Tag Archives: A Revolutionary Murder

Mondays Are Murder

Posted on May 18, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I resort to a Monstrous Monday post, as I am short on Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Well, I did participate in A Revolutionary Murder Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, NY on Saturday, but I did not get any pictures.  I felt quite exhausted by the end of the evening, then I could not sleep, because I had drunk two cups of coffee to help me get through the evening.  Well, that is more than enough whining. On with the blog post.

Here’s a monster for you!

This is pretty much how I felt and feel, and yes, I am laughing at myself.  As I say, it’s not always easy being me, but it is usually entertaining.  This is me at the tail end of our performance of A Revolutionary Murder at Herkimer Elks Lodge in April to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  I played the evil Amaretta VonSchnapps, who perished in an accident involving a cannon.  We thought it would be funny if I showed up at the end looking “cannonized.”

The picture was taken by an Elk friend who Facebook messaged it to me, and I was able to download it to my Chromebook.  I have not yet figured out how to steal pictures directly from Facebook for blogging purposes, so I cannot show you a “Before” picture of Amaretta, nor any any of my fellow cast members.  As regular readers know, technology eludes me. Perhaps I could move to another device (preview of coming attractions).

For right now, however, I see I am over 200 words.  I say that is good enough for a Monday.  I must strive to get some things done while yet recruiting enough energy to cover an important Herkimer Town Board meeting this evening (regular readers may remember my side hustle freelancing for Sentinel Media).  I hope you all have a delightful Monday.

 

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I Find it at New2You!

Posted on May 16, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Tonight is the night!  We present A Revolutionary Murder with a new ending and a new Evelyn Ganache, the put-upon assistant to Reuben Maneuse, organizer of the evening’s festivities.  I play Evelyn, whereas when we presented the murder before I played the evil and short-lived Amaretta VonSchnapps.  Of course I needed a new costume.  I thought I had found a good dress at a rummage sale, but when I got it home and tried it on, YUCK!  It showed up all my figure flaws (and believe me, I have a seriously flawed figure!).

After a few failed thrift store visits, I remembered I had a pair of generic black pants.  A plain blue top, paired with a patriotic scarf I had worn with the more flamboyant Amaretta costume would do.  I made my way to New 2 You Consignments in Ilion, NY, where I had previously found many excellent additions to my wardrobe.

Lots of good stuff here.

“I need a costume, but NOT something fabulous,” I told Robbi, the owner, as I walked in.  It was not long before I found just the right thing.  Phew!

I’m the one sitting down.

Just to show you an example of one of my more fabulous finds.  I actually found this the day of the murder mystery, and I have worn it for at least one other murder mystery since.  I think I look rather fabulous in it, but perhaps I flatter myself.

I’m second from the right.

And here is another fabulous find.  This one I wear as part of my regular wardrobe, not just for murder mysteries.  I do like to dress to impress, even if the only one I impress is myself.

New 2 You Consignments is located at 10 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY.

 

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Old Mystery, New Mystery

Posted on May 13, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am going to have a Way Back Wednesday post but cannot decide if I want to go back to murder mysteries or gardening glories.  OK, my previous gardening endeavors have not been particularly glorious; I was merely going for the alliteration, since one is built in for murder mysteries.  Since I shared flowers yesterday and am concerned with Saturday’s performance of A Revolutionary Murder, I think I will go with the first one.

They are more suspicious than they look.

These are two of the suspects from A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which we presented in October 2017 to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I was thinking about it last night, because my friend, Chuck, who is in A Revolutionary Murder, said that was one of his favorite characters, an endearingly gung ho ghost hunter (why in the world is my computer underlining “gung”?  I even looked it up!).  Saturday he plays a wheeler-dealer in charge of the evening.

Here’s the whole murderous crew!

Here is the entire cast of A G.R.A.V.E. Murder.  The second from the right is in A Revolutionary Murder as well.  He played a snotty, snobby fellow in the first but plays a gung ho musical theatre aficionado in the second.

Look at the crowd!

One more shot of G.R.A.V.E.  It was one of our best attended performances, which led to some problems being heard.  I hope we will get good attendance on Saturday and help Morning Star make some money.

A Revolutionary Murder will be presented at Morning Star United Methodist Church, 36 Second St., Ilion, NY, on Saturday, May 16, doors open at 5 p.m., roast pork dinner at 5:30.  It is a good idea to get there at 5 p.m. For tickets or more information call Barb at 315-894-4520.

 

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No Pictures, But a Great Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 7, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I made my silly blog post yesterday I neglected to mention that I did so have a Mohawk Valley Adventure on Tuesday:  I attended the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the Ilion Elks Lodge.  Unfortunately, I took no pictures, so it won’t be such a great blog post.  It’s a funny thing.  I went five years without putting a picture in a blog post.  Now, if I don’t have a picture to add, I feel paralyzed.  What’s that all about, me?

