‘Campaigns are murder’ dinner spoof welcomes DNC delegates

The Lumber Baron, a hotel just northwest of downtown in the Highlands neighborhood, has been staging murder mystery dinners for more than a decade. But in honor of the Democratic National Convention coming to town this month, the establishment has revamped its act into “Candidates’ Night: Campaigns are Murder 2008.”

“This latest one is just a very funny spoof on politics,” said owner Walter Keller. “We just make fun of everybody.”

For $37 per plate, dinners can enjoy “this unique civic opportunity to shape the political future of our nation while partaking in a self-indulgent night of drinking, feasting, and rubbing elbows with the elite semi-sophisticates!” according to the Inn’s Web site.

The Lumber Baron, which bills itself as Denver’s premier wedding hotel, has never ventured near politics before but decided to make an exception for the special occasion and will hold performances throughout the month on Friday and Saturday nights, Keller said.