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Who dunnit murder mystery in 108 Mile Ranch

The public is invited to solve the mystery in June
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The typewriter used to produce the first newspaper in 100 Mile House is preserved at the 108 Mile Heritage site. In 1960, former Vancouver Sun reporter Carol Shaw moved from Vancouver to 100 Mile House and realized the community needed a newspaper. In 1965, the 100 Mile Herald, run by Shaw, and the South Cariboo Advertiser, owned by Steve Smele, was purchased by Herald House Publications Ltd. The new paper carried the masthead of the 100 Mile News Herald and in 1967 became the 100 Mile Free Press. (Kelly Sinoski photo, 100 Mile Free Press)

Who dunnit? That’s what the 108 Mile Ranch Lions Club wants to know in its upcoming murder mystery fundraiser.

Set for June 4 at the 108 Mile Ranch Community Hall, the western-themed event will help fill the Lions’ coffers after the club “basically spent all their money in the last two years on supporting different things,” president Donna White said, and was not able to hold their major fundraisers because of COVID-19.

The event is completely different from what anybody has done in the community, she added, but “we really need people to come out and support us if we’re gonna continue providing support. So besides the fact that it should be a fun night, and we want to do something after COVID that people could come out and have some fun.”

Tickets must be purchased in advance for the event, which is capped at 80 people. Participants must be of legal age to attend, as there is a bar and a 50/50 draw.

“The moment they walk through the door, they’re transposed back to the 1800s,” White said, noting participants are asked to dress in western garb of that era.

“The Lions will have certain roles to play,” she explained.

“But we really don’t know what each other’s doing. Only the host knows exactly what’s going to happen throughout the night, and so when people walk through the door, we’re going to give them clues.”

Those attending will have three or four clues they have to specifically circulate to people, White explained, and they “make sure that they talk about whatever the gossip was that they need to tell.

“Other people, when they walk in, they might be a child or somebody to one of the main characters. They might be another shop owner that doesn’t really have an actual role so that they would kind of know the dealings that were happening in the town.”

She noted they will be serving Western food, such as chili and buns, and will have a bar as well.

“And, of course, we gotta have saloon music going on,” White explained. “The town hall meeting is actually in the saloon and the murder happened the day before. So the people are really leery about coming because they think there are some gunfighters that are going to be there; they’re just scared. It’s just gonna be a very interesting night.”

Tickets are available at the Free Press, the 108 Mile Supermarket and Canco gas station, and Rusty Iron Coffee in 108 Mile Ranch near the Heritage site.

The tickets are $30 dollars each.

Besides the murder mystery event, there will be a community garage sale being held earlier in the day that everyone can attend.

White encouraged people to come out and help the 108 Lions.

“We do whatever we need to do to help the community,” she said. “We need the community right now.”


newsroom@100milefreepress.net

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