Sequim Gazette staff
It is 1925 and famed aviatrix Emily Airheart has just completed a record-breaking coast-to-coast flight.
To honor her accomplishment, the governor of Washington has had a sackful of commemorative silver coins struck; they are to be presented to her during a Sequim celebration. But there’s a problem: someone has stolen the coins.
Whodunnit?
That’s the question amateur sleuths will be asked to answer Friday, Jan. 3, during “Whodunnit Downtown,” a crime-solving scavenger hunt put together by the Merchants Group from the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The all-fun affair will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk, the popular open house for art galleries and others downtown.
Diane Fatzinger, who’s helping coordinate the event, said there will be 10 suspects in the crime, all played by some of Sequim’s best known folk, including Phil Castell, Christie Rookard and Joe and Tawana Borden.
The star of the show, Emily Airheart, will be played by Emily Westcott, who is herself an accomplished pilot.
They’ll all be decked out in 1920s garb and will have a backstory to tell, but the clues are to be found in the 10 participating stores, which will all be marked with a large silver question mark on the door.
It’s a free game — just pick up a player card at one of the participating merchants, read the clues and then deposit your completed card at the Sunshine Cafe before 7:30 p.m.
The winning name will be drawn just after 7:30 p.m. The winner doesn’t need to be present.
Fatzinger says the prize package is “huge”: a great weekend getaway package includes two nights at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm House Vacation Rental, dinner for two at Nourish Café, gift certificate from Wind Rose Cellars, a book from Pacific Mist Books, $10 in Snowbucks from Solar City, gift certificate from Colors of Sequim, 5-inch dessert cake from That Takes the Cake, gift certificate from Domino’s Pizza, two silver Sequim Centennial coins from the City of Sequim, and several other great prizes donated by local Sequim merchants. No purchase necessary. You must be 21 years old or older to win.
Fatzinger said the folks who put together First Friday have been a great help, including Emiko Brock-Richmond whose contributions extend to designing the event’s wonderful poster.
Participating businesses include A Dropped Stitch at 170 W. Bell St., Blue Whole Gallery at 129 W Washington St., Colors of Sequim at 139 W. Washington St., LARC Gallery at 425 E. Washington St., Pacific Mist Books at 121 W. Washington St., Purple Haze Lavender at 127 W. Washington St., Solar City at 135 W. Washington St., Sunshine Café at 145 W. Washington St., That Takes the Cake at 171 W. Washington St., and Wind Rose Cellars at 143 W. Washington St.
For more information, drop a line to diane.fatzinger@yahoo.com.
