By Haley Mitchell Godwin

Murder and mystery will be on the menu Oct. 19 as Overflow Coffee & Café in Brantley offers an evening of interactive sleuthing during a murder mystery dinner entitled “Murder at a Funeral.” Organizer Lisa Oliver of Luverne invites attendees to dress in costume, embrace their roles and work together to solve a fictional murder in what is essentially a live-action version of the classic game “Clue.”

The dinner will be “to die for,” Oliver explained.

The plot for Murder at a Funeral unfolds the evening after a celebration of life for a dearly departed confidant of the other characters, only to have a murder occur. Every attendee, cast as a character, must interact, ask questions, and gossip to uncover the murderer in their midst. Dressing the part is required, as everyone will be suspects in the game.

“I had a storyline in mind and began looking for a venue,” Oliver said. “Not knowing how well the tickets would sell, I needed a place that would be affordable, and that’s when Overflow Coffee & Café and its owner Jammie Odom came in.”

Oliver said that after a conversation with Odom, she learned that part of the building served as a funeral home in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The knowledge inspired her to tweak the storyline and create “Murder at a Funeral.”

“After hearing that and seeing the back of her shop, I started coming up with the story I plan to use,” Oliver added.

Though some potential attendees have expressed concerns about the event being scary or gory, Oliver assured patrons that the experience will not feature fake blood or violence.

“There’s some comedic element to it,” she noted.

Oliver has attended and participated in murder mystery dinners before and decided to host the event after a series of lackluster experiences at other similar experiences. Her goal is to provide an evening of fun, full of intrigue, and with every participant playing a key role.

“The characters and packets given to my husband and I at the most recent mystery dinner we attended were incomplete and we were ‘extra characters’ basically lost on what to do and not even part of the story,” Oliver said. “I had advertised the event and brought a table full of people who came because they saw my post and they also got ‘extra’ characters. It was frustrating and I thought, ‘I can do better.’ That’s what I set out to do.”

Odom expressed gratitude for the opportunity to host the event, hoping to bring the community together.

“I’m thankful that Lisa reached out to us,” Odom said. “Being a united community has the best things to offer, and I’m glad I can help bring people from all over the county together in this way. Events such as mystery theater and bingo are meant to bring people together.”

“Overflow Coffee & Café strives to maintain an environment where people can bond and feel like family, no matter what area, state, or country someone is from. We have had visitors from all over, from Australia, Ireland, California, New York and everywhere in between! Our prayer wall is constantly updated. We have seen and heard of so many prayers that have been answered because people have prayed for each other.”

The evening’s meal, catered by Flint’s Smokehouse, will feature pulled pork or chicken leg quarters, brown sugar bacon green beans, bacon white cheddar macaroni and a green salad. Tea and water will be provided, with additional beverage options and desserts available for purchase.

Attendees are asked to abide by the following rules: no alcohol, drugs, or weapons, and the event is limited to adults 18 and over. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be purchased at the door.

The event begins with a meet-and-greet at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 each and available on a first-come, first-serve basis, with limited slots still open.

For more information visit the event page on Facebook. Contact Lisa Michele via Facebook Messenger to purchase tickets.