will honeymoon in Florida and Goober will be acting Sheriff. Opie will be on a camping trip and Aunt Bee is planning to leave Mayberry and live with her sister out-of-state. Sam asks Aunt Bee to move onto the farm with him and Mike, but she says her plans are made. It's the day of the wedding and Barney is best man. The happy couple leave for their honeymoon. Something the Reverend says leads Aunt Bee to change her mind about Sam's offer. But farm life might take some getting used to. Meanwhile, Howard reads a postcard from Andy to Goober and Emmett. Aunt Bee decides farm life isn't for her and Sam takes her large luggage out to the car. After speaking to Mike and looking at family pictures, Aunt Bee decides to overcome her fears and stay at the farm. We see Andy singing to Helen and then Barney is there as well.

The annual Harvest Ball is soon and the men are asking each other who they're going to take. Goober would like to take Millie Swanson, but is having a hard time asking her. Emmett writes a letter to Millie for Goober. Meanwhile, Sam would like to ask Millie to the ball as well. Goober asks Sam to rewrite Emmett's letter and Sam finds out it's to Millie. Sam has to run an errand before he can finish Goober's letter. Millie comes to Sam's office and sees the letter. She is excited because she likes Sam. Millie gets the letter in the mail but is disappointed when she sees it's from Goober. Millie's friend Dorothy is there when she reads the letter and says what a nice guy Goober is. Millie shows up to the ball with Goober. Sam is able to get a dance with Millie and Goober can see she would rather be with Sam. Goober tells Sam what he sensed and says it's OK. Goober leaves and runs into Dorothy and senses she likes him. Sam and Millie see Goober and Dorothy walking off arm in arm.

Sam's cousin, Vince, is coming to visit. He used to be a jockey but now he trains horses. The next day Vince arrives with a horse named Gingersnap. Vince says that the horse has not lived up to its potential as a race horse. He's looking to sell the horse to finance a restaurant he wants to partner in and was hoping Sam could find a buyer. Aunt Bee thinks it's a shame to turn Gingersnap into a saddle horse. Emmett tells Sam that Mr. Bowers might be interested in the horse. But Aunt Bee manages to intentionally ruin the deal. She tells Sam her intuition tells her to put the horse in a race. Sam reluctantly agrees. Aunt Bee sets things up and gets the horse into a race at Morgan Downs. The day of the race, Aunt Bee gives the Jockey a pep talk. After the race starts, Gingersnap is in last position. The horse comes from behind to win. When Vince hears the good news, he decides to keep Gingersnap.

The corn crop is coming in and Sam needs to hire someone to help him. Andy suggests using ex-prisoners from the county prison. Sam talks to Aunt Bee and she reluctantly agrees. Andy introduces Sam to Harry Davis and Charley Wilson. The men start picking corn and after a while, Sam gives them some money to run a few errands in his truck. They stop at Goober's gas station. Millie tells them that Goober's not there and they should just help themselves. They stop at Emmett's fix-it shop to pick something up for Sam. Emmett has to leave and he asks the men to watch his store. Meanwhile, Millie drops off a little more than $500 to Aunt Bee. Later, Sam and Aunt Bee find the money and car gone. Harry and Charley go to play cards with Big Louie. Andy and Sam show up and Harry and Charley say they were just trying to win the rest of the money for the pool. Big Louie gives Andy an additional $500 for the pool.

Mike sees in a catalog a silver vase that he would like to get for Aunt Bee's birthday. It seems Mike accidentally ordered a copy machine from Amalgamated Copy Machine Co. There's a 10-day free home trial. Mike decides to go into business with his friend Harold and make copies for people in town. He hopes to make enough money to buy Aunt Bee's gift. Ernie Newhouser, from Amalgamated, shows up at Sam's house. Sam manages to put off Ernie and then goes to talk to Mike. Mike figures he'll fill the order and then mail it back. But he trips over the cord and damages the machine, but it still works. Mike takes the machine to Emmett's, but he can't fix it. He then tries to get a bank loan from Cyrus Tankersley with no luck. Sam finds out about the machine and gets upset. Harold tells Sam that Mike used the machine again so he could buy Aunt Bee's gift. Understanding what Mike went through, Sam tells him he'll keep the machine.

Sam receives a letter from Jackson Television Productions. Their debate program will discuss which is better, big city or small town life. They request two citizens to come to New York City. Representing New York will be writer Harding Capehart and socialite Pamela Mason. The City Council pick Emmett and Howard to defend the honor of all small towns across America. It's the night of the show and people gather at Sam's office to watch the show. The show begins with moderator Mr. Jackson introducing the panelists. Howard concedes many of the points that the city representatives make. Emmett and the folks at home start to get frustrated with Howard's reactions. Howard returns to Mayberry an outcast and admits he got carried away on his first trip to New York. Sam sent a Manhattan newspaper an apologetic poem Howard had written about Mayberry. The paper prints the poem and Sam reads it to the Council. Everyone then forgives Howard.

