Tag Archives: herkimer county historical society

Wrist to Mystery

They all look pretty suspicious to me.

I am having another Wrist to Forehead Sunday, but I thought I could liven it up a little with a few pictures from last night’s dinner theatre, A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which was presented as a benefit for the Herkimer County Historical Society.  It was a great success.  The audience was pleased, the Historical Society people were pleased, the actors were pleased, and I was VERY pleased.  And a little relieved that it’s over, but you’ll have that.  The above is a full cast photo, taken after the performance.

Yes, he’s a cutie.

Speaking of being pleased, I was more than pleased that my wonderful husband, Steven, could be part of the cast.  He is such a good actor and so fun to work with.  The other cast members were also excellent to act with.  A delightful time was had by all.

The hottie in the little black dress is up to no good.

 

These two definitely do not trust each other.

 

Here we are waiting while dinner is being served, a pause in the dastardly doings.

There is one more photo I downloaded from the ones the Historical Society took, but my computer is not allowing me to download it and I say, to hell with it. It is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I have monster movies to watch.  I hope you will all tune in again tomorrow on Mental Meanderings Monday.

 

Busy Saturday, Lousy Post

What a day, what a day!  I felt too tired and out of it to make my blog post earlier; why, for heavens’ sake, did I think it would be any easier now?  However, it is now 9 p.m. on Saturday night and I must post or not, and I choose post.

This morning I ran in the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K.  It was fun!  I did not run very fast, but I ran the whole distance and finished in as close as I get to a sprint.  I meant to write a whole blog post about it, but you know how it is.  You get home, shower, eat something, get absorbed in doing other stuff…  Long story, not very interesting, I did not write the post.

Tonight, we put on A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, the interactive murder mystery dinner theatre which benefited the Herkimer County Historical Society.  It was fun!  The audience loved us!  I could write a whole blog post about it, but, what a surprise, I’m tired.  I am dressed in comfy clothes, lounged on the couch with the television on.  I want to watch it and crochet.

And here we come to my main problem in my life as a blogger (oh yeah, like blogging is my life; I assure you, it is not):  when I am doing lots of good stuff to blog about, I am too tired and busy to write the damn post.  Oh well, shit, as they say, happens.  I’ll try for a better post tomorrow.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Speaking of Blog Posts

I ponder another post before scooting off to rehearsal for A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, the murder mystery we are doing this Saturday for the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I shall not add more information about that, though, because I believe they are sold out (Yay!).  That morning (Oct. 14, by the way), I am registered to run in the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K.  I bet there are spaces available for that fun event, so come join me if you’re into it.

It is what to do in between the two events that concerns me.  I have so many choices!

Earlier this week, I wrote about The Old Barn Marketplace in Little Falls, a very fun place to browse.  Well, this Saturday they are having a Grand Opening and Fall Festival.  There will be food, music, raffles and more, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Ingham Mills Farm will be onsite with their alpacas.  I love alpacas!  They are so soft and beautiful.

And speaking of Grand Openings, there is also one at Prima Donna’s Boutique, a new business I have yet to write about but mean to soon.  It is a gift shop with jewelry, art, vintage clothing and more.  I stopped in last Saturday and was charmed.  Their Grand Opening starts at 10:30 a.m.  The boutique is located at 411 Canal Place, Little Fall.

And speaking of Canal Place, while I’m in Little Falls, I could stop by Rochette, a curated hive (I got that phrase from their business card) located where The Mustard Seed used to be at 410 Canal Place.  That is another place I need to write more about.  So many blog posts!  So little brain!

So I guess this post is more of a Preview of Coming Attractions than anything else.  However, for Wuss-out Wednesday, we’ll call it a win.

 

My Weekend: Ritz to GRAVE

Me and my disreputable LiFT friends.

I thought if I led with a really cool picture, my readers would forgive me for another post where I ain’t got nuthin’.    Yes, I said “ain’t got nuthin’.”  A double negative, the word “ain’t,” and a phonetic spelling of lazy pronounciation.  Lots of no-nos!  Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! (That was my evil laugh, in case you did not recognize it.)

I had a busy, tiring weekend.  The above photo is members of LiFT Theatre Company participating in the Ritz and Ragtime fundraiser for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.  That was my Saturday night, and I spent a good portion of Saturday afternoon getting my costume back together and generally fretting about it, as I tend to do about such things.  We had a lot of fun and got to see one of the famous mansions at Rutger Place.  I’d like to find out more about the Landmarks Society and participate in future fundraisers.

Sunday was taken up with A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, the murder mystery fundraiser for the Herkimer County Historical Society.  That was a lot of fun, too.  We met at my house, so naturally I had to fix a few snacks.  We had a lot of laughs, too.  Now I must get on with learning my lines.  You might think I would already know them, since, you know, I wrote it.  But not so much.  Anyways, it will be easier than learning Shakespeare.

Expect to hear a lot about this in the next few weeks.

