Murder Mystery event is a home tour depicting South Park in Dayton in the 1940s
It’s the 1940s, and a fictional controversial comedian appears to have been killed. Attendees of the South Park Murder Mystery Home Tour will need to figure out who poisoned him.
This event is Saturday, Oct. 5 with tours starting at 2 p.m. and leaving every 30 minutes until 6 p.m. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time online.
“This year we’re going to be presenting South Park as it was in the 1940s,” said Sarah Dugan, who organized the murder mystery home tour with Jeanine Gow. “We are going to be doing a very woman-centered plot because like in the 40s a lot of the men were away at war.”
Attendees will meet at Hope Lutheran Church, located at 500 Hickory St., where the “lead detective” will introduce the event, discuss general rules and give everyone a packet of information. Guides will lead attendees to six homes throughout the neighborhood — totaling about a one mile walk.
“Each place they go, they are going to need to interrogate the suspect and the suspect’s friends who are with them to figure out is that the person that had it out for this comedian,” Dugan said.
The comedian was going overseas to entertain the troops, but he was also doing some other suspicious things.
“We’re also going to be featuring some plot points like code breaking that was going on here in Dayton at the Sugar Camp area and we’ll also have a spy plot going on. There’s going to be a lot for visitors to enjoy and take in,” Dugan said.
Along the tour, attendees will see six homes featuring the many different styles of the 1940s like a Queen Anne or Eastlake house, as well as cottages and a duplex. House hosts will be on hand to talk about their homes.
The tour will end at Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, located at 905 Wayne Ave., where attendees will submit their guesses of who killed the comedian. Each ticket includes a complimentary beer or soda at the brewery, as well as snacks like popcorn and 1940s candy.
The next day, emails will go out to all attendees with the killer’s identity revealed. A random prize drawing will be held for those that guessed correctly.
“I just really love seeing people take these sketches of characters and bring them to life in their own way,” Dugan said. “Everyone gets the chance to put their own spin on the information we give them and really bring this historically-inspired person to life.”
MORE DETAILS
The murder mystery home tour is made possible with the help of nearly 60 volunteers. This event is also a fundraiser for the Historic South Park neighborhood.
This tour is for those 13 and older. For more information, visit historicsouthpark.org or the event’s Facebook page. To purchase tickets, visit theticketing.co/e/spmurdermystery.
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