Raytown

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Raytown is the fictional southern, blue collar suburban setting of the sitcom Mama's Family. According to series' star Vicki Lawrence (Schultz), Raytown is based on the town of Raytown, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. The state in which Raytown is set is never revealed.

Overview

Raytown was founded by James A. Ray after he was run out of the town he previously resided in for "religious persecution" (According to Thelma Harper, Ray was actually run of out of town on a "morals charge"). In the Season 5 episode "What a Dump", Bubba Higgins discovers that Ray died in a home located at #1 Old Decatur Road (later renamed Ray Lane). The home was eventually purchased by Carl and Thelma "Mama" Harper and was later revealed to have been a brothel. Subsequently, the Harper home was designated a historial landmark.

Raytown's longtime mayor is Alvin Tutweiler. Mayor Tutweiler is briefly relieved of his duties when, in the two part Season 2 episode "Mama for Mayor", Thelma Harper defeats him for the office. He regains the office after Thelma quickly realizes that she is not capable of fullfilling her mayoral duties. Raytown's previous mayor was Sam Lincoln who was noted for his numerous attempts to get Raytown placed on auto club maps.

While the state in which Raytown is located is never identified, it is often referred to as the "jewel of the tri-state area”. Other towns that are in the tri-state area include Bump (a town noted for consisting of only a stop sign, old homes and a speed bump), Bundy, Ceciltown, Gilmore, Hinkley, Lynchville, Watsonville, and Lee's Summit.

People from Raytown are referred to as "Raytownians" and "Raytonians"

The Official town song is "Raytown Oh Raytown"

Businesses

During the run of the series, numerous fictional businesses and landmarks of Raytown and its surrounding towns were mentioned. Many of the names incorporated "Ray" in the name (ex. The Galleraya Mall). These include:

• Atlas Storage
• The Beauty Spot

• Betty Lou's Skin Care Center

• Bernice Corporation (The parent company of Kwik Keys)
• Chester Thorton's Cars
• Dr. Bishop (Office Unknown)
• Dr. Percy (Thelma's Now Deceased Obstetrician)

• First National Bank of Raytown

• Graylawn Cemetery

• Hank Monroe's Used Cars
• Hudson Valley Community Shelter

• Jack LaRay's Health Spa

• Jiffy Lube

• Jolly Roger Boat Rentals

• Leisure Haven Retirement Home (nicknamed Leisure Hell)

• McCauley's Piano Tuning

• Mr. Fix-It

• Mutual Insurance of Raytown
• National Foods

• Ned's Gas N' Go
• Needemyer's Auto Service (not to be confused with Needemyer's Department Store)
• Oakdale Senior Arms
• Pepco Oil

• Pete's Plumbing (Pete The Plumber)

• Puente Pines Retirement Home

• Purvis Brothers Roofing

• Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls

• Ray of Hope Retirement Home

• Ray Print

• Raycorp
• Raytown City Jail
• Raytown Community Center
• Raytown Courthouse
• Raytown Library
• Raytown Medical Dental Center

• Raytown National Bank
• Raytown Post Office
• Raytown Senior Citizen Center

• Rent-a-Gent Escort Service

• Saint Ray Memorial Hospital
• Settlement Sam Travis
• Stoney Hall Insurance

• St. Phillips Adoption Agency

• Tri-State Insurance

• Tri-State Power Company

• Wellman's Funeral Home

• Willie Potts' Used Cars

Bars and taverns

• The Bigger Jigger

• The Boomerang Room

• The Pink Parrot

• Topsy Turvy Bar

• The Turn Table Lounge

Lodging and travel

• Arthur's Hideaway & Launderette

• Dixie Belle Cruise Lines
• Harper House
• Manny's Midnight Hotel
• The Motel 6

• The Ray Motel

• The Raymada Inn
• The Raytown Hilton

• Raytown Travel Agency

• The Rendezvous Motel

• Safaray Travel Agency

• St. George Hotel

• Wandering Hearts Motel

Recreation

• The Bowl-a-Rama

• The Pitch and Putt Miniature Golf Course

• The Putt Putt Miniature Golf Course

• Ray Lanes
• Raytown Rams
• Raytown Senior Citizens Center
• Raytown V.F.W. Hall
• Raytown Y.M.C.A.
• Sons of Lithuania Hall

