One of my favorite holidays used to be Halloween but only because I loved making costumes for my kids. I liked anything that allowed me to get creative with my sewing machine and a hot glue gun. Indian costume for a Thanksgiving pageant? My kid had fringed buckskins. Wiseman in the Christmas story? My kid looked the wisest. Pirates of the Caribbean? My kids looked more buccaneerish than Captain Hook. We loved going to renaissance fairs, too, and if you dressed in character, an admission discount was given. It seemed logical to me to spend ten bucks on fabric to save three bucks on admission because it was fun to dress up. I don’t remember ever buying a ready-made costume.

I’m always looking for fun things to do with my gal pal group so when I saw an advertisement for a murder mystery dinner theater called Murder at the Opry, I suggested we go. It was going to be held at the Sagebrush Roundup, which is all but in our back yards. I’d never been to a dinner show there before and it sounded fun. The advertisement suggested dressing to attend the 1960’s Grand Old Opry and we joked about doing just that.

When I found out that a Dolly Parton wig and a Patsy Cline wig had been ordered by my friends, I thought I should make a costume for myself. Driving home from Myrtle Beach gave me ten hours to figure out what to wear. I googled Opry singers and the first thing that caught my attention was a pair of red suspenders on Grandpa Jones. My Dad had worn a pair just like them. As the saying goes, the rest is history!

The food was good, the company was great, and we all had a fun time. I did not, however, solve the murder so I think I’ll stick to costume making instead of sleuthing. It was a few steps beyond normal for me to dress up like a man and go out to dinner, but I just might do it again someday!