Mystery Weekend

Team Registration, Signups, & Afternoon Tea and Cookies
4pm – 5:30pm

There’s something suspicious in the air! Register on a team, signup for the tabletop escape room, and begin to plan your strategy to pursue potential suspects with a hot cup of Mohonk tea and cookies.

Mystery at the Arcade: Act I
9pm

Magnus, the arcade manager, is frustrated as his techie, Hugo, is late to work, yet he still greets guests for Pac Rat Arcade’s grand opening. After explaining the rules for Mystery Maze, he selects two audience members, Matt and Melanie, to be the first players. Matt, a home-console enthusiast, openly criticizes arcade games, while Melanie, an intense gamer, is eager to prove her skills. Matt begins the game, but struggles when he loses control, while Melanie heckles him from the sidelines. When Hugo finally arrives, he ignores Matt but assists Melanie, stirring tension. Melanie outperforms Matt, who accuses her and Hugo of cheating, leading to Magnus firing Hugo. As Matt resumes play, the game malfunctions, ending in a sudden explosion, a falling body, and pandemonium as the room darkens.

Dance Til’ You Drop: 80s After-Party
9:45pm – 11pm

Though the arcade games are powered down, the night is just heating up! Bring your tokens and head downstairs to our 1980s after-party, where Soundsational DJ spins the ultimate mix of synth-pop and dance hits. Get ready to groove, break out your best moves, and party like it’s 1985!

Be Sure to Lock Your Doors
Overnight

Who knows who might be lurking in the hallway? Be on the lookout for your original puzzle by Greg Pliska.

Mystery at the Arcade: Act II
10am

Hugo inspects the game mechanics, finding issues with the power source, cords, and main board, sparking suspicions of sabotage. Tensions rise as Hugo blames Magnus, who shifts blame onto Melanie, causing her to lash out, claiming the in-game characters might be more than mere robots. Despite the chaos, Magnus insists Mystery Maze must continue, refusing to let a possible murder ruin his business. Hugo then reveals a surprise—a newly programmed fourth level called the Theater of Death, where a character resembling Julius Caesar dodges flying knives. Shocked, the players realize this “robot” once ran a theater company, raising questions about Hugo’s knowledge of the character’s past life. Threatened, Hugo demands the game be shut down, and the humans exit. As the room darkens, the robotic characters—Anubis, Sir Duncan, Celeste, and Julius Caesar—come to life, accusing each other of murder. The act closes with a shocking revelation: Hugo and Matt share a mysterious past, but its secrets remain hidden.

Tabletop Escape Room*
11am – 12:15pm, 2pm – 4:45pm,  7pm – 9pm

The Glitch Weaver’s Arcade Escape: The Glitch Weaver has hacked into your favorite 80s games, warping their worlds into a tangled web of puzzles and traps. The only way to escape? Team up, crack the ciphers, and outsmart the Glitch Weaver to claim your place on the High Score Leaderboard before time runs out! Can you beat the clock and restore order to the arcade, or will it be GAME OVER for good? *Preregistration is required. Please call in advance to sign up; space is limited. Six people per group.

The Other Statue – A Tribute to Edward Gorey
3pm – 4pm

In celebration of writer/artist Edward Gorey, Murder Café narrates a presentation of one of Gorey’s work ‘The Other Statute’. The story unfolds at the annual charity fête at Backwater Hall in Mortshire, where the mysterious death of Lord Wherewithal and the theft of the Lisping Elbow strikes. Confusion and misgivings abound. And, alas, the Earl of Thump’s stuffed thisby is found disemboweled by the edge of the lake. Dr. Belgravius and his nephew, Luke Touchpaper, attempt to tie the loose ends together and wonder why Miss Underfold was seen wearing a hat decorated with black lilies. And why was Victoria Scone dancing the tango with Horace Gollop in The Soiled Dove? Edward Gorey creates an intriguing and sharply mordant world and leaves us his own mystery-what has happened to the missing Night Bandage, volume two of the Mortshire secrets?

Mystery at the Arcade: Act III
5pm

Melanie reveals that she tampered with the console, admitting she has a deeper electronics background than initially disclosed. As suspicions grow, it’s clear that everyone—humans and game characters alike—has a motive, even Melanie herself, who assumes control of the murder investigation. Hugo, under pressure, denies responsibility for the game’s malfunctions, and Julius Caesar unmasks him as an actor with a questionable past. Melanie outlines potential motives: Magnus viewed Matt as a threat due to his criticism of Mystery Maze and the rising popularity of home consoles, while Hugo might have been protecting a hidden identity. Even the game characters express grudges—Anubis defends Melanie, Sir Duncan resents being mocked, and Captain Celeste vows revenge over her scripted asteroid demise. Each accusation blurs the line between player and character, fueling mystery and suspicion. In the end, Melanie instructs the guests on how to submit their solutions to solve the case.

Drop off your Mystery at the Arcade solutions in the box any time until Sunday, 03/02/2025 at 10am in the Parlor.

What? The Band
9pm

What? is bringing funky fresh back to the Hudson Valley. Drawing influence from the serene landscape of the Catskills that inspired the likes of The Band and Donald Fagan, What? bridges the gap between R&B groove and improvisational jam. The group delivers high energy, infectious melodies and soulful grooves with their power-house horn trio each time they grace the stage.

Team Solutions Presented
10am

Illuminate, entertain, and maybe even show up your competition as you and your teammates act out your solution. Be creative, be bold, and be imaginative. If you were not on a team feel free to come and watch an entertaining and fun part of this Event.

Mystery at the Arcade: Act IV – Mystery Solved! 
11am

Melanie reveals that she tampered with the console, admitting she has a deeper electronics background than initially disclosed. As suspicions grow, it’s clear that everyone—humans and game characters alike—has a motive, even Melanie herself, who assumes control of the murder investigation. Hugo, under pressure, denies responsibility for the game’s malfunctions, and Julius Caesar unmasks him as an actor with a questionable past. Melanie outlines potential motives: Magnus viewed Matt as a threat due to his criticism of Mystery Maze and the rising popularity of home consoles, while Hugo might have been protecting a hidden identity. Even the game characters express grudges—Anubis defends Melanie, Sir Duncan resents being mocked, and Captain Celeste vows revenge over her scripted asteroid demise. Each accusation blurs the line between player and character, fueling mystery and suspicion. In the end, Melanie instructs the guests on how to submit their solutions to solve the case.