Andy and Sam think it would be a good idea to have a "Civic Youth Day". They would have some children take over as Sheriff, Head of City Council and County Clerk. But just for a few hours. Mike is chosen to be Sheriff, Arnold Bailey will be Head of City Council and Martin Barton will be County Clerk. The boys study for two weeks about their jobs. On the day, Sam, Andy and Howard quickly find out that the boys know quite a bit about the jobs. Later at a luncheon, the boys are to tell what they learned that morning. The boys don't have much to say. Sam apologizes because the men really didn't give the boys the added knowledge that they obviously wanted. The boys clearly embraced their roles with far more enthusiasm than anyone thought.

Howard tells the church committee that the church is in need of funds. The problem is with the annual charity play. Howard believes the problem is that Clara, the producer, hasn't kept up with the times. Clara is not happy when she is told she will be replaced. Because she has a little theater experience, Millie is offered the job to direct "Sleeping Beauty". An old friend of Millie's named Nick comes to town. He offers her a good job in a dance production in Raleigh. Millie wants to stay in Mayberry and turns him down. Clara tells the church committee that Millie used to be a chorus girl. The Reverend suggests replacing Millie, but Sam vouches for her. Sam talks to Millie and she admits to once being a chorus girl. It's the night of the play and the show is running smoothly. The Reverend and Sam think everything will be OK. Then the play ends with Mike singing "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" and the girls do a chorus line fan dance. The audience loved it.

The town is excited about the Baseball Class "A" Excursion. While buying his ticket, Goober complains to Sam and Andy about the contents of the box lunch that will be included. Mike is excited to be going to the game. Sam becomes upset with Mike for losing a second jacket in less then 10 days. Mike has also lost several other items lately. Sam tells him that if he loses one more thing, he can't go to the game. Mike is playing baseball with some friends and he loses his watch. Mike tells Sam what happened and Mike knows he can't go to the game. Sam feels bad about enforcing his rule. It doesn't help that many townspeople are giving him a hard time about it. Andy gives Sam an idea of how he might be able to let Mike go to the game. Sam buys a similar watch and then sets it up so Mike can find it. While watching the game, Mike finds his original watch in his baseball glove. Mike realizes what his father did for him.

Mike comes home late because he got into trouble at school. The teacher thought he was peeking at a girl's answers, but he was just borrowing an eraser. He is almost done writing "I will not peak" 100 times on the board and has to finish it the next day. Sam thinks Mike should assert himself and tell the teacher he did nothing wrong. Sam drives Aunt Bee to Mount Pilot and is stopped by Officer George Hopkins. The Officer says Sam didn't signal when making a turn. Aunt Bee insists that Sam did make the signal, but Sam gets a ticket anyway. Aunt Bee tells Sam to fight it in court, but Sam would just as soon pay the ticket. Back at home, Mike reminds Sam of what he told him. In court, Officer Hopkins presents his side of the story. Aunt Bee testifies and then Goober gets up and says that the electrical system in Sam's car is working perfectly. Sam is then questioned by Prosecutor McComb and is found guilty by the Judge. But something Sam later realizes gets the Judge to change his mind.

Mailman Felton delivers a bunch of birthday cards to Emmett. Emmett tells Goober and Howard that he's going to be 50. The men tease Emmett a little bit about his age. Martha wants to throw a birthday party for him, but Emmett is against it. Realizing that Emmett is getting sensitive about his age, Goober and Howard try to cheer him up. After getting directions from Emmett, a guy on a motorcycle says "Thanks Gramps". Emmett then gets a blank card from a fortune machine. Emmett now feels worse. While looking through a movie magazine, Millie mentions to Emmett that Cary Grant is in his 60s. Now Emmett doesn't feel so bad about his age. He has a spring in his step and tells Martha he now wants a party. Emmett goes wild at his party. The next morning, he is all worn out. Sam comes by and the two have a talk that puts things in perspective.

At the county fair, Howard and Goober meet Roscoe, who booked a dog act there. He's unhappy that he no longer books people. Sam, who is the emcee, announces it's time to crown Miss Farmerette who will be queen of the fair. The winner winds up being Millie. The next day, Roscoe comes to Mayberry and tells Millie he wants to make her a movie star. Roscoe convinces Millie to do a screen test, but she doesn't have the money for it. Howard has a home movie of Millie that Roscoe thinks he can use. Roscoe sends the film to producer Frank Springer in Hollywood. Millie's scared but goes to see Mr. Carr, the casting director. Millie's reading for the part of a southern girl doesn't go well. Sam, Millie and Roscoe are at a restaurant. Roscoe is depressed and Millie is relieved. Roscoe gets excited when the beautiful Cashier has a southern accent. Sam hears from Roscoe that the Cashier got the part.

Sam tells Goober and Emmett that the high school journalism class has been assigned to interview the office holders in Mayberry. Sam meets Nancy Hughes, who is instantly attracted to him. The next day, Nancy finds Sam at the bakery and asks to interview him some more. Millie tells Sam that Nancy has a huge crush on him. Sam now tries to avoid Nancy. Goober and Emmett tease Sam about Nancy. Sam wants to tell her off but Millie and Howard think that will effect her psychologically. Howard suggests finding a younger version of Sam for her to fall for. Sam asks Emmett's nephew Pete to join him, Millie, Nancy, Howard, and Emmett at a barbecue at Myers Lake. Nancy has no interest in Pete. Howard has a direct talk with Nancy about Sam. The next day, Nancy goes to the bakery and apologizes to Sam for throwing herself at him. Nancy is now attracted to Howard. Howard tells Sam and Emmett that he told Nancy right off that he wasn't interested. It appears she is now hooking up with Pete.

