Thalatta Estate Murder Mystery Evening

A detective was quickly on the grounds collecting clues after the September 4th murder of a best man at a wedding staged at the Palmetto Bay’s Thalatta Estate Park.

In an odd twist, the Mayor and Village Manager, along with other Palmetto Bay officials were in attendance and a few were even suspects.

No one should panic however, as this was all part of the plan at Palmetto Bay Parks & Recreation Department’s first ever Murder Mystery Dinner & Show. About 80 people who got into the act for a $50 per person fee attended the event.

As the evening began, participants arrived in wild and wacky wedding attire. Shorts, hats, faux tuxedo shirts were all part of the fun. You wouldn’t believe how many brides got in on the act.

Then we gathered under an elegant tent with chandeliers to witness a wonderful wedding surrounded by the beauty of the Thalatta Estate grounds. Unfortunately, that’s when the best man succumbed to poison and we all had to start worrying about the many suspects were among us.

The event was quite a bit of fun, especially watching everyone get a little silly. Some were friends, some acquaintances, but by the time the evening ended all were friendly towards each other. This was a real community-building event.

As with any great mystery, I won’t give too much away other than to say I’ll never look at Palmetto Bay’s Mayor and Manager quite the same. I, too, was selected to play a character/suspect. As such, I shared my information with the table and it was our job to interact throughout the night with other wedding attendees to interrogate and pick up clues.

Towards the end, a detective arrived and walked us down the path towards uncovering the murdered. The three-hour event included a three-course dinner and one free drink. The evening was just the right mix of everything and the Parks Department should be proud of their work. The only slightly negative comment all evening was that it felt about 30 minutes too long. I’d agree.

With the success of this Murder Mystery Dinner & Show, Palmetto Bay continues to raise the bar on how to build a community and Village. Kudos and I look forward to doing this again next year.