A Taste for Wine and Murder. Come experience a tour of Volusia Wine Country, with its peaceful vineyards and picturesque wineries.
The annual Daytona 200 Spring Fling wine-tasting festival is in full swing when the body of local vineyard owner, Barry Underwood, is found hidden beneath his wine cellar. Barry has been missing for five long years, but with the discovery of his body comes a wealth of new clues to solve the puzzle/mystery.

It's a vintage murder and you may be a suspect!

More info: This mystery is set in the wine region of Volusia Valley. Volusia Valley is considered to be the Napa Valley of Florida. It is well known for its superb vineyards and numerous local wineries. Five years ago, Barry Underwood, owner of the prestigious Underwood Wine Estates, mysteriously disappeared during the annual wine festival. A massive search at the time failed to turn up any clues and the case has been in the FBI's unsolved files since then.
Now, five years later, it is once again the annual Daytona 200 Spring Fling in Volusia Valley. As family and friends gathered at the stately Underwood mansion (Daytona 200 Clubhouse) to celebrate, a minor earthquake shook the mansion causing the old wooden floor in the wine cellar to buckle. Barry's well preserved body was discovered under the cedar planks. With the discovery comes a wealth of new clues to solve the mystery.

The Suspects:

Tiny Bubbles - Barry's fiancée at the time of his death. Perky and pretty, Tiny has an effervescent personality and razor-sharp mind. She is now married to the new winery owner, Ralph.
Costume Suggestion: An innocent girlish appearance. Skirt, polka-dot blouse, bows in hair, neat as a pin.

Otto Von Schnapps - A German wine merchant. Boisterous and fun loving Otto attends wine festivals around the glove, buying the best vintages for distribution in Europe. It is said Otto's preference for red or white can be influenced by green.
Costume Suggestion: German-styled short pants (Lederhosen) with suspenders, mountain boots, felt hat with feather, and carrying lots of cash.

Papa Vito - Brought over from Italy sixty years ago by Barry's grandfather to develop Underwood Wine Estates, Papa Vito has devoted his life to the vineyards. Now he just wants to retire and drink a little vino in the afternoon.
Costume Suggestion: Baggy workman's pants, checkered flannel shirt, vest, straw hat, old work boots, and a bushy mustache.

Marilyn Merlot - Marilyn was crowned Wine Princess at the festival five year ago, then went on to become a Hollywood movie star. She's returned to Napa Valley for the Wine Festival and to gloat over her success.
Costume Suggestion: A sexy starlet look. Tight-fitting, sequin-covered dress, high heels, a daring hairstyle, and a tarnished crown.

Ralph Rottingrape - Barry's first cousin and heir-apparent to the Underwood Wine Estates. Long considered the black sheep of the family, Ralph took over as manager after Barry's disappearance and has been running things his way ever since.
Costume Suggestion: Bad-boy look, black shirt and pants, earring, stubbled beard, and dark sunglasses.

Hedy Shablee - The owner of the neighboring vineyard and a fierce competitor of the Underwood's. Barry's disappearance has uncorked a new vintage of troubles for unhappy Hedy.
Costume Suggestion: Flowered skirt, off the shoulder peasant blouse, sandals or bare feet, headband of flowers, carrying a basket of her best vintages.


Extra Guests (Non-Suspects):

Bonny Lass - A Scottish tourist who has attended the wine festival while vacationing in Daytona Beach. A mystery writer and best-selling novelist, she knows a thing or two about hidden bodies and old wine cellars.
Costume Suggestion: Tartan skirt, Scottish tam, knee socks, and white blouse.

Bud Wizer - The FBI Agent assigned to investigate Barry's murder. Bud is a beer-drinking man with no appetite for wine. He's determined to put a cap on this unsolved mystery.
Costume Suggestion: Cheap suit with beer stains, worn shoes, socks with holes, and a pocketful of smelly cigars. Six-pack optional.

Or... create your own Non-suspect Character.

Please arrive dressed up to play the roles of the devious suspects. You can choose to arrive elaborately dressed as a character, or simply bring along a single prop.
If not enough participants want to play a Suspect role, the Host will choose/coerce someone to play. Stan is the Host because he bought the game and will be handing out the player's booklets and clues, along with playing the pre-recorded information.
If more than one participant wants to play a Suspect, the best dressed will be chosen to play the role. The Host will be the final judge.

Or, play along in a non-suspect role. The Non-Suspects roles are only mere spectator roles and do not have dialogs or parts like the Suspects. In this respect, here is the role of the Non-Suspects as per the player's manuals. The Non-Suspects role in the mystery is to help catch the killer. Ask questions. There will be times when suspects disagree about what they said or did in the past. You may be asked in each Round to make certain suspects recreate their past actions. Get them up off their chairs and demonstrate what really happened. At times, their memories of incidents may be unclear. That is okay, it is all part of the fun. Or maybe they are just lying.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in dialogue if you choose to get involved. And it should be fun for everyone, as everyone gets to guess the killer.

Bring a snack to share, and your favorite beverage; maybe a bottle of wine too. The Daytona 200 Club will be decorating the tables and providing sandwiches.
Doors open at 5pm, Friday April 28th. Murder Mystery starts at 6:30. Arrive before game starts if you want a Suspect role.