"Turf & Twig" Is Blossoming for April Vacation 2025

April vacation is quickly approaching, with the first day of our adventure scheduled for Tuesday, April 22. Our story is "Turf & Twig" -- a delightful dive into the underground world of homestead folklore from the British Isles and Scandinavia. 

The program runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Tuesday through Friday, with after hours on Tues, Wed and Thursday from 4 to 5:15 PM. Children in grades three through eight are welcome -- and we have a mix of ages already enrolled.

Here is a link to the description of our story.

I can't wait for the opportunity to make Tomtes with our team -- this is one of the fastest sewing projects I have, so we will have time to augment our Tomtes with handcrafted accessories.

I am working on a 3D needle-felted sculpture of the Turf and Twig, plus some 2D felt maps that will help us navigate the subterranean world of the turf. Some of the artifacts for this week have come all the way from Tucson, AZ, to bring to life some of the inhabitants we will meet.

 

 

Recap: The Mudlarkers Feb 2025

Ragabash the Rude and The Roustabout

Madame Drak's Three-Penny Mystery "The Mudlarkers" turned into a lively romp through the underground rivers of London. The ten detectives caught the Ghost Bus to the Rat Queen's palace, resulting in a harrowing encounter with a Fatberg and the Blue Eyes capturing ghosts. Fortunately, our detectives were skilled at rescuing ghosts from ghost traps, using invisibility spells like pros.

Our detectives took on the Rat Queen's quest to join Ragabash the Rude and his crew of Rabblerousers, turning themselves into rats, complete with tiny costumes for the job. Our Facebook page has photos of the wonderful crew. The work the team put into the sewing this week was impressive!

Ragabash tested our team's skills with a game of Overboard. A quick visit to the brig didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm, as they battened hatches and hoisted the sails. They excelled at swabbing the decks, adding mops and brooms to the task with such enthusiasm that Ragabash hired them on the spot ... well, almost on the spot. They cleaned that spot so well that Ragabash hired them spotfree.

The Roustabout sailed through the sewers into the deeper levels of underground rivers, with our team on the lookout for Ragabash's nemesis, Cap'n Dreadheart. The ship encountered countless Blue Eyes flooding the caverns in search of the ghost humans who stole their captive ghosts, but our team managed to evade them each time.

They went in search of the missing treasure of Granny Dregs, Ragabash's beloved grandmother (rest in peace). She disappeared in a legendary encounter with the Blue Dragon of the Thames River. Granny-eating dragons, lost treasures, ghostly encounters, fierce battles with other treasure-seekers -- we had it all in a space of four fast-flowing days.

Did we find the lost treasure? Yes we did, but the secrets of when and how must be kept so future detectives can run this adventure again. Let's just say that some rats were tickled pink to discover the sparkly meaning of the treasure -- and Ragabash is now learning court etiquette to give up his oh-so-rude ways.

Thank you to the detectives for a lively week of fun! The rats they made were inspiring, and I can't wait for their pirate mischief in future adventures.

2025 Season for Dragon's Eye Adventures

Welcome to Dragon's Eye Adventures!

Scroll down to view the posts for the eight adventures we're offering this season.

View details, prices, after hours and other information on the Current Programs tab.
The title of each adventure is a link to the description for that mystery.

Winter 2025, Session A: The Mudlarkers

The Mudlarkers
RL McNulty 2024
Colored Pencil & Micron Pen

Our Winter vacation program will run from Feb 18 through 21, 2025. This four-day adventure for grades 3 though 8 will run from Tuesday through Friday, in the Art Room at Durham Community School (654 Hallowell Rd,  Durham, ME).

Our story will be The Mudlarkers, featuring a crew of pirate rats in London.

The Rat Queen summons the Detectives back to the London sewers to join her team of mudlarkers and privateers. Ragabash and his pirate rats sail the underground rivers of London, searching for buried treasures. They are hoping to locate the long-lost treasure of the legendary mudlarker, Granny Dregs (may she rest in peace). Can they find it before the ghost of Jack Black the Royal Rat Catcher finds them?

Our project this week is Pirate Rats.

Spring 2025, Session B: Turf & Twig

Turf & Twig
RL McNulty 2025
Colored Pencil & Micron Pen

Spring vacation will run from April 22 - 25. This four-day adventure for grades 3 though 8 will run from Tuesday through Friday, in the Art Room at Durham Community School (654 Hallowell Rd,  Durham, ME).

 

Our story will be Turf and Twig, featuring Scandinavian folklore.

Madog and Rhosyn are the Tomte couple who guard the Dragon’s Eye Detective’s Agency. These tiny house gnomes keep the Turf and Twig safe from thieves. Something strange is happening to these ancient artifacts, so our heroes transform into Micro Tomte to investigate. What could go wrong within a three-inch square of grass and dirt? Something only a shadowslug would believe.

We will craft our own tiny Tomten for this adventure.

Summer 2025, Session 1: Dreamsong of the Golden Koi

The Golden Koi
RL McNulty 2023
Colored Pencil & Micron Pen

Our second session of the 2025 season operates from June 30 through July 3. We will be in Room 711 on the 2nd floor of Freeport High School (30 Holbrook St., Freeport, ME).

 

This is a four-day adventure for detectives entering grades 4 through 9 in the fall. The program will be closed on Friday, July 4, and after hours this week will only run on Monday through Wednesday.

Our mystery is Dreamsong of the Golden Koi.

The disappearance of an old koi from a beautiful Japanese pond leads the detectives into the Dreaming, in search of a two-tailed cat that glows with a blue light. Their journey through the watery realms of dream features strange encounters with floating ghost lights and fire-breathing cranes. Can our heroes rescue the golden koi in time for dinner, or will our team find themselves on the menu?

Our team will encounter the Old One, the First of the Nine Dreamers from Dragon’s Eye lore.

We will make Dream Boxes and Koi.