After A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, I may take a break from theatrics for a while (even from being a drama queen in real life, if I can manage it).   Many of my friends shake their heads or laugh and point when I say that, but I really need to work on some other things in my life.  On the other hand, if the Landmarks Society wanted to do a murder mystery fundraiser…

 

More Fun with my Theatre Friends

I am sitting on my couch in my husband’s bathrobe (oh, don’t say TMI, just be happy I’m not sitting around naked!), waiting till it’s time to get ready for tonight’s adventure, which I wrote a blog post about two days ago (perhaps you read it).  I did accomplish one thing I meant to do: I emailed out character sheets and scripts to the cast of my next theatrical endeavor.

They put my name on the flier! I’m really on the spot now!

A G.R.A.V.E Murder is an interactive murder mystery dinner theatre.  I’ve done a few such in the area. Engaged To Be Murdered  and He Laughed Himself to Death at the Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion were presented under the auspices of Ilion Little Theatre.  Who Shot J.S.?  was produced by and for the Herkimer County Historical Society.   Rubbed Out at Ruby’s was a slightly different interactive murder mystery presented by LiFT Theatre Company at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls.   So you see, I have the bonafides when it comes to murdering people theatrically (my computer is telling me “bonafides” is not a word, but I don’t have time to look it up) (full disclosure:  I probably do have time to look it up; I’m just too tired and agitated).

Where was I?  Ah yes, A G.R.A.V.E. Murder.  G.R.A.V.E. stands for Ghost Retrieval and Verification Enterprises.  We are a company of ghost hunters, and our fearless leader was recently killed during a ghost-hunting expedition.  Were the evil ghosts he was hunting responsible?  Or was it one of his earthly colleagues?  Hmmmm…..

We begin rehearsals tomorrow (murder mysteries don’t take nearly as many rehearsals as full-length plays).  I have gathered a wonderful cast of marvelously talented people (I don’t say that just to butter them up; it is quite true and I’m sure they would agree with me).

My co-workers have been shaking their heads at me, reminding me that I had vowed to take a theatrical break after The Tempest,  yet here I am, pulling out Ruby’s long cigarette holder (don’t worry; they’re fake cigarettes) and writing murder mysteries.  But these aren’t full-length plays!  Tonight shouldn’t even really count, since I didn’t have any lines to learn.  All right, for the murder mystery I have some lines to learn (I’m not the dead body, after all).  Not too many!  Oh well, maybe after Oct. 14 I will take a real break.  If I don’t, you are welcome to say “I told you so.”  I will be too busy having fun with my theatre friends to worry about it.

A G.R.A.V.E. Murder  will take place at the Mohawk American Legion on Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m.  Cost is $22 per person and includes a delicious roast beef dinner.  There will be a Chinese auction as well as prizes for some who correctly guess the murderer.  Tickets may be purchased at the historical society at 400 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by calling 315-866-6413.

 

Remember Roxy?

So there I was, trying to think of something to make a blog post about that was not whining about how I couldn’t make a blog post today or sharing pictures of monster movies, when I saw that a friend on Facebook had shared a memory from 2015, and I said, “Ah, Roxy.”

I’m being threatened by the guy with the ax, but don’t worry: I turn the tables on him.

This is a rehearsal shot from the play Roxy by Jack Sherman, that was presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society at Ilion Little Theatre in September of 2015.  It concerns a famous local murderess, who was tried in the Herkimer County Courthouse and hanged behind the 1834 Jail. I played the title role.  It was a large cast, and everybody had a chance to shine.  It was quite the theatrical experience for all involved (I believe I wrote a few blog posts about it).  Having downloaded the above photo for inclusion in today’s post, I typed “Roxy Ilion Little Theatre” into the Facebook search box to see what else I could find.

I didn’t really look like this, although I tried.

This is the poster.  The Historical Society also had little magnets of it made up.  I have one on my refrigerator now.

Isn’t he handsome?

This is my wonderful husband, Steven, who played four different roles.  Here he portrays Dr. Suiter, who rather fancied himself as a forensic expert and had a lot to do with getting Roxy hanged.  Thanks a lot, Steve!

That reward isn’t really being offered, so don’t go calling “America’s Most Wanted.”

A friend put this frame on a picture of me.  As far as I remember, no reward was offered for Roxy’s capture, and she wasn’t that hard to take in anyways.  If you want to know the real story of Roxalana Druse, I recommend James M. Greiner’s book, Last Woman Hanged.  I said I was not going to be in any more plays for a while.  Still, if anybody decided to stage a revival of Roxy… well, let’s just say I would take it under consideration.

 

Pedestrian Post with Pictures

Steven and I decided to take a little stroll after dinner, so I brought along my Tablet to take a few pictures.  It was a lovely afternoon for a stroll.  After stopping to chat with  neighbor, I saw some flowers I wanted to snap.

This is an apartment building that used to be a school.

Hmm… I guess that one did not come out very clearly, but I liked the purple flowers.

Maybe I’ll go back after dark and try to get a picture of these lit up.

Steven noticed some solar lights and wondered if ours still work.  We did not put them out this year.  It’s kind of a rebuilding year for our lawn; we have not done much with it except get the nice young man who lives across the street to mow it for us.

Steven thinks this would make a delightful movie/opera house.

