Coshocton Tribune (OH)

November 17, 2002

Dinner murder-mystery held at Roscoe Village

Author: ROBIN EAVES

COSHOCTON -- By day, Jeff Leonard works as an engineer technician for a Columbus firm. Saturday night, he became a murderer. Leonard didn't commit a capital crime -- he was cast as the villain as a local troupe of actors performed a dinner murder-mystery in front of 30 guests at The Inn at Roscoe Village. Leonard, playing Arty Choke, killed Glenn Mishler, known as Ben Dover, for the performance. He said being close friends with Mishler made the performance more interesting. "I probably enjoyed it a little more tonight," Leonard said. Brad Fuller, the head of the troupe, started performing with the group five years ago. He said the group's friendship made for a fun show.

"The fun of being with your friends and being a different character every time makes the show," Fuller said. The show, "Barry Manilow Memorial High School Class of 1969 Reunion," featured characters from the school jock to the school jerk. Some of the show's character names were Emerson Biggins, Gene Poole and Principal Otto Parts. In addition to the murder, a theft and an assault occurred. Each crime was assigned to a different character. The audience is given clues to solve the crimes.

Elaine Chick, of Moscow, was taking in her first dinner-murder performance. A guest at the hotel, Chick attended the event because it sounded fun to her. "I'm a little doubtful I'll solve the mystery, but I'll have fun anyway," Chick said. Tim Hoover, assistant manager of the hotel, said the group performs at the venue four times yearly. "We get a lot of regulars," Hoover said. "It seems to be growing in popularity."

News Journal (Mansfield, OH)

February 16, 2003

A getaway weekend -- unless you solve the mystery

Author: Jennifer Kowalewski

DANVILLE -- The quiet, scenic country surrounding the White Oak Inn was shattered Jan. 31 by the brutal murder of a man attending his high school reunion. But instead of police surrounding the bed and breakfast, Elvis showed up for an impromptu concert while others entertained with guitars and magic shows.

The "crime" was part of the murder mystery weekend at the Danville establishment owned by Ian and Yvonne Martin. John Washburn, 32, of Columbus learned about the bed and breakfast from the inn's Web site. He and wife Alison, 30, decided to get away from city life for a quiet country weekend. "We were trying to get some time away," he said. "We had cabin fever." They had never attended a murder mystery weekend. Run by a group of Coshocton actors, the weekends revolve around a story in which something gets stolen, someone gets assaulted -- and someone gets killed. Washburn took the role of Principal Otto Parts, who got punched in the nose during a class reunion at Barry Manilow Memorial High School. Before he even got to White Oak for his mystery weekend, Washburn found out he would play the stodgy old principal and his wife would portray a foreign exchange student. "I get caught in the broom closet with her (Alison's character)," Washburn laughs. "The principal is an ex-Marine, so he is very disciplined. People who didn't really know me would think I was a jerk (because of the role I played). "It's always interesting to put 16 or 18 people in a room. You really spend the weekend but you don't get to know the people." The guests were asked to stay in character throughout the weekend, until after the mysteries were solved. Yvonne Martin, 47, said the inn has had mysteries for the past six years, but just started working with the Coshocton actors in August.

The White Oak won a recent award for "Best Murder Mysteries" in a national contest sponsored by Arrington's Publishing. Yvonne Martin said the award means a lot to the couple because guests voted for the inn to receive it. This is the second year The White Oak Inn has been recognized it received a "Best Country Inn" award for 2002. The murder mystery weekends run during the cold season, from November through April, Yvonne Martin said. People can enjoy a dinner while watching the Coshocton actors work their magic, sending out clues throughout the evening.

Actor Brad Fuller, 39, of Coshocton said the group began doing murder mysteries 15 years ago. For performances at The White Oak Inn, Fuller and Geri and Jeff Leonard, both of Coshocton, go with a plot in mind, written by Fuller. Guests are given their respective characters with a brief bio before they arrive, to help the plot along. Fuller said someone is the murderer, someone is the thief and someone will assault someone else. Usually, guests are asked to do something to keep the plot moving, such as leaving the room at a specific time or touching a prop at a specific moment. "We've learned to be flexible," he said. "We've had to rewrite our story lines on the way up." Usually, cocktails are served, with a few clues being dropped at the start of the evening, Yvonne Martin said. During dinner, maybe a few more clues will be added, but usually the actors entertain. "The rest of the night, the audience questions people," Fuller said.

When Mary Pristera, 37, of Ashtabula went to The White Oak Inn with husband, Ron, 39, she knew she was portraying Ann B. Dextrous and she was being joined by Arty Choke. "You know, it was a really good time," Pristera said. "It wasn't just a murder mystery." On the second night, the actors held a talent show in which audience members showed off any unique gifts they had, she said. Then the audience figured out who killed the victim, who stole the trophy and who assaulted the principal. Pristera admitted she was nervous at first, not having read many mysteries. But she liked watching the great detectives on television, from Columbo to Hercule Poirot. Pristera said she had a lot of fun once the role-playing began.

Yvonne Martin calls the weekends games for adults. The inn also has other events throughout the year, from a Charles Dickens Christmas to a Spring Wildlife Weekend. And although murder takes center stage now, Yvonne Martin said the inn is a real romantic getaway for couples. In fact, many guests come during the summer for their nuptials. "In summer time, it's weddings," she joked. "In winter time, it's murder. Is there a connection?"

jkowalewsk@nncogannett.com

(419) 521-7232

WANT TO TEST YOUR DETECTIVE SKILLS?

The White Oak Inn has one- and two-night mystery packages that include lodging, dinner and breakfast. Private mystery parties with or without overnight lodging also can be arranged. Packages for one-night mysteries start at $209 a couple and two-night mysteries start at $389 a couple. Reservations are requested contact the inn at (740) 599-6107 or (877) 908-5923.

The next dates for murder mysteries are Feb. 28 and March 1 with "Death Imitates Art" and March 22 with "The Freda Love and Skip Moore Wedding." The evenings run from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

For information on the Inn, check online at www.whiteoakinn.com.