A murder mystery unfolds in downtown Rutland

By James Kent

It was a gorgeous late October evening. The temperature was unseasonably warm, still a comfortable 72 degrees, not a breeze blowing on Evelyn Street, at 6:35 p.m. on that hidden corner of downtown Rutland. You know, the one just a knee scrape away from the train station, where the social interactions of the city sophisticates hold court at Prouty’s Parlor for a birthday celebration of Al Spumoni. That’s right, the bootlegger and ice cream tycoon. Sure, the kids may love him for his quick hand with the scoop, but the man’s got enemies. When you are dealin’ in bathtub gin, you’re bound to ruffle some feathers, and this operator’s a first-class chicken-plucker.

A crowd of guests surround Spumoni, ready to raise a glass, make a toast, and celebrate his special day. It turns out that this vintage of gin comes with a three-letter label on the bottle, and those letters are R.I.P. Before the candles on Al’s birthday cake go out, Al’s lying dead in his seat. Someone’s poisoned his drink, and that someone is at the party. The thing is, Al was collecting gripes like a kid’s prized bag of marbles, and from the dirty looks of faces on these attendees, Al could fill a potato sack with them.

Prouty’s serves up more than ice cream at its parlor

It’s 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Sherri and Paige Prouty are scurrying about Prouty’s Parlor, making last-minute preparations for their first murder mystery party since opening their downtown Rutland ice cream shop this past spring. Guests, 18 in all, are starting to arrive for a 6 p.m. start time. As part of a $50 admission price, the party includes a delicious food spread, drinks, an evening of fun mystery game-play, and, of course, there would be ice cream for everyone before the evening was through. 

For ambiance, owners Sherri and Paige transformed their nostalgia-infused ice cream parlor into something more fitting of the 1920s than the 2020s. Hot-jazz music fills the room, and both Prouty proprietors wear period-inspired flapper dresses. In addition to the “Roaring 20s” theme, Sherri and Paige have some modern-day inspiration prepared to provide guests with a keepsake from their evening of murderous mystery. Local DJ Brian Hodnett, owner of Sunset Entertainment, set up a unique digital selfie machine in the back of Prouty’s. Every guest had the opportunity to get their photo taken, with an optional twist: this device will transform any image into a 1920s AI-infused creation to make you look as if you stepped out of a gangster film from the era. It’s a unique way to capture the spirit of the evening, and pretty much everyone takes advantage of the opportunity for a fun souvenir.

While this is the first murder mystery event Sherri and Paige have hosted at Prouty’s, it isn’t the first event to occur here. “Our ‘Puzzle Palooza’ event was probably our first truly successful event,” Paige said. “We sold out the first evening that we put it on, which is pretty crazy, considering it’s just putting together puzzles as fast as you can.”

In addition to the ice cream parlor, a Rutland community success over the past six months, these special evening events are just the beginning for the mother/daughter duo. They recently held a baby shower at Prouty’s and a couple of celebrations of life. But they need a bigger, more flexible space to do all the ideas they have in mind. Sherri and Paige have already begun that process. 

“We’ve had a lot of requests to have private gatherings that we can’t host during the times that we’re open,” Paige said. “With a new space, we’ll be able to accommodate people so they can have an intimate experience while we can have our regular ice cream service happening at the same time.” If all goes well, Prouty’s will reopen in a new downtown location in early 2025.

By 6:15 p.m., most of the evening’s guests, all decked out in period dress, are comfortably mingling at Prouty’s, enjoying food, drinks, and the photo booth. One Rutland Town couple, Mary Beth Poli and her husband Matthew Poli, came out to support Prouty’s and enjoy a unique experience.

“I saw the posting on Facebook,” Mary Beth said. “We love Prouty’s, and we’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time. I’ve heard murder mystery parties are really fun.”  

At 6:35 p.m., the murder mystery begins. Al Spumoni, played to perfection by Sherri’s husband, Matthew, keels over on queue. For the next 90 minutes, there is a flurry of activity as each participant learns details about their characters and possible motives each one may have for killing Spumoni.

Mary Beth Poli’s character, Kix Higher, a speakeasy dancer, zeroes in on two possibilities: could it be Texas Lil, the brash speakeasy owner, or maybe Kylmor Kydd, a young gangster wannabe? Other guests peg Goldie Eggar, a greedy flapper, as Spumoni’s assassin. In the final phase of the game, Mary Beth accused Kylmor Kydd of the murder, and she guessed correctly. 

At the end of the evening, Sherri and Paige handed out awards for best costume, best period accent, and best acting. Still, everyone who attended Wednesday’s murder mystery party at Prouty’s went home a winner. This evening was a reminder that downtown Rutland has a lot to offer the community. Sherri and Paige hope to be a continued part of the downtown’s success by providing fun experiences for everyone who chooses to take part. Ice cream is the conduit. As Paige says, “Life’s a party, and so many people have such fond memories with ice cream that it’s really easy for people to connect over a good cone.”

On Oct. 27, Sherri and Paige announced they’ve secured their new location for Prouty’s in downtown Rutland, and they plan to re-open in that space in January 2025. The last night for ice cream at their current location on Evelyn St. will be Halloween night. Follow Prouty’s Facebook page for updates on the new location. 

For information on booking Brian Hodnett for an upcoming event, contact Sunset Entertainment at SunsetEntertainmentVT@gmail.com or Sunsetdj.net.