Falcon Manor holds benefit for Pacesetters
Historic Falcon Manor in McMinnville and Pacesetters, Inc., are planning a just-for-fun murder to benefit the agency, which services adults with developmental disabilities.
“Murder at the Mansion,” a murder mystery dinner theater presentation scheduled for Aug. 9 in Historic Falcon Manor’s Victorian Carriage House, is a fun-filled “whodunit” based on actual characters from Warren County history in the late 1800s.
The play is set at an elegant dinner party given in 1897 by wealthy manufacturer Clay Faulkner and his wife Mary to celebrate completion of their new Faulkner Springs mansion, called Falcon Rest.
The guest list includes local notables such as former mayor Jesse Walling, Confederate Colonel John Savage, photographer William S. Lively, nurseryman John H. Boyd, Southern Standard editor Radford Reams, and the extended Faulkner family, as well as nationally prominent individuals including Teddy Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony and Annie Oakley.
Falcon Manor actors will portray Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner and their faithful cook, Mag. However, the real stars of the show will be the audience members themselves, who will assume 1897 characters when they arrive.
Mr. Faulkner will carry on an impromptu dialogue with them during dinner, and when a dastardly murder mars the celebration, audience members will help a special celebrity guest discover which one of them is actually a murderer. While it is entirely optional, guests are invited to attend in clothing of the Victorian era.
The “Faulkners” will begin receiving guests for pre-dinner refreshments at 7 p.m., and the elegant Victorian dinner will begin at 7:30.
“This event is a great way to enjoy a delicious meal and rib-tickling entertainment, while learning about Warren County history and benefiting a worthy organization at the same time,” said Falcon Manor General Manager Charlien McGlothin.
“We’ve presented the play almost a dozen times now, but it never comes out the same way twice. The audience members are told who they are portraying and a little about their character’s personality, but they aren’t assigned lines to remember. Instead, they’re free to ad-lib as much or as little as they like. We can always count on them to come up with pretty hilarious dialogue!”
Pacesetters began in 1971 as a daycare program serving eight adults and was operated by volunteers, the majority of whom were parents of the adults in need of services. Since then, it has grown to become one of the largest community based day training and residential programs in the state of Tennessee.
Pacesetters vision is that the community share Pacesetters’ passion in supporting individuals with disabilities and their families to live valued lives.
Pacesetters welcomes Julia Boyd as the new Pacesetters Support Liaison. Boyd is a graduate of MTSU’s Social Work Program and the former executive director of a non-profit social service agency. She did her social work field training at Pacesetters.
Reservations for the Aug. 9 event may be made by calling Pacesetters at 931-506-5331. Cost of the meal and play is $35 per person, the majority of which goes directly to Pacesetters, Inc.
A special presentation of “Murder at the Mansion” may be scheduled for lunch or dinner at any time for groups of 20 or more with at least 2-weeks advance notice. For pricing and more information, call Historic Falcon Manor at 931-668-4444.