The Board has not opened this planning option to the public. Visit the Events page for confirmed programs.
Return to EventsPlanning concept
An eight-character, room-to-room historical mystery dinner fundraiser concept. No date, venue, tickets, or registration are currently announced.
Historical integrity note: This is a fictional dramatization inspired by a local story about Jesse and Frank James dining at Judge Johnston's house. The alleged visit, proposed bank robbery, dinner, and piano episode must be described as local tradition unless reliable sources support individual details.
During an unexpectedly gracious dinner, the county bank ledger vanishes from Judge Johnston's study. A folded route map appears beneath the piano bench. Guests question one character in each room and decide who hid the ledger, why the bank was never robbed, and which guest played the song that changed the evening.
Suggested format: Eight groups begin in different rooms and rotate every ten minutes. Each actor delivers a two-minute scene, answers only from the character card, and gives the group one clue. Schedule meal service and attendance only after staff, venue, accessibility, and safety confirmation.
1 · Front parlor
Public story: A careful host determined to preserve civility. He says the ledger was in his study before dinner.
Private clue: He invited the banker to discuss a disputed property entry, not money. He heard an unfamiliar tune from the music room at 8:15.
2 · Dining room
Public story: A gracious hostess who refuses to let fear ruin her table.
Private clue: She overheard talk of the bank route and quietly moved the ledger. She admits it only when shown the torn blue ribbon.
3 · Music room
Public story: The quieter brother, observant and unexpectedly comfortable at the piano.
Private clue: He played a hymn to calm the room. The route map under the bench is a discarded decoy, not a final plan.
4 · Library
Public story: Restless, charming, and irritated that dinner has delayed the road.
Private clue: He considered the bank only as rumor; the warm welcome and visible town activity made the idea foolish. He never entered the study.
5 · Study
Public story: A nervous banker who insists the missing ledger proves a robbery plot.
Private clue: He brought a copied route map to impress the Judge, then lost it. His panic created the rumor he feared.
6 · Kitchen
Public story: She sees every tray, door, and hurried whisper.
Private clue: Mrs. Johnston entered the pantry carrying a large book wrapped in a blue cloth. Eliza protected her confidence.
7 · Veranda
Public story: A physician delayed by weather who watches people more closely than objects.
Private clue: At the time of the disappearance, Jesse was on the veranda and Frank was at the piano. The banker was searching his own coat for the map.
8 · Carriage house
Public story: He knows which horses were ready and which guests planned to leave.
Private clue: No horse was prepared for a rapid bank escape. He found the other half of the blue ribbon beside the pantry door.
Host reveal
Mrs. Johnston hid the ledger in the pantry flour tin after overhearing Silas discuss the route map. Silas created the map as a boastful security exercise and then misplaced it beneath the piano bench. Frank's piano performance held everyone's attention; Jesse abandoned even the thought of approaching the bank. No robbery occurred.
Winning questions: Who moved the ledger? Where was it hidden? Who drew the map? Who played the piano? Name two clues that establish the timeline.