I do not often find ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but I have identified with the holiday ever since I made the possibly Freudian typo Cindy de Mayo.  But I love Mexican food and occasionally a good Margarita, and I had to be in Ilion on Tuesday anyways, so…

The Elks offered $2 mini Margaritas and $3 tacos.  You got to build your own taco, which was pretty sweet.  I chose soft shell.  I also opted for a full size margarita, because I loved the glass.  I got Patron tequila.  For one reason, another person at the bar told me it was delicious.  For another, my maiden name is Vetrone, and it rhymes. I find that unassailable logic.  It was, in fact, a delicious margarita. There were some good desserts too. I enjoyed a Margarita Bar, which was kind of like a lemon square, only lime.

Alas, I could not linger.  I had to move on to a rehearsal for A Revolutionary Murder. (preview of coming attractions)  We are giving another performance on May 16 at Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, at a Roast Pork dinner.  I have written a different ending, so anybody who attended the first performance will still be surprised.

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Remember the Shop Crawl?

Posted on April 27, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Perhaps I can finally get around to covering part of my adventures on the Spring Shop Crawl last Saturday. I rather exhausted myself walking all around the village of Herkimer.  Shouldn’t I be building up my endurance with all the walks and runs I have been taking lately?  Perhaps I need healthier eating habits.  In any case, I will just mention a few of the fun places I stopped.

I think of it as my chair.

The first place I went was To Niche Their Own, to pick up my map and list of places to go as well as the little card I had to get punches on.  Then I went back home, because I realized I had forgotten my phone to take pictures with.   It’s not easy being me, but I get a lot of exercise.  This put me right near Herkimer County Historical Society, which regular readers know is one of my favorite places.  I put in for a drawing to win a book (I won!), purchased some post cards, and took a picture of Roxalana Druse’s rocking chair.  Long-time readers may recall I had to honor to portray Mrs. Druse in Roxy written by Jack Sherman and presented by Ilion Little Theatre in cooperation with the Historical Society in 2015.

Another favorite spot!

Naturally I stopped by Renewed & Rescued on Main Street.

A refreshing pause.

When I stopped home, I also picked up my address book and some post card stamps.  When I felt the need for a rest, I stopped by Java Shop, ordered a Dalgano, and wrote out a few of the post cards I had gotten at the Historical Society for my Saturday post card peeps.  It was the pause that refreshed.

As regular readers may recall, I spent last night trying to mystify supporters of the Herkimer County Historical Society with A Revolutionary Murder at Herkimer Elks Lodge.  I am still tired after the ordeal, although I believe it was a successful event.  However, I see I am over 300 words, so I say score!  I hope you are all having a delightful Sunday.

 

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Mysteries are Murder

Posted on April 26, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having rather a Wrist to Forehead Saturday.  It is the day of our murder mystery, A Revolutionary Murder, which we are presenting to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society, and not surprisingly, I am quite nervous and absolutely certain that I have not done everything possible to ensure the success of the evening.

It is rather a ridiculous state of mind, I know.  Even if everything goes wrong, which is extremely unlikely, odds are very good that the audience will be entertained and the Historical Society will make some money.  Things to not have to be perfect to be a success.

This was a lovely evening!

For example, here is the cast of Fabulous and Fatal, which we did in 2019.  On the night of the performance one actor suddenly dropped out of the production, and I had to do some fancy re-writing.  Then I forgot a major prop at home.  And yet, everybody had a delightful time.

Another suspicious-looking bunch.

A G.R.A.V.E. Murder was another production that had problems.  The space turned out to be too big for the entire audience to hear.  We had a cordless microphone, which we passed around with some success.  When we did the question and answer part, I ran around the audience with the microphone.  Pretty good trick in high-heeled sandals.  I wouldn’t try it tonight!

Come to think of it, I have yet to decide which shoes I am wearing tonight.  I had better get back to dithering and being nervous.  I hope to refrain from swooning, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead.  For one reason, I do not have a chaise lounge to swoon upon.

 

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More Murder on my Mind

Posted on April 25, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Tomorrow is our murder mystery, A Revolutionary Murder to benefit the Herkimer  County Historical Society. I thought I would take today’s blog post to make one more plug for local readers.  For one reason, I still have four more rehearsal shots I can use.

A touching moment.

I spent part of yesterday trolling thrift stores and dollar stores looking for costume pieces.  I found a few, plus a couple of things I liked just for me.  There is a rummage sale in Ilion I am thinking of hitting after I publish this post, although I think the murder mystery is all set.  I just can’t resist a rummage sale.

He looks puzzled. I hope the audience is as well.

