St. Benedict's hosting murder mystery dinner fundraiser
It’s time to bring back the big hair, leg warmers and neon clothes for a visit to the 1980s.
St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter hopes to transport everyone back to the “decade of decadence” with its “I Love the 80s to Death, Murder Mystery Dinner!” fundraiser at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the RiverPark Center.
“This is a new event, and we’ve not done anything like it before, and I don’t believe anyone in Owensboro has, so we’re really excited about this one,” said Susan Law, St. Benedict’s director of advancement. “Nowadays it seems like everybody is listening to the latest murder mystery podcast or watching the current Netflix or Prime show. So when we saw this, we thought this is really going to be a fun thing to bring to Owensboro to benefit St. Benedict’s.”
American Legacy Theatre out of Cincinnati will be presenting the production, which is based around a death at an epic 1980s concert.
“Tensions start to run rampant backstage and it spills out into the spotlight, and we have a result of someone passing,” said Law of the show’s premise. “We’re trying to figure out who (the killer) is. We’re encouraging all of our guests to come dressed in their latest ‘80s garb if they still have any. And it feels like (the 80s are) coming back, so it shouldn’t be difficult to come up with something.”
In addition to the theatrical production, Law is also excited to bring back Nona’s Market chef Maria Kelly to prepare the meal on-site. Law said Kelly’s meals are always well received.
“She’s going to provide an elaborate, delicious meal for everyone as we attempt to solve the murder mystery,” Law said. “She does all of the food on site, preps it, gets everything just beautiful. It’s really fabulous. We’ve had her at some of our other events and no one ever goes away unhappy. They’re always full and very excited about what she’s presented for them.”
A cash bar will also be available.
Tickets for the event are $65 per person, with table, gold, platinum and title sponsorships also still available. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased online at www.stbenedictsowensboro.org, under the events tab. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 270-541-1003.
“You can’t get a meal like (Kelly is) going to present for $65, and then on top of that you get the murder mystery,” Law said. “It’s a really, really fun atmosphere to be in while having the meal.”
Law said the event is a key fundraiser for the nonprofit, which she said receives 90% of its funding through fundraisers, local grants and organizations and individuals making donations.
“We don’t have a big pot of federal money coming in, but we do phenomenal work with what we have,” she said. “We have such a generous community that always steps up when we are in need. St. Benedicts has multiple facilities, and we do lots and lots of work.
“I think everyone is aware that homelessness is kind of on the rise in our community, and we’re trying to step up and do as much as we can to get a grasp on it before it becomes even more of an epidemic in our community.”
Law anticipates the production becoming an annual fundraiser.
“I really think this will sell out because it’s at a great venue, and you couldn’t ask for anything more on a Friday night,” she said. “It’s new and exciting and something that Owensboro hasn’t had here before, so it will be something that we probably end up doing annually, though the theme could change.
“We hope to just keep carrying this on every year, and it will grow bigger and bigger.”