Restaurants and eateries

• Abdul's Garden of Eating

• Al's Eating Barn

• Babylonian Roof Garden

• Baskin-Robbins

• The Burger Barn

• Burger Boy

• The Burger Bungalow

• Burger Shack

• Burger World

• Chez Ray

• The Dairy Dream

• The Donut Barn (in Hinkley)

• The Donut Hut

• The Frosty Freeze

• The Green Parrot

• The Java Hut (on Route 5)

• Kim's Chinese

• Land of Donuts (in Bundy)

• Martinelli's

• MacRay's

• Mr. Cookie

• Mr. Peavey's Market

• Pete's Pastarama

• Pizza Hut

• Ray's Malt Shop

• Shanghai Ray's

• The Taco Quickie

• The Weenie King

• The Waffle Palace
• Turn Table Lounge (on top of the Ray-Mart Building)

Stores and shopping centers

• 7-Eleven
• A&P
• Acme Hardware Store
• The AZ Drugstore
• Central Hardware

• Crazy Ray's

• The Diamond Mart (in Hinkley)

• Ed's Hardware Store (Hardware store where Ed Higgins worked)

• Food Circus (A local supermarket, where Naomi Harper works as a cashier)

• Electric City

• Galleraya Mall

• Hickory Farms

• House of Chintz
• J.C. Penney

• Jocks-R-Us
• K-Mart

• Kempers Drugs

• Kwik Keys (The shop where Vinton Harper works as a locksmith)

• Melrubes Jewelry Store

• Mr. Macho Clothing Store

• Needemyers Department Store (there's also a service station called Needemyer's Auto Service)
• Piggly Wiggly

• The Quickie Mart

• Ray Drugs

• Ray's Pawn Shop

• Ray-Mart
• Raytown Mall
• Sears
• Texaco

• Vandercleef's Jewelry
• Woolworth's

Transportation

• Beakman Bus Company
• Raycabs

• Rayhound Bus Station and Bus Line

• Raytown Public Transit Service

• Raytown Municipal Airport

• Rayvis Auto Rental

• Sunray Cab Company

• Tri-State Trolley Company

Clubs and organizations

• The Church Ladies' League (The CLL)

• The Daughters of Raytown (The DOR)
• The Exotic Order of Dames (Royal Order of The Dames)
• First Methodist Church
• The Garden Club Luncheon

• Mothers Opposing Pornography (MOP)

• Mystic Order of the Cobras

• The Poker Pals

• Quitters and Losers
• The Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls
• The Raytown Rams
• Raytown Church
• Raytown Country Club
• Raytown Beautification Society

• Sigma Alpha Pi (SAP)

• The Sons of Lithuania

Local events

• Founders' Day

• Kiwanis‘ Day picnic

• Lady Be Lovely pageants

• Miss Rayteen pageant

• Mrs. Grandma USA pageant

• Old Pioneers Day picnic
• The Daughters of Raytown Tea
• The Golden Troll
• The Peanut Festival (in Hinkley)
• The Raytown 500
• The Raytown Senior Singles Dance
• The Rose Show
• Tri-State Fair

Landmarks and attractions

• Brush Creek
• Chatland Pond

• Hot Sulfur Springs (Hot Sulphur Springs)

• Lake Crippen

• Lake Rayawachee

• Mud Lake

• Oswald Caverns (The State Mental Institution and Maximum Security Prison is nearby)

• Ray Cave

• Ray Falls

• Ray Lake

• Ray Point
• Ray Ridge
• Raytown Cemetery

• The Ray River

• The Ray River Bridge

• The Raytown Viaduct

• The Tomb of the Unknown Raytonian

Media

Local musicians

• Medication
• The Bone Crushers - All girl heavy metal trio who use power tools during their performances