Goober meets Frank Wylie, who rented the house. Frank says he's a writer and he's hoping a change of scenery will inspire his creativity. Sam comes by and tells them about Frank being a writer. The club hopes to get Frank to speak at their next meeting. The next day, Howard and Aunt Bee speak with Mrs. Audrey Wylie. Audrey accepts the invitation to speak on Frank's behalf. What the town doesn't know is that Frank writes monster comic books. Goober asks to join the literary club, but is turned down because all he's ever read is comic books. Sam feels bad about it and asks Aunt Bee to invite Goober to the next meeting. Meanwhile, Frank is having a hard time coming up with something new. Frank goes to the gas station again and Goober inadvertently gives Frank a fresh idea. It's the night of the meeting and club members are worried about Goober being there. Frank starts his speech and mentions getting inspiration from a new collaborator.

Aunt Bee is about to deposit some money in her savings account. Aunt Bee considers the Caribbean cruise she's always wanted to take. Goober, Emmett and Howard tease Aunt Bee about shipboard romances. Aunt Bee invites them to a bon voyage party on the boat. On the boat, Aunt Bee's friends point out some of the men on board. Aunt Bee mistakes Captain Charles Wolford or a steward. Aunt Bee befriends two other older ladies, Blanche Wilkins and Amelia Turner. Aunt Bee runs into Charles and accepts his invitation for coffee in the officers lounge. They wind up spending a lot of time together on the trip. Aunt Bee writes back home about Charles. Charles tells Aunt Bee that he is going to retire after this trip and hopes to settle down on a farm somewhere. Her two week trip is over and Aunt Bee returns home. She tells her friends that Charles proposed and she accepted. Aunt Bee receives a telegram from Charles saying he'll be arriving in Mayberry in a week.

Aunt Bee's friend Ella comes by and wants to hear all about Charles. Aunt Bee is planning an engagement reception. Meanwhile, Howard, Goober and Emmett are concerned that Aunt Bee may have rushed into the engagement. They don't trust Charles and will keep an eye on him at the party. It's the night of the reception and the towns people get to meet Charles. He claims he'll take good care of Aunt Bee. The next day Charles and Aunt Bee look at a farm and set the date for the wedding. Aunt Bee sees a TV show about a sea captain talking to his girlfriend. The captain says that the sea will always be a part of him. Aunt Bee starts to wonder whether Charles will some day want to return to the sea. Little things that Charles does makes Aunt Bee even more concerned. At the wedding rehearsal, Aunt Bee says she wants to postpone the wedding.

Sam and Howard meet with principal Mr. Adams and Mrs. Corcoran. Mrs. Corcoran is concerned with the rise of minor traffic accidents and violations occurring among the teenagers in Mayberry. She recommends a drivers education course be instituted. Sam recommends Goober. Goober meets with Mr. Adams and accepts the job. One day while backing out of a tight spot in the parking lot, Goober backs into Mr. Adams' beloved car, badly damaging it. Goober admits to Mr. Adams what happened and Mr. Adams can't believe his driving instructor caused the damage. Emmett tells Goober he should quit before he gets fired. Goober lets Howard and Sam know he's quitting. Sam says he'll talk to Mr. Adams first. Mr. Adams tells Sam he's willing to overlook the accident. But, Mrs. Corcoran and some of the other parents want to hold a meeting about the incident. At the meeting, Mrs. Corcoran insists that Goober be replaced.

Howard's been dating a woman named Grace and they are really getting along. But Howard tells Sam that there seems to be something missing. Grace tells Millie the same thing. The next day, Howard decides there should be common interests between him and Grace. He tells Sam that during their date that night, he will ask her about her hobbies. When asked, Grace tells Howard her hobby is skydiving. At the Mt. Pilot Airport, Howard gets a lesson in skydiving from Chuck. Grace is thrilled that Howard is taking the lessons. Sam can tell that Howard is nervous about his first jump and tells him he doesn't have to go through with it. It's the day of the jump and Goober and Emmett are not helping to ease Howard's nerves. Howard makes the jump and all his friends congratulate him. The next day, Howard tells Sam that he should be in good with Grace now. Grace then pulls up on a motorcycle she just bought. She tells Howard that he'll love riding and should get one of his own.

Sam, Howard, Emmett and Goober are making plans for their camping trip. Meanwhile, Mike and his friend Harold have a major argument. It's been several days and the boys are still not speaking. Howard suggests that they take the boys on the trip so they can see the meaning of friendship. The boys agree to go, as long as they don't have to speak to each other. They arrive at the camp site and the men immediately try to show what doing things together as friends is like. It's not long before the men start bickering with each other. That night, it's starts to storm and everyone is confined to the camper. The men continue to snap at one another, while Sam tries to keep the peace. The boys are watching all this and ask Sam why they are fighting. Sam tries to down play what's going on and sends the boys off to bed. The boys are starting have fun watching the men annoy each other and they become friends again. Sam has had enough and wants to drive home, but the camper is stuck in the mud.

