Franklin Square residents ages 13 and older will have the chance to put their detective skills to the test during an interactive murder mystery program at the Franklin Square Public Library.
The two-hour program, scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on August 27, will place participants in the middle of a classic whodunit as they work to uncover clues, question suspects and determine who is telling the truth. Registration opens August 13 at 10 a.m.
Each participant will be assigned a character and take part in three acts throughout the evening. According to Programming Librarian Leah Persham, the event will begin with guests mingling and interacting in character before the mystery gets underway.
Participants will receive clues, including fingerprints, maps and alibis, and will have to compare evidence and question one another as the story develops.
The evening will culminate with a final round of confessions, when participants will find out whether they correctly identified the culprit.
“As the story unfolds, they’re going to become suspicious of one another and really try to determine, ‘OK, this is the story we have, but is it absolutely true?’” Persham said.
The murder mystery is the latest interactive program offered by the library, which has previously hosted in-house escape rooms featuring themes such as Harry Potter and Stranger Things.
Library Director Aviva Kane said the murder mystery will take a different approach. Rather than having library staff develop and construct the experience, the library hired an outside company to organize the program.
Kane said the event reflects the library’s broader mission of “strengthening our community through exceptional service, enriching programs and lifelong learning.”
“The library is a true community center where people can exist, people can enjoy, people can learn and people can have fun,” Kane said. “It offers more than just books. It offers lifelong learning.”
Kane and Persham said the program is intended to give residents an opportunity to meet and interact with others in a relaxed environment.
Persham said the murder mystery will allow participants to engage “in a low-stakes, fun setting,” while Kane said creating opportunities for neighbors to connect is an important part of the library’s role in the community.
“We try to interact with the community and allow the community to interact with each other in face-to-face, entertaining and enthusiastic ways,” Kane said.
Kane also encouraged residents who have never visited the library to stop by and explore its offerings beyond traditional library services. Those offerings include museum passes, a Library of Things and programs for residents of all ages.
She said the murder mystery is an opportunity to bring new energy into the library, connect residents across generations and demonstrate the role the library can play as a gathering place for the community.
“Programming like this emphasizes that the library belongs to you. We can’t wait to solve a mystery together!” Kane wrote in a follow-up email.