• Clyde Boyle and His Raytones

• Hairballs from Hell

• Hank Wilson and His Harmonica Hepcats
• Jane McCauley-The piano tuner's daughter from the episode "Flounder's Day"
• Mama's Girls

• Monty Miller and His Musical Saw
• The Raytown Five- the trio Vinton Harper was in as teenager of which they were looking to expand.
• Spilled Brains
• Verna Mae Ray- The now deceased granddaughter of James A. Ray who previously sung the official Raytown song.
• Clyde Weston and his paddlewheel polka band.

Personalities

• Adamerle Pfefferman
• Alvin Tutwiller - Mayor of Raytown
• Captain Petey
• Big John & Big Joan McCall
• Chuck Duval the Shopper's Pal - Host of a consumer affairs show on K-RAY Radio

• Clive Montaigne - Guest director at The Pepperpot Playhouse
• Didi Mason

• Eddie Edwards - Host of Bowling for Dishes, Good Morning, Raytown and the Lady Be Lovely pageant
• Governor Speck

• Larry McCary - Rhyming weatherman and host of The Big Wheel

• Leslie LaMoyne - Actor who appeared on an episode of Tri-State’s Most Wanted
• Lloyd & Alberta Meechum
• Madam Rita

• Maggie Scott - Reporter for Ray Witness News
• Martha Paype Hines
• The Queen Bees
• The Masked Mabels
• The Raytown Poker Pals
• Matilda The Chicken

• Settlement Sam Travis (Business)
• Richard Garner - Reporter for Ray Witness News and host of Meet the Town

• Shecky Lewis - Comedian and emcee at The Bigger Jigger

• Travis - Host of K-RAY Tele-Shopper

Publications

• 101 Ways to Pregnancy
• Barnes & Harp
• Burger World Magazine
• Casanova Magazine

• The Celebrity Snooper Magazine

• The Church Chimes Newsletter

• Gun & Tire Magazine

• House Attraction Magazine

• House Beautiful Magazine

• Infant Beautiful Magazine
• Modern Psychology
• Money Matters Magazine

• Ladies Circle Magazine

• Lost Romance Magazine

• The National Informer Magazine

• The Penny Saver Newspaper

• Raytown Bugle - The local newspaper where Fran Crowley worked as a reporter

• The Raytown Courier
• The Raytown Morningstar

• The Raytown Singles  (A paper featuring lonely heart ads for single Raytown residents)

• The Thrifty Spender
• Parenting Today

Television

• Bowling for Dishes

• The Big Wheel

• Fishing With Orlando

• Good Morning, Raytown

• K-RAY Radio/TV Station

• K-RAY Tele-Shopper

• Meet the Town
• Q Ray News (Radio)

• Ray Witness News
• Raytown P.M.

• Tri-State's Most Wanted

Schools

• Edgar Allan Poe High School

• Gilmore Junior High School
• Miss Esther's Finishing School

• Raytown Junior College
• Raytown Juvenile Hall/Center

• Tommy Tanner Tap Academy

• Up, Up and Away Airline Academy

Streets and developments

• Beecher Road (in Gilmore)
• Brookside (St?)
• Eighth Street
• Elm Street
• Felbar Street
• Gregory Street
• Maple Street
• Main Street
• McClaren Road
• Ray Heights

• Ray Lane (formerly Old Decatur Road)

• Ray Meadows Housing Development

• Route 5
• Sixth Street
• Sixty-third Street

• The Wagons Ho Trailer Park
• Third Street
• West Oak

Theaters and arenas

• The Pepper Pot Playhouse

• Ray Arena

• Ray Downs Horse Track

• The Rayalto Theatre

• The Rayland Ballroom

• The Rayplex Movie Theatre

• The Bijou Theatre
• The Waldo