When the Genetti Hotel was first built in the early 1920’s, it was with the idea that it would be a community hotel and in fact, it was known for many years as the Lycoming Hotel. Now, it is again hoping to be that community asset, where local people can come and enjoy an event surrounded by the history of Williamsport.

With that in mind, on Nov. 1, the Genetti will turn back the clock to those early days as it hosts a Roaring Twenties-inspired murder mystery dinner theater, “You Won’t Live to Regret It: Murder at the Genetti Hotel.”

“Our hotel is a historical hotel built in 1922 so what better way to celebrate Halloween than to have a flapper party and a murder mystery,” said Bridget Callahan, event sales coordinator.

“What caused us to do this was more the history of the hotel when it started out…everybody loves a good flapper party, a good way to get dressed up in flapper dresses and things like that, and gangster outfits. And come have a good night,” she said.

Callahan explained that the Genetti is seeking to create more events like the murder mystery for the community.

“I’m really excited to be able to offer this to the community. It’s kind of a different way to look at the Genetti in a different light. Yes, we’re very well known for our banquet. Matter of fact, we have an amazing new chef who is throwing our banquets. They’re just above and beyond what anybody could have imagined he would bring. I knew he would bring a lot of good stuff, but he’s phenomenal,” she said.

“And to be able to have people come in for an event and have the food and see the atmosphere and the staff, because the staff here at the hotel is a really good staff that loves the hotel, loves the property, wants the community around us to see how much we love it and how much we love being part of the community,” she added.

The murder mystery portion of the evening is being put on by Lorelai Productions, a traveling music and theater company based in Indianapolis.

“She (the founder of the troupe) approached us back in December because she has this troupe and she was staying here. She comes in to visit people at Christmas time. So she had left a message that she wanted to do something like this at the hotel, because she loved the setting and everything like that.

“So, she knows the space – she loves the space. I’ve been in communication. The actors and the story lines are being received extremely well everywhere they go,” she added.

The evening will begin with a cash cocktail hour in the speakeasy set up in the hotel’s Windows on Fourth area. There will be cocktails served that are typical to the 1920’s and guests are encouraged to dress for that period. The performers will be there and guests will be able to interact with them before the group moves to the main Ballroom where the meal will be served while the play is going on.

“Then you find out there’s been a murder and their investigators break our group up into different groups,” said Callahan.

“Those groups actually will go out and investigate the crime scene and then they come back and dessert will be waiting for them and then the rest of the play will play out,” she said.

There are four different rooms that will be set aside for the different groups to go to for their investigations..

“One group will go and check out one scene and one group will go out and check out another scene and they’ll all have different clues in it so they can try to discern who the killer is,” she explained.

For tickets, contact the front desk at the Genetti. Ticket sales will end on October 24.

“If people are interested, they need to grab their tickets as soon as possible, because it is a plated deal,” Callahan said.

When the Genetti was built there were two other hotels in Williamsport, but a group of businessmen got together to build a hotel for the community, which was struggling after the lumber boom had subsided.

“The thing was, people fail to realize, yes, it’s the Genetti Hotel, and yes, the Genetti family does own it,” she said.

“But, it was started by the community, and we’ve carried that on throughout the years. This is a community hotel. It’s not just a hotel, not just a business. This building and the historical value of this building was founded on people wanting to make sure that Williamsport was able to still thrive and boom and we, everybody here, like the staff that’s here now, we all really hold on to that and believe in that this is a community building and space,” she said.