Around the Valley: With Karen Huwe

WALLA WALLA-Murder at the Kirkman House is an evening of mystery, based on the board game Clue. It is a seasonal event played after dark, where participants search the museum rooms for clues using lantern light to lead the way. Beware; some people walking around the house might jump out and scare you.

This is a fun family activity for a group of five to eight. After arriving at the Kirkman House, we had a few moments to tour the rooms to gather information before my sisters, and I met at the kitchen table and picked out our characters. The large game board was laid out, and our game pieces were placed in the kitchen.

By rolling the dice, we moved to different rooms on the board. Once entering a room with your game piece, you pick up a lantern and go to the house's corresponding room to look for clues. There are four rooms downstairs and four rooms upstairs. The library has been converted into the Adam West room with Batman memorabilia and a hidden door to the Batman cave.

The object of the game is to identify the murderer by eliminating suspects, discovering the murder weapon, and finding the room with the dead body.

During the game, you might roll the dice and land on a spot where you draw a card that asks you to answer a trivia question, identify an object from the 1800s, get sent to the nursery until you roll a double, or other tasks.

Sister Joanie was the winner of the game and won the honor of wearing the Master Detective's mustache.

On the Kirkman House website at http://www.kirkmanhouse.org is information needed to play Murder at the Museum; you need to schedule a time after dark and receive information on other events. The Museum is also open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for tours.