The Center of Anna Maria Island’s murder-mystery dinner theater may be the programming highlight of the year, board members agreed at their Feb. 27 meeting.
The dinner-theater event was both well attended and successful in raising $32,000.
The murder-mystery “Shag Another Day: Convention of Evil-Doers,” written by center volunteer Beth Shaughnessy, attracted 450 guests Feb. 17-18 for two performances, executive director Kristen Lessig announced.
The event’s success and relatively low cost may result in it being center’s major event of the year, after the decision in 2016 to halt the annual Grand Affaire.
Center event coordinator Lindsay Sauls said business owners approached her after the performance to sponsor the 2018 show. Meanwhile, Lessig said Shaughnessy is brainstorming another script for next year’s fundraiser.
Board members also reviewed their year-to-date financial information for the center.
The center ended January with a $28,200 loss, a smaller hit than in previous months but still in the red. The center generated $70,300 in income in January, primarily from fundraising and fees in the youth and sports programming. Expenses were $98,500.
The loss thus far for the fiscal year that started July 1, 2016, is $151,700.
Anna Maria Commissioner Nancy Yetter, who serves as liaison for the city to the center, recommended the center begin delivering a monthly executive report to the city commission.
Lessig agreed to make the presentation.
In addition, Lessig said the center website would begin including fact-checking statements to correct what she called “misinformation.”
Lessig said she was disputing rumors that the center will no longer offer youth baseball or after-school care, that the baseball field was eliminated and the center does not rely on community input.
According to Lessig, the center will continue to offer youth baseball and will rededicate the baseball field. She said the bleachers were relocated.
She also clarified that the Beyond the Classroom program has returned to the center after a brief period at the school. She added a plan to host a weight-loss program failed due to associated costs.
During the Feb. 27 meeting, the board reviewed upcoming events, including a $30 per person Rat Pack tribute dinner March 11, and the home tour March 18, with advance tickets priced at $20, and a crawfish boil party May 6.
The next board meeting will be 6 p.m. Monday, March 20, at the center.