Mahomet Public Library to host Murder Mystery and Run to the Library Fundraisers
BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
It’s time to toast the future of the Mahomet Public Library.
It’s also time to channel your inner sleuth.
The Mahomet Public Library will host its fourth-annual Murder Mystery Fundraiser Dinner on Feb. 15 at Farm Credit Illinois.
The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will include dinner by Black Dog, desserts, beverages and soft drinks at $50 per person.
Guests will gather to celebrate the Mahomet Public Library’s history and promising services, but a few surprises may be in store.
“This year we are doing Silver Screen Scandals – set in 1926,” Library Director John Howard said. “Guests are invited to attend a gala dinner to celebrate the announcement of the newest big motion picture by a big Hollywood studio. The stars are coming, as well as many other interesting characters, including some who may not have been invited.”
Howard said that mystery novels are the most popular type of book that is checked out from the Mahomet Public Library.
“We hope that by attending the dinner, guests will get a little feel of what it might be like to be a character in a real mystery,” he said.
Howard takes the opportunity to have that experience as a member of CUTC’s Seven Corpse Dinner murder mysteries.
“Doing murder mysteries is truly ‘acting without a net.’” Howard said. “We don’t have scripts – I get a description of my character and his part in the mystery – and all the rest is improvised from there.
“It is most fun when the audience members are really interested and trying to solve the mystery.
“Also, I enjoy getting murdered.”
While Howard will not be acting in the library’s fundraiser, the library staff, board and community members put on the event that raises between $1,500 and $2,000 for the library.
“We don’t earmark the funds that we raise at this event, but if we were going to, it would probably go into programming,” Howard said.
“We have made a real effort to improve the quality and variety of programs at the library, especially for adults, and we are proud of what we have been able to offer.”
Tickets for the Murder Mystery Dinner can be purchased here.
Changes in Run for the Library
Looking forward, the Friends of the Library and the Mahomet Rotary Club will change up its annual Run for the Library event in the Spring, dubbing it as Run to the Library.
“The committee has decided to try something very different this year with the hope of making it more of a community-wide event,” Howard said.
The 2-mile run will begin at Lake of the Woods and end at the library.
“At the library we will be having a Welcome to Summer Festival with bounce houses, games, activities, maybe a petting zoo and food trucks. In addition to just being a fun day, it will be a gala kickoff to our Summer Reading Program,” Howard said.
The Run to the Library will be held on May 30.
