On Saturday, October 7, from 2-8 pm, Historic South Park invites “visiting detectives” to go back in time and help Dayton Police find a killer. “Trigger Mortis: The Gangster’s Revenge” is a guided interactive home tour.
Attendees will be led by the Chief Detective to each home on the tour where they will meet the suspects, witness scenes, ask questions, then meet over drinks to compare clues. Those who crack the case get a chance to win prizes.
The event — written, directed and acted by South Park residents — is a fundraiser for Historic South Park, Inc.
Tickets are $35 at Eventbrite.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
Our story is set in early 1930s Dayton, during the waning influence of Prohibition and the rise of the big city gangster.
Young Theodore Moore’s future was written with a gilded pen. When he inherited his father’s lucrative automotive business, his bright fortune seemed secure, even as the markets reeled from the ’29 crash.
But what was a young man going to do with a million dollars in 1930s South Park?
Well, nothing particularly good.
So when Theodore was found lying in the park gazebo after a raucous party, the neighbors thought he was just sleeping off a belly full of beer.
That is, until they saw he was also full of “lead” (bullets).
It turns out that Theo has been making all the wrong moves in a neighborhood where the rich and powerful rub shoulders with the down and out.
Crooked cops, a “hobo millionaire,” ruthless gangsters, and starry-eyed social reformers…all were promised something by Theodore.
And all were willing to kill Theo Moore to get their due.
The Dayton Police are stumped, the neighbors are on edge, and the only hope to solve this high profile case rests in a group of Private Detectives brought in from around the city of Dayton…
HOW IT WORKS
Attendees will buy tickets prior to the event for a certain time slot. Each group will have no more than 18 people. They will leave in a staggered fashion from The Home Group Realty Co. (67 Park Drive) with a neighborhood guide.
Before each group leaves, an actor (“Lead Detective”) playing a cop from the 1930s discusses general rules and gives everyone a crime dossier. The group will then go house-to-house where actors will perform a short scene and interact with the attendees. Attendees ask questions and gather clues.
House hosts (not “in character”) may be on hand to talk to attendees about their house. Then it’s on the to the next home.
At the end of the tour, attendees relax at Jimmie’s Greenhouse (24 Park Drive) with a drink and light bites and submit their guesses about the identity of the killer.
Later that evening, emails will go out to all attendees revealing the killer’s identity. We’ll hold a drawing of correct guesses and award prizes to the winners of the drawing, to be delivered or held for pickup at a local business.
Things to note:
- 13 and older only. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- There will be a lot of walking. So put on those walking shoes!
- These are old homes and there will be stairs.
- This event is a fundraiser for Historic South Park neighborhood.