Sam was experimenting growing string beans, but his crop turned out very poorly. Sam consults with his friend Ralph Barton, but Ralph has no answers. He then talks to Harry at the lawn and garden shop in town, but he's no help. Meanwhile, Millie is growing string beans in her backyard garden. Sam later sees Millie's beans and asks her what she did to get them to grow so well. Turns out Millie did nothing special but water them. Sam gets irritated when Millie sees a bucket of his tiny shriveled up beans. That night Sam and Millie are double dating with Goober and Marilyn. Sam becomes annoyed when Goober keeps complimenting Millie's beans. Mike talks to Millie about her fight with Sam and her beans. Later, Mike tells Sam that Millie talks to her beans. Ralph sees Sam talking to his beans and tells Sam something that makes him feel better. Sam apologizes to Millie and brings her some of his tomato crop. After he leaves, she compares his tomatoes to hers and hers are bigger.

Harvey Smithers is opening a new pet shop in Mayberry. Harvey is moving his business from the smaller town of Blue Hill. Mike asks Sam if he can have a dog, but Sam says he's not responsible enough. Mike visits the pet shop and befriends a mutt there. He asks Harvey if he could have a job there after school and on weekends. Harvey wants Mike to get Sam's permission. Mike talks to Aunt Bee and the two of them convince Sam to let Mike have the job. While at work, Mike tries to talk people into buying the mutt. Aunt Bee, Mike and Millie finally get Sam to agree to Mike having a dog. Mike brings the mutt home and names him Fritz. But, they soon learn that he is allergic to the dog. At the pet shop, Aunt Bee embellishes the dog's background and talks Howard into taking Fritz.

Ken Marshall, a district sales manager with the ACME Refining Company, is looking for Goober. Ken doesn't like the way Goober runs his station. Profits haven't increased and Goober's appearance doesn't fit with ACME's image. If things don't improve, ACME will take away Goober's franchise. Later, Emmett comes by the station and makes fun of Goober's white uniform and cap. Emmett is just there for a visit and gets annoyed when Goober starts checking things on his car. Goober tells Sam that he's not enjoying his work anymore with all the new rules. Howard tells Sam and Emmett that Goober shut down the station. Howard is worried that without a gas station the town will slowly fall apart. Sam can sense that Goober isn't doing well with this new job. While getting air at the gas station, Sam runs into G.B. Smith. Smith asks Sam why the station shut down and Sam tells him what happened. Turns out Smith is the president of ACME and he wants Goober to run the station the way he used to.

Emmett has Sam, Howard and Goober at his shop and has them watch him burn his paid mortgage contract. Emmett also tells them that he is retiring. Martha is surprised when Emmett tells her the news. He also says that they'll take a trip to Washington, D.C. But they no sooner get to D.C. when Emmett says it's time to go home. Back in Mayberry, Emmett tries to fill his time with fishing and other activities. Martha runs into Sam and tells him that Emmett can't seem to find enough things to do. Sam says it might just take time to adjust. Goober loses his patience with Emmett when Emmett hangs around the gas station and tells Goober how to do things. Sam, Howard and Goober find a way to get Emmett back in the fix-it business and still save face.

Millie is talking on the phone with her friend Renee Miller. Millie has to work, so she asks Sam to show Renee around town so she won't be lonely. When Sam and Renee get back to Millie's house, Millie is coming down with a cold. Millie now asks Sam to take Renee to the movies that evening. Millie is a little surprised at how excited Renee is about going out with Sam. Renee asks Sam to stay a while and they talk into the evening. Millie starts to get a little jealous and comes downstairs. After Sam leaves, Renee asks Millie if her and Sam are engaged, to which Millie says no. The next day, Renee comes out to Sam's farm. Later, Renee tells Millie how nice country life is. Millie tells Aunt Bee that she regrets asking Renee to come for the visit and she can tell Renee likes Sam. Aunt Bee has a plan and tells Millie to invite Renee over to Sam's for dinner. Aunt Bee exaggerates how hard farm life is to Renee. Renee tells everyone that she's going back to New York.

Sam returns from Siler City and tells Howard that Rev. Bickford's church has a bell for sale. Mayberry's church doesn't have a bell. Howard is the church treasurer and wants to call a committee meeting to get their opinion. Millie, who is co-treasurer, says the church can only afford $150. Rev. Bickford would love to sell the bell, but tells his committee they should not seem too anxious. When the two parties get together, Rev. Bickford asks $200 for the bell. Sam offers $150 which Rev. Bickford quickly rejects. Rev. Bickford finally accepts the $150 offer. Sam has bad news for the committee. It seems that Lucius Fremont owned the land under the church. He donated the land to the church provided that a bell never be hung there in his lifetime. He tells Sam his reason for not wanting the bell. It seems many years ago he was stood up by his bride on their wedding day at that church. The bell ringing would remind him of that day. Lucius finds a way for the church to keep it's bell.

Mayberry gets an invitation to join a sister city program by the United States government. The city council approves of the idea and is then to arrange for a delegation from their Mexican sister city, Puerto Bello, to visit Mayberry. Mayor Juan Nunez and Pablo Santos arrive in town. Juan presents the town with a very expensive looking goblet. Sam has the men over for what he thought would be a simple lunch. But Aunt Bee has a fancy meal served with Goober as the butler. While the men are outside, Sam tells Aunt Bee that she shouldn't be putting on airs the way she is. Aunt Bee says they must come from a very rich town and they should be treated that way. Sam overhears the men talking about how impressed they are with Mayberry. Sam also hears that they spent half the town treasury to buy the goblet. He tells Aunt Bee what he heard. That night at the ball, Aunt Bee finds a gracious way to return the goblet and she presents her sign to Mayor Nunez.

