Mystery Night at the Library

Students gathered Friday evening in the SCC library to help solve a mystery. A part of the ‘Big Read’ taking place all last week, the “Mystery Night at the Library” was a Mark Twain styled seek and find that sent students scrambling all over the dark, two floor library in search of clues which would

“It’s based on the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and we have the teens divided up into groups, and they have to solve clues using their literary skills. They have to find books and articles within the SCC library, and solve the mystery.” says Virginia Bjorness, a reference librarian. She and Erin Lanham were in charge of the event.

The lights were turned off at 6pm, with students still arriving for the event. The staff were dressed like Tom Sawyer, with plaid shirts, jeans and straw hats, while the host of the evening wore his famous full white suit. Mark Twain was on hand to help kick off the event. Reports of his death must have been greatly exaggerated.

The sound of acoustic guitar marked the beginning of the night, as songs like “Oh, Suzanna” began the trip back in time. Accompanied by Mark Twain and his harmonica, the mood set the tone for each of the participants. Not long after mister Twain explained the situation: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, after retrieving the buried gold in McDougal’s Cave, are wary of a new man come to town who is interested in the Widow Douglas. The clues given out to each of the groups of students help them to search for, and discover, if this man is in fact legit or if he’s up to no good.

Designed to be interactive, the mystery had the students running all over the library trying to solve it. With the lights off, each team of students were given flashlights to see as they could enter McDougal’s Cave, or search other locations from Sawyer and Huck’s world.

The event seemed a success, as the students finished an hour later and all seemed to have solved the mystery. Prizes were given out for quickest completion, as well as door prizes for individual students. Mark Twain wrapped up the evening, giving out a copy of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” for everyone who came.