This year is the 30th anniversary of the Friends of the Round Rock Public Library and to celebrate they are presenting the 19th annual Friends Mystery Night performance at the Round Rock Public Library.

Mystery Night is an audience participation event staged in three acts. Between the acts, the audience is encouraged to interact with the performers and try to solve the mystery for themselves. Performances are 7 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays on April 10, 11, 17, and 18. The house will open half an hour before performance and on Saturdays appetizers and desserts will be served before the performances. Sundays’ performances will be preceded by dessert.

Tickets for this fund raiser for the Friends of the Round Rock Public Library are available at the Library. Saturday performances are $25 and Sunday tickets are $15. All performances take place at the Round Rock Public Library.

This year’s play is full of nostalgia for that forgotten year in American history -- 1980! Disco was dying, Pac Man was released, Mt. Saint Helens erupted and Carter was president (until Reagan won later that year). The United States boycotted the summer Olympics in Moscow and The Empire Strikes Back owned the box office. This Year’s play, entitled “Murder By The Book” is the story of Edmund Trumble, a product of his chaotic environment.

Eighteen of the 19 years the Mystery play has been an original script written especially for the Friends fund raiser. The first one, purchased by the Friends and performed in 1988. Barbara Stopp Vance, retired Children’s Librarian for the Round Rock Public Library has written 13, and co-written one. This is the fifth play written by Chip Hadley.