Aunt Bee and Sam prepare for a visit from Andy and Helen and their new baby, Andy Jr. After they arrive, Howard, Goober, and Emmett come by to see the baby. Goober, then Emmett and then Howard, each hint that they would like to be the Godfather. After they find out that Sam is chosen, the men are upset because they all feel they are closer to Andy. Andy notices that the three men have become very cold and distant to him. They're also distant to Sam. Andy suggests having four Godfathers and the men agree. But then the three fight over who will be the spokesman at church. It's the day of the christening and it still hasn't been decided who will be the spokesman. When the Reverend asks for the spokesman, all four men come up. Despite things being very unorthodox, the Reverend smooths things over. Later, Mike wonders why he doesn't have four Godfathers and Sam has to rectify the situation.

Mr. Morelli announces that he will be closing his restaurant due to the lack of customers. He says that everyone is going to Pagano's in Mt. Pilot because they feature a floor show. Howard and Millie offer to help by going to Raleigh to hire an act from Charley Pierce's theatrical agency. They hire a local act known as the Claghorn Brothers. Word spreads and Mr. Morelli is expecting a large crowd. But then the Claghorn Brothers cancel due to a family emergency. Because it's the last minute, Howard can't find another act. Sam used to entertain when he was in the Army and Howard and Millie hope he will help. Sam says that it's been too long since he did that type of entertaining and turns them down. Everyone is now upset with Sam. Sam changes his mind and that night he performs as a song and dance scarecrow.

"The Carolina Pen and Quill", the state literary magazine, sends a letter to Howard. The magazine is initiating a new poetry section for native North Carolina poets. They would like to commission him to write an original poem for the page. Some time passes and everyone is wondering how Howard's poem is coming along. The reality of it is that Howard is suffering from writer's block. Sam comes by Howard's office and reminds him of the deadline for the poem. Now his writer's block gets even worse. After hearing that he isn't eating, Aunt Bee brings Howard some food. But her being around is distracting Howard. Howard's friends start to realize the pressure he is under. Howard goes out to the woods to get some inspiration. Goober comes by and tries to give Howard a pep talk, but Howard just wants him to leave. Later, Howard believes he's a failure and tells this to Sam. Howard winds up writing a poem about failure and it gets published.

Goober is upset over his bill from the Mt. Pilot telephone company for calls he didn't make. Sam drives Goober to Mt. Pilot and Goober speaks with Violet Henderson from the company. It's Saturday and Sam and Millie double date with Goober and Violet. A man makes a pass at Violet and Goober goes to intercede. The man punches Goober in the stomach and Violet uses her judo skills to throw the man to the floor. An embarrassed Goober asks Sam to take Violet home and leaves. Word gets around and Goober thinks the whole town is laughing at him. Violet comes by to talk to Sam and Millie shows up saying Goober is selling his gas station. Sam talks to Goober and says to show people he's not afraid, he should take Violet to Morelli's again. At Morelli's, Goober starts an argument at the jukebox with a man named Jim.

Millie visits a dress shop in Mt. Pilot that is run by her friend Emma Whittaker. Millie tries on a new line of dresses and is introduced to their designer, Miss Rogers. Miss Rogers likes Millie's freshness and asks her to come to New York for a month to model the line for fashion magazines. Millie is excited and accepts the offer. It's been a week and Mr. Felton, the mailman, finally brings a card from Millie. She's been busy and has met a sculptor. Another week passes with no word from Millie. Sam goes to see Millie and Thornton Avery, the photographer, is not happy that Sam interrupted the photo shoot. Sam doesn't really get to talk to Millie as she is busy. Then the two go to a party that night. Sam finally gets a quiet moment with Millie. She says that while she's had fun, she can't wait to get back home.

Mike is planning on having a birthday party with no girls invited. Sally, a new girl in town, is having a birthday party on the same day as Mike and she is inviting the boys. Many of the boys tell Sally they can't make it to her party as they are going to Mike's. As a way to entice the boys to come to her party, Sally mentions all the sports related prizes she will have. Harold finds out that Mike's prizes are nowhere near as nice. Boys start to cancel out on Mike. Mike suggests to Sam that they get better prizes, but Sam says that would just be buying friendship. Mike decides to call off his party. Goober and Howard think Mike should have entertainment at his party. Goober could do magic tricks and Howard will show travel movies. But the boys are not impressed. Sally tells Mike that she is cancelling her party because her father says that giving away those expensive prizes is just buying friendship. Mike suggests that they combine their parties.

Sam tells housekeeper Flora that he was chosen to be part of a Farmer Exchange Project with Russia. Professor Luboff is to spend two weeks with Sam. Everyone is surprised when Professor Luboff turns out to be Professor Tanya Luboff, a woman. Tanya is very proper and reserved and tells Sam and Millie that she was the only woman picked for the exchange project. Millie thinks she might have a good time at the dance on Saturday and asks Sam to get a date for Tanya. Sam talks a reluctant Howard into taking her to the dance. That night when Howard asks Tanya to be his date, she politely turns him down. She later overhears Flora telling Sam and Howard that Tanya hasn't discovered that it's fun to be a woman. Millie talks Tanya into going to the dance and helps her get ready clothes and hair wise. She also gives Tanya advice on how to act. It's the night of the dance and Sam and Millie arrive with a beautiful looking Tanya. Tanya dances with several men and has a great time.

