Monday Memories - Supper Sleuths

Calvin and I belong to an empty-nester's family home evening group; that means one Monday evening a month we get together and visit, learn/do something, and eat.  I've always thought a murder-mystery-dinner sounded like fun.  Last night when it was our turn to host, Calvin and I figured this was a good group to do it with.

Oh man.  It was great.  It was fun.  It was funny.

The setting of the mystery was the Hickleberry County Fair.

The head auctioneer was shot in the outhouse during the fireworks finale.  Here are the suspects to the murder:

Cali brought Levin to stay with us this week while she goes on a business trip with Ray, and they got here
just in time to be a part of the party.  Levin was the official greeter; he was not a suspect.

Cali was J.L Macabee, the son of a carnie, and a truckdriver just passing through Hickleberry.  Some say he used to be in jail.

(thanks for the picture Maxine)

Calvin was Ida Witherspoon, notorious town gossip and reigning berry pie champ.  She was fairly harmless (but scared the lights out of Levin).

(thanks for the picture Maxine)

Garf was Chester Finkowski, an Elvis impersonator.  (See that bag?  He even brought Elvis dvd's to sell.)  He would not let Elvis die and used his microphone all night long.  Chester may have lost touch with reality, but he never quit loving the dead auctioneer's wife.

Maxine was Madam Mono Soothini, a mysterious gypsy fortune teller.  You can't see the rhinestones she had on her face, nor can you hear her muttering fortunes (I wish you could), she mumbled them all night long.

(thanks for the picture Maxine)

Jeanne was Cindy Sue Sweetly, last year's "Berry-Beauty" queen who lost her tiara to the auctioneer's daughter this year.  She looks sweet, but she's manipulative and conniving and miffed (think Tonya Harding).

Doyle was William B. Lackhart, the mayor.  All he wanted was votes.  The auctioneer was competition.  He also lacks-heart.

(thanks for the picture Maxine)

Carol was Tiffany Ann Canterway, a snobish horsewoman and owner of the town stables.  She was in financial trouble and it was rumored the auctioneer had taken over her business and planned to build a car lot on the property.

Marlo was Travis Buckland, a good ol' boy looking for thrills.  Murder would qualify.  He was not to be trusted.

Brent (not shown) was Gus Lavoni, the janitor.  And he was a funny one.  I would imagine this kind of party was out of Brent's comfort zone, but his comments and the way he played his character were perfect . . . and funny.

Nesha (not shown) played Pat Barnheart, the stable hand to Tiffany Ann.  Her character's job was to keep people laughing.  She played it well.  Nesha is naturally witty, but she brought horse joke after horse joke to tell and the cornier they were the more we laughed.

(thanks for the picture Maxine)
Starting at the left of the table:  Brent, Jeanne, Nesha, Calvin, Garf, Doyle, Cali, Marlo, Carol, and Maxine

To play out all the parts we needed a four course meal so we had mini-corndogs, tater tots, and mozzarella cheese stick kabobs for appetizers, a green salad for the soup/salad course, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and chips for the main course, and Ida's berry pie a la mode for dessert.   We also danced the hokey pokey and the patty cake polka.

What a great time we had.  I'm game for another one.