09/03/2023
BIG CHANGES ARE COMING TO BAKER STREET WEST!
Dear Friends of Baker Street West, a Non-Profit Organization ~
We have tragic and, at the very least, sad news that will affect your Sherlockian venue at its present location on Main Street Jackson, California; hence, we are actively seeking a new locale. Perhaps you have already heard the rumors?? Due to circumstances far beyond all ordinary control, in early 2024, we will be boxing up Mr. Sherlock Holmes’s rooms and leaving an Empty House.
It has been an extraordinary run of 10 years with thousands of guests from the world over attending our events ~ Dinner Mystery Theatre, Victorian Play Productions, Live-Audience Radio Theatre, Youth Theatre, Afternoon Teas, Afternoon Tea Mysteries, Dramatic Readings, Consultations with Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson, Forensics Forums for school kids, Acting and Make-up seminars, and scores of private parties.
We have founded, possibly, the only literary society, Holmes’ Hounds, in Amador County, and it quickly became a scion society of the oldest, most prestigious Sherlock Holmes society in the world, The Baker Street Irregulars in New York City. And we have founded our own theatre company, Baker Street Players, which gives acting opportunities to folks, with experience or no experience, from ages 8 to 80. We have had countless productions in these past 10 years.
We have welcomed with open arms any community group that has needed a space to gather. We have provided space for authors, both distant and local, to gather regularly or to hold speaking events for upcoming books. We have hosted other non-profit organizations, such as the Mother Lode Friends of Music for their regular meetings and events in our remarkable venue. We have welcomed the Amador Council of Tourism and the Chamber of Commerce for mixers. We have given space during the week to a local and renowned music teacher, when the Mother Lode Music shop on Main Street folded during COVID, which gives children and adults alike a chance to learn to play musical instruments. We have provided our venue setting to other groups, such as the Poetry Out Loud competition for high schoolers, the PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization), the AAUW (American Association of University Women), and Mountain Melody: Women’s Chorus of Calaveras. We have welcomed our local State Senator, Marie Alvarado-Gil who presented a regional forum on homelessness, real estate, and the police department. We have hosted other musical events such as Baker Street Sonata, The Musical World of Sherlock Holmes featuring Joe Gold; concerts with Kellsey Long, Soprano; and How Can I Keep From Singing with local folk musicians and singers. Our Holmes’ Hounds Society has its own duo, Sequoia, who play hammered dulcimer and guitar for us on a regular basis. We have had posthumous visits from Walt Whitman as well as Woody Guthrie. We have provided living quarters for refugees and their pets during firestorms and snowstorms.
We have opened our doors to videographers in need of a venue to produce music videos or specialized videos for creative purposes and competitions. Most recently, we hosted in our Victorian venue a pair of renowned film makers in a competition sponsored by Sacramento’s Capitol Film Arts Alliance, and the film was shown at the Harris Center in Folsom, along with seven other films in the competition. The film in which we were intimately involved, Sherlock Holmes and The Headless Bishop, won Best Film ~ Judges Pick and Best Film ~ Audience Pick. That film is now accepted in film festivals worldwide, as well as another film using our venue, Inside 221B ~ both are traveling the world over with credit going to Baker Street West, Jackson, California.
We have participated by parading the length of Main Street Jackson during Christmastime singing Christmas carols in our Victorian finest; parading again on Main Street celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the making of the movie Titanic in our Edwardian finest; and parading again in the earlier 49er Days event in Amador County. For most of our events, folks have strolled Jackson Main Street, shopped at its many stores, eaten at its restaurants, and stayed at local hotels.
We have said “Yes” to practically any request because that is who we are. From the very beginning, we have wanted to be something the community, and in particular, Main Street Jackson, could and would be proud of. And we are gratified with what we have accomplished in these past 10 years.
Our future is still unknown, but we intend to emulate the Phoenix and rise again ~ hopefully in Jackson, the town we love ~ to continue our good work. If any of you, our steadfast friends, know of a possible future venue for Baker Street West, please contact Mrs. Hudson at [email protected]. We would also invite you to write us emails or letters recalling your experiences throughout the years at Baker Street West. For now, our address is: 204 N. Main Street, Jackson CA 95642. In the meantime, our landlord has conceded to us the use of our marvelous and impressive space until early 2024 so that we may produce our beloved Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It means more than ever to us now. Tickets go on sale in the middle of September at www.bakerstreetwest.com.
A few last words ~ we want to thank everyone who has helped us, supported us, donated their time and Victorian items to us, attended our events, and played any part of any kind whatsoever in what most likely is the world’s most unique Sherlockian venue ~ Baker Street West, where The Game Is ALWAYS Afoot.
Most sincerely,
The Good Folks of Baker Street West