Howard complains to Sam about the lack of new residents and wants to hold a special city council meeting concerning Goober. The council says that Goober is going to sheriff's academy two nights a month and worked under Andy. The men vote down Howard's motion to hire a sheriff. Emmett inadvertently tells Goober about the meeting and Goober is now upset. Howard comes up with a plan to stage a bank robbery. He wears a stocking to disguise his face and uses a water gun to hold up the teller, Hilda, and leaves with a bag of money. Howard gets into his car but it won't start. As Goober comes over to talk to Howard, Hilda comes out and points out Howard as the robber. Goober arrests Howard and many of the townsfolk see Goober take Howard to jail. From his jail cell, Howard tries to explain himself to Goober and the two start to argue. Sam holds another council meeting at the court house. At the meeting, Sam uses some psychology to get Goober and Howard to be friends again.

Sam hires a new farmhand, Rudy Harwell, to help harvest his corn crops. Emmett mentions to Sam how impressed Mike is with Rudy. Even Flora sees how much Mike admires Rudy. Flora tells Sam he should spend more time with Mike. She is afraid Mike is beginning to enjoy being around Rudy more than him. The next day, Sam takes Mike into town, but Mike doesn't seem to have much fun. Flora tries to tell Rudy how close Sam and Mike are. Back at home, Sam and Mike try to put a model car together. Things don't go smoothly and then Rudy comes in and finishes the model. Mike goes off with Rudy. Later, Mike is having a hard time with a composition for school. Flora tells him to ask Sam for help, but he goes to Rudy instead. Rudy intentionally gives Mike bad advice hoping he will then turn to Sam. Mike does go to Sam and tells him about the bad advice Rudy gave him. The corn crop is harvested and Rudy leaves. It's then that Sam figures out that Rudy wanted Mike to be close to his father.

Aunt Bee's friend Selma Plunkett is coming for a visit. Selma invites Aunt Bee, Sam, and Mike to stay at their Palm Springs home for a couple weeks while they're in Europe. At first they decline the offer, but Selma talks them into it. Goober, Howard, Emmett and Millie come by to say hello to Selma. Selma says it's a 5 bedroom house, so they all should go. Everyone makes arrangements to go and Sam just has to go to school to get Mike out of class. Mike informs Sam that he's flunking arithmetic because of his problem with fractions. Mike's teacher tells Sam that there will be another test in one week and if Mike can get a better grade, she wouldn't mind if he went on the trip. Everyone tries working with Mike, but things don't go that well. It's the day of the test and Mike isn't very confident. Everyone is thrilled when they learn Mike did well on the test. They plan to leave the next morning.

The group arrive in Palm Springs and then head to Selma's house. The home is large and beautiful. Howard and Goober wind up having to share a room. Millie comes back from town saying she saw Rock Hudson. By the pool, Howard gets upset when Goober gets him wet. Their bickering continues that night while they're in their bedroom trying to sleep. The next morning Goober and Howard are still getting on each other's nerves. The others notice this and hope it won't ruin the vacation. Sam rents a Dune buggy and he, Millie, Howard and Goober go riding in the desert. Goober and Howard are still not getting along. They run out of gas and fortunately another driver comes by. Sam and Millie go with the driver to get gas after Goober and Howard insist on staying behind. The two start to worry when it seems that Sam has been gone longer than it should've taken. The men start to confess things to each other and become friends again.

Sam runs into an old war buddy named Charlie Harris. Charlie is a golf pro at one of the local clubs. He invites Sam and Millie over to the driving range for some lessons. After some time on the range, Sam remembers that they have to pick up Goober and Mike from the movies. Millie would like to stay, so Charlie offers to drive her back. Later, when Charlie brings Millie home, he tells her she's beautiful and kisses her. Goobers at the door and happens to see this, but he doesn't see her slap Charlie. Millie tells Goober not to say anything to Sam. Millie finally tells Sam what happened and he just laughs it off saying that's the same old Charlie. This makes Millie furious and she feels she's being taken for granted. Wanting to show Sam, Millie goes to ask Charlie for a date. He says that she's "Sam's girl" and he's apologizes for what he did. Millie decides to make it look to Sam as though she's going out on a date. She spends the night at a malt shop.

Howard meets Walter Michaels, a neighbor and realizes he's a big Hollywood producer. Howard, Emmett, Goober, Sam and Mike then head off to a cowboy breakfast horse ride. A cowboy then sings a song for entertainment and Emmett recognizes him as former singing cowboy movie actor King Beaumont. King comes by with a movie script he wrote for a Western that he would like Howard to give to Walter. Howard reads the script to the others and decides to set up a meeting with King and Walter. Sam thinks Howard might be getting in over his head. The next day, Howard talks to Walter and he reluctantly agrees to have a meeting later that day. That afternoon, King comes by with his partners Jennie Mae Swanson (Jeanne Bates) and Shorty Williams and they meet Walter. The three perform a scene from the film. Walter doesn't seem impressed and he says the time might not be right for a film like that. Walter leaves and King thanks the guys for trying. King then sings Red River Valley.

