Party Planning Tools
Honky-Tonk Takedown
Guest Info
Buckaroos and Bandits in the Wild, Wild West!
Our kid mysteries are run a little different from our adult mysteries, so here’s your step-by-step guide on what to expect with the Honky-Tonk Takedown mystery! Check it out here!
How To Play
Send your guests these totally fun invites!
To invite them to your Rootin’ Tootin’ Mystery-filled Root Beer Social at the Honky-Tonk Saloon!
Your fantastic friends show up!
Everyone from the dutiful deputy to the crooning saloon singer and the marvelous Mayor are invited! There is no shortage of colorful characters at the Honky-Tonk Saloon’s Root Beer Social in this western murder mystery game!
After introductions…a murder occurs!
Don’t worry, it’s not gruesome or gory. In fact, most times the victim goes down giggling… and ALWAYS comes back to life to help out with the investigations!
The kids are divvied up into suspects and investigators and given short scripts to read.
He did it!.. no, she did it!
Investigations occur!!! Evidence is presented!!!
And then after much deliberation
Guesses are made and… the culprit is found!
And it is time for a group picture!!!
And maybe grab some more root beer!
Costume Gallery
Outside the Saloon
• Place real hay bales outside the entrance. If you have a saddle, put them on or around the bales of hay.
• Construct a hitching rail outside the venue and (if at all possible) a horse trough or tin bath equivalent will almost certainly result in someone getting a dunking before the saloon closes at this western murder mystery game.
• Make a hitching post using a wooden palette and a sign (included with the mystery).
• Create a sign post with different directional signs. You can have signs pointing people to: The Bank of Deadwood, telegraph office, jail, stagecoach, etc. (There are directions and templates on how to do this with the mystery.
• Make and hang a sign for your saloon. (Instructions and templates included with mystery purchase.)
• You can order some really cool saloon doors. OR, construct your own saloon doors. Find out how to do so here.
More examples of how hosts built their Saloon Doors
• Not up for building? Order your saloon door here.
• Cut out cowboy and a cowgirl silhouettes and hang them on the windows.
Inside the Saloon
• Place oak barrels and/or growlers around the party space.
• Make a Saloon Bar out of a picket fence, 2 palettes for sides and a large piece of plywood for the top!
• If you can find/obtain large cable spools, use them for saloon tables!
• Hang “wanted,” “reward” and other themed posters all over the walls. (These templates and two more included with mystery purchase.
• Print out and hang other “saloon” signs. (These templates and two more included with mystery purchase.)
• OR, you can make your own saloon signs on wood! Simply cut a wood palette to the dimensions you want and paint your design on!
• Create your own branded root beer. (Label designs included with purchase. Just adhere to root beer bottles.)
• Don’t forget to give your guests a place to use the bathroom….
• Use scene setters to create your saloon wall or a western scene.
• Wagon Wheel Tables
A Little Western
• Bandanas, bandanas, bandanas! Order a plethora of bandanas and use them for everything! You can make banners out of them, use them as napkins, as apart of a table arrangement and/or runner, etc. The ideas are endless and having them handy will only aid in your decorating!
• COWBOY HATS! Order them in bulk (we found some here) and use them to decorate within the party space. We:
Took down photos on walls and replaced them with cowboy hats
Had them hanging on coat racks
Turned them upside down and served chips out of them
Used them in table decorations
Spray painted them gold and had them as awards
Had them avaiable for props at our photo spot
Had them available for anyone who forgot a hat!
• Compile an assortment of western objects and create displays around the party venue. Place them somewhere where everyone will see them – by the food, place where you get your nametags, etc.
• Make lassos from thick rope and hang as garland.
• Have small, tin buckets filled with peanuts.
• Use bandanas as napkins. You can even use metal sheriff’s badges as napkin rings (pin one in the middle of each napkin).
• Use a real cowboy hat, turned upside down and line with a check napkin to hold chips.You can place bowls inside the hats, too, if you are hesitant about napkins.
• Place a small bowl in the top of a cowboy boot and fill it with salsa. Use boots of different sizes to give your salsa bar depth and variety.
• Arrange bunches of wheat, daisies, sunflowers or wildflowers in cowboy boots, metal coffee pots or tin pitchers.
• Bring in camping or storm equipment such as oil lamps, lanterns and cooking pots to add to the theme.
• Use potted cactii for your table centerpieces.
• Soak the labels off beer bottles and use bottles as candle holders.
• Spray Paint rocks gold and use them to decorate.
Gallery Visual Inspiration
Musical Playlists
Saloon Music– Find some authentic tunes from the old west to play at your party. Find it here.
Saloon Music– We downloaded an album from Sqeek Steale on iTunes for some good saloon piano music!
Cowboy Music– You can stream music from this internet station.
Cowboy Music– Play real cowboy music by the original western sweethearts Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Find it here.
Other classic country artists— Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, June Carter Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings are a few suggestions.
For Free Music– Visit your local library for a number of compilations from the time.
Tips