I thought I was going to miss most of the rehearsal last night.  I showed up at the beginning but had to go to a Frankfort Town Board Meeting.  Unfortunately (although fortunately for me) they lacked quorum so did not meet.  I hurried back to hear my actors going at it with great drama.

And then things went south.

Everybody is really excited for the performance.  I am also looking forward to the dinner, which will feature recipes from the Historical Society’s cookbook.  Yum!

I think they all look pretty suspicious.

Ticket sales have been going pretty good, but I think they are not yet sold out.  A Revolutionary Murder will be presented at Herkimer Elks Lodge, 124 Mary St., Saturday, April 25, doors open at 5, dinner at 6.  Tickets are available at the Herkimer County Historical Society, $45 individual, $80 per couple.

 

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Did Somebody Say Murder?

Posted on April 22, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have actually been running around having lots of Mohawk Valley Adventures (alternating with periods of sitting on the couch saying, “I just can’t even!” but you’ll have that).  Yet I am going to do a fast Pre-Rehearsal Post, because I have a few more pre-rehearsal chores to do before, you know, rehearsal.   I suppose I am being a little too lenient with myself by using all the pictures I took during rehearsal last week, but I cannot pause to analyze my motivations now.

Obviously a dramatic moment!

Jerry loves to sing.  I always try to give him the part of a person who wants to do a musical, whether a musical is appropriate to the rest of the murder mystery or not.  You can do that when you write the thing.

Big gesture!

I thought our last rehearsal went really well.  People were really into character and interacting with each other a lot.  They praised my script, but really they are the ones that make it work.

What’s he laughing at?

I spent a good part of this afternoon making a prop: a note made of letters cut out of a magazine. Do you know what a pain in the butt that is?  I’m surprised at kidnappers or blackmailers who take all that trouble.

“Did somebody say… murder?”

OK, the caption isn’t really a line in the script; I just couldn’t think of anything else.  But I am over 225 words, so here is the plug:

A Revolutionary Murder, to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society, will be presented at Herkimer Elks Lodge, 124 Mary St., Saturday, April 25, doors open at 5, dinner at 6.  Tickets are $45 for individuals, $80 for couples, available at the historical society.

 

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Feeling Murderous on Lame Post Friday

Posted on April 18, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Decisions!  Choices!  If only dithering burned calories, how skinny I would be!  Never mind that, I want to make a blog post, Lame Post Friday or not and I decide to go with a Post-Rehearsal Post and share some pictures of last night’s rehearsal of A Revolutionary Murder, the murder mystery we are presenting to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society next Saturday.  We had a fun rehearsal and I am greatly optimistic about the performance.

That face!

Regular readers may recognize some of the actors from previous murder mysteries.  I do love my regulars!  This time I also have two people I have worked with on other plays, and they are doing marvelously.

She is setting them straight on a few things.

One of my actresses showed up in a spangly gown she intends to wear as her costume.  I love it!  Costume does help one get into character.  I at least try to wear the shoes I intend to have on.

A wider shot.

As you may notice, we are rehearsing in Herkimer Elks Lodge,  where the performance will take place.  The Elks are very generous with letting us use their space.  It is so helpful to rehearse where we will actually perform.  Additionally, I like to purchase a glass of wine after rehearsal.

Almost everybody is in this shot!

I guess I have not said much about the mystery, but I feel this is all to the good.  I would not want to give away any salient plot points; I like my audience to be surprised.

A Revolutionary Murder will be presented Saturday, April 25 at Herkimer Elks Lodge, 124 Mary St., Herkimer, NY, doors open at 5, dinner at 6.  Tickets are $45 for individuals, $80 per couple, available at the Historical Society at 406 Main St., Herkimer, or at the Elks Lodge.

 

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It All Started with the Spider

Posted on April 15, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having a Tired Tuesday Post.  It may even be construed as a Terrible Tuesday Post, but let us not become too dramatic.  Then again, drama is my life!  (Said with a dramatic gesture).

This morning there was a spider in my coffee.  Ew!  This is what happens when you do not examine your mug before adding coffee.  I have only myself to blame.  Full disclosure:  I drank the rest of the coffee, spider germs be damned.  I had to finish my story about the Ilion Village Board Meeting for Sentinel Media.  Caffeine helped.

As my day progressed, I needed to go to Ilion again to drop off a flier of my latest murder mystery, A Revolutionary Murder, at Morning Star Methodist Church.  While there I shopped at their Pay It Forward Thrift Store.  Alas, I did not take any pictures.

Later in the day, I walked to the post office to mail a note and post card, then on to the Herkimer Elks Lodge to reserve two tickets to the previously mentioned murder mystery.  Then I walked on to The End Zone Pub.  Just to say hello.

You can’t really see the new light.

While I was there, Brock, the owner, was placing a new light in the front display.  I took a picture, but as you see, not a very successful one.  What can one expect on a day which began with a spider in one’s coffee?

 

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