Goober is at the bus stop waiting for his niece Beverly to arrive. Beverly is at Goober's gas station when she meets Tommy and they both seem to like each other. Tommy talks to Millie about Beverly. He would like to ask her to the Siler City high school dance but he's never asked a girl for a date. Tommy calls and Goober answers the phone. When Goober finds out what Tommy wants, he rudely tells him Beverly can't go out with him and hangs up. Millie and Beverly overhear the conversation and Beverly gets upset. Millie and Sam talk Goober into letting Beverly go with Tommy. It's the night of the dance and Goober gives Tommy a specific time to have Beverly home. On the way back from the dance, Tommy runs out of gas. Tommy calls but Goober doesn't believe that's what happened. When the kids get home, Goober loses his cool and chases Tommy away. Beverly stops talking to Goober. Goober finds a way to make things right.

While tossing a football with Sam at Goober's service station, Emmett falls into the grease pit. The guys take Emmett to the Doctor and learn he broke his arm. He'll have to wear a cast for 5-6 weeks. Emmett is worried about having to close his shop. Not wanting to leave the town without a fix-it shop, Emmett puts an add in the paper for help. A scientifically-minded high school boy named Ernie applies for the job. Emmett at first turns him down, but then hires him. Emmett soon learns that Ernie is very skilled at fixing things. Word spreads around town about how talented Ernie is and now everyone is bringing in things to be fixed by him. A depressed Emmett tells Sam that he's closing up shop and leaving Mayberry. He says his shop just isn't the same anymore. Sam tells Emmett that even he has to try and keep up with new things and methods. After Emmett leaves, Sam calls the high school. Emmett winds up joining Mr. Desmond's science class at the school.

J.P. Judson, a haggard old man, arrives at the farm. He tells Aunt Bea that he's a Dowser and can find water with a divining rod. She offers him a room in the barn until Sam comes home the next day. Sam comes home and tells Aunt Bea that he hired a company and their geologist will be there in the morning. She talks Sam into letting Judson stay to watch the geologist. Mr. Harris arrives and finds a spot were he'd like to start drilling. Judson checks the spot out and says they won't get any water there. Harris drills anyway, but comes up dry. Later, Judson claims to have found a spot and only wants $50 to show Sam where it's at. Sam says he's going to stick with Mr. Harris. The next day Sam tries using a diving rod and Aunt Bea sees him. But he's still going with Mr. Harris. Harris drills another hole and comes up dry again. Harris bets Judson that he can't find water and Judson tells Harris to keep drilling where they are. Harris drills another 20 feet and they hit water.

Emmett and Martha's wedding anniversary is coming up. He wants to take her engagement ring to Mt. Pilot to be cleaned. Emmett mentions to Sam, Howard and Goober that a he ran into Wendell, a stockbroker friend of his. Wendell gave Emmett a "sure thing" insider tip on a planned merger between two companies. In Mt. Pilot, Mr. Peterson, the Jeweler, tells Emmett that the ring is now worth $1,500. Emmett notices a $35 synthetic diamond that looks identical to Martha's. Emmett tells Sam and Howard how he pawned Martha's diamond for $1100 and had Wendell buy stock in the company. Emmett learns that the merger didn't go through. He tries to tell Martha what he did, but can't bring himself to do it. And he finds out he'll only get $400 for his stock. Sam, Goober, and Howard bring Emmett and Martha an electric blanket as a gift. Mr. Finletter calls and tells Martha that the ring is worth $35. Emmett finally tells Martha what he did.

Goober receives a letter from his older brother Braden that he is returning to his hometown for a visit. Braden joined the Navy nearly 20 years ago and stayed in California. Goober believes he works in a factory and probably had to save up for this trip. He hopes Braden will be impressed with the fact that he owns his own gas station. In reality, Braden is a successful and important engineer in the government's space program. Goober arranges a dinner party for when Braden arrives. When Braden sees Goobers room, he decides to not tell Goober about his job. At dinner Braden receives an call from his job and the men discover he's an engineer. The waitress says that he also has calls from Washington D.C. and NASA. Sam then remembers reading about Braden and the space program. This makes Goober feel inferior, and something Emmett says makes Goober feel even worse.

Aunt Bee, Sam and Mike stop at a spot in Grover's woods that she is quite fond of. Sam tells her that the county is putting a road through there to make a shortcut from the highway to Mayberry. Aunt Bee and the garden club decide to send Sam to the County Seat to protest. Sam at first turns her down as he believes the road will be a good thing. But he reluctantly agrees to go to Mt. Pilot. Sam, Clara and Aunt Bee go to see Commissioner Osborne. Osborne tells them the road has to be built. The day that construction is to start, the ladies arrive to protest and block the tractors from going through. Osborne tells the ladies the project will be temporarily postponed while he looks into the matter. Osborne comes up with a plan to put the road in without cutting down a tree. Howard figures out that will make the shortcut a half mile longer than the current road.