Eventually we turned down Main Street, and I suggested I take a picture of this building, which we have long admired.  The “for sale” sign that I had noticed there previously was gone.  I wondered if somebody had bought it or if they were just doing the trick of taking the sign down for a while so when they put it back up folks will think it is a new listing.

I love the color; the picture does not fully do it justice.

Continuing down the street, we saw a building that had seen better days, but there was one lovely flower in front of it, so I took its picture.  Soon we were approaching the Historic Four Corners, which regular readers may recall is a favorite spot of mine.

I wrote a blog post about this cemetery once, a long time ago.

This is the Herkimer Reformed Church.   I love the old gravestones.  Next I wanted a shot of the Suiter House, home of the Herkimer County Historical Society.

It’s even more interesting inside.

The house was built by Dr. A. Walter Suiter, who played a pivotal role in the trials of Chester Gillette and Roxalana Druse, two famous historical murderers of the area.  Steven played Dr. Suiter in the play Roxy, presented by the Historical Society at Ilion Little Theatre in 2015 (I played Roxy.  Perhaps you read a few of my blog posts about it).

Across the street is the Herkimer County Courthouse, where Chester Gillette and Roxalana Druse were tried for their respective murders.

Still a magnificent-looking building.

Of course I had to take a picture of the 1834 Jail, which housed both Gillette and Druse.

Who put that tree in the way!

Steven suggested I take a picture of him on the steps.

“Try to look like Dr. Suiter,” I suggested.

“In my party shorts with my Mr. Incredible t-shirt,” he said, as if he thought that was a problem.  He just smiled handsomely instead.

“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are thou…” Oh, wait. Wrong play.

Continuing down Main Street, I took a picture of Christ Episcopal Church.

Another handsome, historical building.

We cut though the little park next to Basloe Library (another of my favorite places), and I got a picture of some nice flowers.

I did not read the NOTICE on the building. I hope it did not say not to take pictures of the flowers.

After that, I thought I had taken enough pictures, so we continued our walk back home.  Now I see I am over 550 words and I have successfully avoided having another Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I say, not a bad ending to the weekend.

 

Losing My Lame Head

It is like a Friday for me, because I have tomorrow off.  Therefore, my mind wants to post lame.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I often want to post lame or not at all (not at all?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!) (it ain’t so; I always want to make a post).  On Fridays, I pretend I have an excuse.  On other days, I make up an excuse.  Or I make a foolish post and I have no excuse.

Sorry, folks, but I am tired today.  And sad and discouraged.  One of my favorite quotes, although I do not know who said it, is, “Courage comes in waves.  Hold out for the next shipment.”  I may even have the exact wording wrong, but isn’t it a good thought?  It kind of goes along with a saying of mine, “Sometimes you just have to feel that way till you don’t feel that way any more.”  And while I am feeling that way, there is no point in making a whiny, tiresome blog post, is there?

I had another rehearsal earlier for Who Shot JS? the murder mystery to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I last heard that a mere 10 tickets remain to be sold.  Woohoo! I want the event to be a success!  Rehearsals are going splendidly.  The mystery will be performed at the Herkimer Elks Club on Saturday, April 22 at 6 p.m..  Tickets are $20 and include dinner catered by Dominick Scalise of Herkimer with dessert from the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort. If any local readers want to try for one of the few tickets left, contact the Historical Society at 315-866-6413.

I was hoping I could think of something funny to say to amuse my readers, but I am blank.  I know!  I will end with a trivia quiz, stolen from a Facebook friend.  I knew the answer to this.  What movie ends with the following:

I wonder if I can talk Steven into watching it tonight!

Answer in tomorrow’s post!  Ooh, I like the suspense.  Maybe I’ll make a trivia quiz a weekly feature.  What do you think?

 

Pre-Rehearsal Post on Tired Tuesday

I just started to type in a first sentence confessing that I am having a Tired Tuesday and this is my Tired Tuesday post, and I accidentally erased most of it. A sign?  My subconscious telling me to NOT have a Tired Tuesday post?  I don’t have time to ponder these things.  I have rehearsal for Who Shot JS? in an hour (or so).

Who Shot JS?, for anybody who doesn’t know or forgot, is the interactive murder mystery dinner theatre which will benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  The performance will take place on Saturday, April 22 at 6 p.m. at the Herkimer Elks Club.  Dinner will be catered by Dominick’s Deli of Herkimer with dessert from Friendly Bake Shop of Frankfort.  Ilion Wine and Spirits has donated a prize for the winner.  Tickets are $20, and reservations may be made by calling 315-866-6413.

I’ll have to write a whole post about the mystery, telling the characters and a little of the plot (not too much of the plot, though, in case you go see it; I don’t want to spoil anything).  Today my brain is not up to it.  What the hell, brain?  How am I going to get through rehearsal?  Luckily, I have a script for that.

In the meantime, sorry about this lousy blog post.  I started to write a good one earlier, all about a cheesy horror movie Steven and I watched this past weekend.  Unfortunately, I did not get very far with it.  However, as they say, tomorrow is another day.  Happy Tuesday, everybody.