Crisp Museum's annual Escape the Museum event meets murder mystery

Crisp Museum will host the second annual Escape the Museum event Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 21 and 22 with a heart-stopping twist.

Gary Tyler, outreach specialist for the museum at Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus, said “this year’s challenge will be to solve a Hollywood-style murder mystery.”

Tyler said participants will pretend to be locked in Crisp Museum and must solve a series of puzzles, problems and obstacles before time runs out to solve the case and escape the museum.

“It’s basically like life-sized Clue,” Tyler said, referring to the classic board game. “You have a mannequin as the body — who is the curator at the museum — and you have 45 minutes to try to solve his murder, or you might become the next victim.”

Groups are limited to six participants, and sessions are limited to 45 minutes due to COVID-19. Face coverings will be required and social-distancing guidelines will be in place.

Sessions start on the hour, and are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 21, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 22.

Crisp Museum decided to extend the event to four days this year, Tyler said, because last year’s Escape the Museum was a single-day event, and there were many people who wanted to participate who didn’t get in.

Tyler said there will be enough time for 18 teams to go through the museum this year.

“[Escape the Museum] gives the [university] students and the general public a fun activity to do,” Tyler said. “Hopefully it can help relieve some of the stress from the election and the stress of COVID.”

Escape the Museum is free and open to the public ages 12 older, and guests must register individually.

Tyler said, as of Friday, 10 out of 18 teams have registered, so the Nov. 7 registration deadline has been extended. Registration will remain open until all openings are full.

The Crisp Museum is in the Cultural Arts Center at the River Campus at 518 S. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau.

For more information, call (573) 651-2260 or email museum@semo.edu.