Big Read Month Brings Murder and Mayhem to Scotts Valley Library

It will be a night of mystery, murder and mayhem in the city as the hosts a classic Whodunit in conjunction with Santa Cruz Reads.

In its first year, Santa Cruz Reads, a part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program, will celebrate the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe. And what better way to honor the life of the master suspense and macabre himself than with a murder mystery.

Throughout the month of October, several events, discussions and readings, including a magic show, poetry readings, movie night, blood drive, art shows, writing contests and a Poe improv show will talk place around the county.

On Oct. 22 the Scotts Valley Library will participate by hosting “Murder in the Library,” which will also be a fundraiser for the new library’s back patio.

The evening will be interactive and engaging as attendees will be given clues to follow around the library to find the culprit. The event will include a no-host bar, appetizer stations woven around the murder mystery, and a live auction to be held right before the arrest of the guilty party.

The Santa Cruz Reads Edgar Allan Poe project is a collaboration between the Santa Cruz County Public Library system and the Friends of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. The two organizations submitted a grant proposal to the NEA Big Read program in February 2011 in hopes of receiving the funding for the local Reads program, which was awarded this summer.

According to the Santa Cruz Reads website, the library system expects “that Santa Cruz Reads will move forward as an annual event, either through NEA funding or local support, to continue the spirit of the community collaboration and the celebration of literature and literacy in Santa Cruz County.”

Murder at the Library is on Oct. 22 at the Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Rd., 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person, adults only, and can be purchased at the Scotts Valley Library, Mint, 4652 Scotts Valley Dr., and Zinnia’s, 219 Mt. Hermon Rd. For more information, visit www.fsvpl.org/.

For a complete list of Santa Cruz Reads events, visit www.santacruzreads.org.