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Holmes Night Info

The Source

The world’s most famous detective will be making a one-night appearance in Jacksonville as Sherlock Holmes will waltz into our fair city on Thursday, May 17th. The famed creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will not only meet and greet local Holmes fans, but also challenge them to a battle of wits to celebrate Jacksonville’s first annual Sherlock Holmes night. Our Town Books on the Jacksonville Square will be the spot the famed investigator has chosen to greet local mystery enthusiasts. The night will begin with a Victorian-themed reception at Our Town beginning at 7 p.m. then the cloaked crime solver will lead his legion of devotees to Hamilton’s West Room where he’ll be channeled by newly-retired MacMurray professor, Robert Seufert. As soon as the audience is firmly seated and doors are locked, Holmes/Suefert will pose a five-minute mystery, complete with real clues and delicious red herrings. While the Pondicherry Lodge of Springfield sifts through the various audience responses, the famed gumshoe will present “My Life and Times,” a brief overview of the detective’s life, followed by a short shot of violin music by Springfield’s Anne McBarron. The mystery-laden evening will conclude with the audience singing “God Save the Queen” and the American equivalent, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” and the announcement of the mystery winner. Jacksonville’s first Sherlock Holmes night grew out of a paper Dr. Seufert presented at MacMurray. Our Town’s co-owner, Jim Nurse, heard the presentation and encouraged by the large turnout for the Robert Burns night presented earlier this year, the Holmes event was born. “Our local area is a hotbed for Holmes fans,” said Suefert. “And I’ll do my best to bring the real Sherlock to life.”