Center gambles on casinos, crooks

Published 7:56 pm Saturday, August 6, 2016

Wrapping up a month full of mysterious events will be the Casinos and Crooks event Aug. 27 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.

The event will end the Suffolk Month of Mystery highlighted by the third annual Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts on Aug. 13.

“This is the third year we’ve done it, and it keeps growing and growing and growing,” said Suffolk Center Executive Director Jackie Cherry.

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Casinos and Crooks will feature a casino set up in the ballroom of the Suffolk Center. Guests will enjoy casino games (“It’s all funny money, of course,” Cherry said), popcorn and heavy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and the 2001 version of “Ocean’s Eleven” playing as a backdrop.

Cherry expects the Casinos and Crooks event to prove popular, so hopeful attendees should reserve their tickets as soon as possible.

“It will be a fun, festive night,” Cherry said. “(Casino nights) are always very popular, because it’s something different, and they can sit back and have a good time. It’s an experience. It’s a night out on the town.”

Cherry said the Month of Mystery events are perfectly timed in the dog days of summer to keep people out of the heat and staying involved in local activities.

The event will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 27. Tickets are $40 each. Space is limited, and advance ticket purchase is required.

Call 923-2900 or visit www.suffolkcenter.org for more information.

Other Suffolk Month of Mystery events include:

 

Great Dismal Swamp bus tours: Aug. 16, 25 and 27, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Departs at 9:30 a.m. from the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, military and children 3-12. Reservations required; call 514-4130.

 

Third Annual Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival: Aug. 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave. Events include new author expo, book signings, readings, panel discussions, workshops and more. Call 514-4130.

 

Clue and Cocktails at the Obici House: Aug. 17, 6 to 9 p.m. $20 including dinner and games, or $10 game only. Cash bar featuring specialty cocktails named after Clue characters, and several ongoing Clue games.

 

Murder Mystery Pizza Party: Aug. 18, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Suffolk Art Gallery, 118 Bosley Ave. Free event for ages 16 and up. Participants are needed to solve a crime among a cast of suspects. Beverages and dessert provided, and a cash bar is available. Call 514-7323 or email amartin@suffolkva.us to RSVP.

 

Disney’s “Zootopia,” Aug. 20 at 11 a.m. at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave. Free. Animal mask craft starts at 10:30 a.m. Call 923-2900.

 

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” Aug. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, 110 W. Finney Ave. Free. Call 923-2900.

 

Legends of Main Street: A Suffolk Ghost Walk, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military. Reservations required; call 514-4130. Follow a costumed guide through the shadows of historic Main Street, discovering stories, legends and “unexplained occurrences” by candlelight. Not appropriate for children under 9.

 

Virginia is for Mysteries Volume 2: Book Signing at Suffolk Farmers’ Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Suffolk Visitor Center, 524 N. Main St. Call 514-4130.