Millie tells Aunt Bee that she would like to go stay at a fancy hotel in Charlotte with Sam. Sam comes home and tells Millie they're going camping with Howard and Barbara Evans. Sam doesn't know that Millie hates camping. After she hears how Barbara loves fishing, hiking and camping, Millie decides she better go. Howard falls and tears a ligament in his foot while gathering firewood. Millie begins to feel out of place seeing Barbara's outdoor know-how. And it doesn't help that Sam and Barbara get along so well. No matter how hard Millie tries, she's just can't compete with Barbara. The next morning, Sam and Barbara go off fishing before Millie wakes up. Millie gets upset and tells Howard she's taking Sam's truck and going home. Back at home, Millie tells Aunt Bee how she ruined the trip. Because she's a better "indoors" person, Aunt Bee thinks Millie should host a dinner party for Sam, Howard and Barbara and show off her talents.

Millie receives a letter from Rex Alexander, a famous sculptor she met while modeling in New York. After Rex arrives, Millie throws a tea party to have some of the towns people meet him. Rex has been in town for a week and has grown quite fond of the place. He tells Sam and Millie he would like to create a sculpture for the town as a gift. The piece is called "The Struggle" and the crowd looks at it in awkward silence. After the crowd disperses, Rex is worried the people don't like it. Sam and Millie try to reassure him that everyone loves it. It's decided that Howard would subtly try to find out from Rex what the piece represents. Rex says that it represents man against machine. Aunt Bee introduces Anthony Harper, a curator from the Raleigh Art Museum. The plan is that the sculpture will be permanently loaned to the museum so that many more people will be able to enjoy it.

At their lodge finance meeting, Sam discusses their new health insurance plan. It will only increase dues $8 a month and all bills will be paid by the lodge. Later, Howard tells Sam that his doctor suggests he have an operation to correct his deviated septum. Elmo finds the timing of this operation very suspicious. Emmett and Goober confront Howard and call him a crook. They go with to the hospital to make sure Howard doesn't pad the bill. Emmett and Goober then ask Dr. Wilson about some of the expenses of the operation. Emmett and Goober decide to go see Howard at checkout time to make sure he doesn't stay longer than he should. The lodge meets and learns the health fund is heavily depleted. Goober suggests if Howard doesn't have appendicitis the lodge shouldn't pay for the extra day. Howard is out of the hospital. Goober doesn't believe someone can develop symptoms just by talking about it. Then Sam mentions hives and Goober starts itching.

Millie and Clara compete for the honor of appearing as a pioneer woman on a parade float.

Everybody thinks Goober is going to Hawaii

Millie doesn't know that her new employeers are actually bookies

Mike loses Howard's prized mynah bird. Final appearance of Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee.

Emmett's wife joins a women's lib group.

An encounter group comes to Mayberry

Goober finally opens his new gas station in Mayberry! Everything goes fine and dandy until Howard discovers some old reltics under the gas station- DINOSAUR BONES! He is eager to recover them, but recovering them would mean tearing parts of the road around the gas station, and Goober won't allow it! Howard wants to make a mueseum with these bones, but wants to get all of them, so he sneaks to the gas station in the middle of the night. And he's caught! Gooober almost presses charges! Howard then opens the first natural science muesum ever in Mayberry, but it's a bust, because most of the bones from the dinosaur are still buried. Seeing how upset Howard is, Goober has the other bones recovered and all is once again well in Mayberry.

Sam gets a new housekeeper, a former Army officer

Sam and Emmett help put on a show for the church.

Emmett tries to look young by buying a Toupee

Great news comes from the Mt.Pilot Press....Millie is declared the best dressed woman in ALL of the area! Everyone is very happy about this. Soon, the woman start copying Millie's styles and clothing she wears...including miniskits! The men strongly object, and Sam must tell Millie to stop. That night, the woman who she has been getting the fashions visits....and is in completly different clothes! Millie finds out that you should wear what you want to wear in this episode.

Howard's hippie nephew visits him

Goober housesits at a rich man's house, and falls in love with a rich girl, only to find out the only reason the girl's mother likes him is because she thinks he's rich.

Howard is made very jumpy at Sam and his camping trip, due to Millie having bad dreams about the trip.

Goober, Howard, and Emmett paint Sam's house against his wishes.

Alice buys a harp, and gets lessons. Her teacher makes her very nervous and she almost gives up on the instrument.

The men make a bicycle club without telling Emmett. When Emmett finds out about it from Millie, he's determined to show them that he can still shine at his age.

Sam's help on Mike's Project goes overboard when he gets into a dispuit with another boy's father.

Howard becomes to hose of a local literary program and becomes attached to an anonymous girl named Melissa whom Goober and Emmett created

Millie opens up and Egg Farm and finds it very hard work.

Mike becomes the foster father of a little girl in Hong Kong

Sam gets his friend at NASA to bring the moon rock to Mayberry so Howard can have a private showing.

Emmett designs a cheap European tour for his wife.

Goober is elected a church elder, only to be caught in a scandal in which he used the church money for gambling.

Alice's harp teacher asks her to marry him.

Howard moves into a swinging singles apartment

Sam lets Mike buy Goober's old car.

Goober gets lost in a cave.

When the representative of the company City Planners turns out to be an attractive woman, everyone worries about Sam spending so much time with her.

A large company wants to buy the rights to Emmett's old invention