Dewey Decibel podcast investigates a cold case in its Halloween episode
October 25, 2017
Dewey Decibel podcast presents its Halloween episode, "The A1 Mystery of Avon Lake."
Who’s behind the 55 cleaned, emptied, and delabeled A1 Sauce bottles that mysteriously appeared at Avon Lake (Ohio) Public Library between January and August? Could Dewey Decibel podcast’s investigation turn up any new leads or suspects? We sure hope so.
In Episode 19—our special Halloween episode—Dewey goes on the road to bring you a story from Avon Lake, a town nestled along Lake Erie with a population of about 23,000. Lurking below the idyllic setting is a condiment caper that’s been baffling the community for months.
Dewey Decibel correspondent Terra Dankowski—inspired by a photograph that appeared in the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram—rode 14 hours on a bus so that she could analyze the facts of the steak sauce case up close. She interviewed 11 former and current staff members of Avon Lake Public Library to better understand the motive, means, and profile of the bottle bandit. She snapped photos of the scene, the A1 Sauce bottles, the two copycats—and is opening up her case file to you.
Did Dewey Decibel suss out the saucy truth? Listen to the episode to hear what we found, and click through the slideshow to examine the photographic evidence.
Whodunit? Think you know? Leave us a comment below, on Twitter, or on iTunes. If you have feedback for this or future episodes, email the Dewey Decibel team at deweydecibel@ala.org.
The front entrance of the Avon Lake (Ohio) Public Library. Lurking below this idyllic setting is a condiment caper that has been baffling the community for months. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
After arriving at Avon Lake Public Library, Dewey Decibel correspondent Terra Dankowski took quick inventory of the evidence before diving into her investigation.
Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Dan Cotton, page supervisor at Avon Lake Public Library, kept copious notes during the A1 Mystery. He took Dewey Decibel on a tour of library locations where the first few bottles were found.
Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Dan Cotton, page supervisor at Avon Lake Public Library, shows off two pages from his case file. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Avon Lake Public Library created this floor plan graphic indicating where A1 Sauce bottles were found in the library. A total of 55 bottles were retrieved between January and August, plus two suspected copycat bottles. Image: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Dan Cotton, page supervisor at Avon Lake Public Library, found the first A1 Sauce bottle on January 11. Here he demonstrates how the first bottle was stashed behind a pile of newspapers. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
A few of the emptied, cleaned, and delabeled A1 Sauce bottles that were found in the stacks were flagged with Post-it notes indicating which library employee found the bottle, and when and where the bottle was found. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Avon Lake Public Library has held onto most of its A1 Sauce bottle collection. Many library employees that we interviewed stressed how clean the bottles were and what a time commitment this project must have been.
Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Jill Ralston, former public relations and marketing coordinator with Avon Lake Public Library, is credited with sparking local and national media interest in this story. “It all started with a Facebook post,” she said. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Dan Cotton, page supervisor at Avon Lake Public Library, found the very first bottle on January 11. Cotton has kept extensive notes on the case. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Shea Alltmont started as public relations and marketing coordinator in August, but she was already acquainted with the mystery thanks to local media. In June, she baked cookies for library staffers and her friend Jill Ralston in the shape of A1 Sauce bottles.
Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Mary Crehore served as director of Avon Lake Public Library when much of the game was afoot. Crehore retired in June after being with the library for 15 years.
Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Librarian Nadge Herceg found her bottle in the Book Discussion section of Avon Lake Public Library.
Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Circulation Manager Dianne Russell initially suspected the empty A1 Sauce bottles at Avon Lake Public Library were part of a geocaching game.
Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
William Rutger joined Avon Lake Public Library as director in July. Though he wasn’t around for most of the mystery, he had heard about the story before joining the ranks. Rutger even sent a (full) A1 Sauce bottle, along with a thank-you note, to the board of trustees after his interview. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Avon Lake Public Library page Colleetta DeChant found bottle #15 in the magazines section. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Vicki George, circulation specialist at Avon Lake Public Library, found one of two suspected copycat bottles on March 23. The A1 Sauce bottle that she found was full and still had its label. Attached to her bottle was an envelope containing a handwritten poem. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
A photograph of the handwritten poem that Vicki George found on March 23. The poem is suspected to have been written by a copycat because it didn’t fit the pattern of the other bottles. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
One of these things is not like the others. Avon Lake Public Library staffers found a Crown Collection Steak Sauce bottle, which they deemed a second copycat. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
The copycat bottle that Vicki George found on March 23 was located in the Mysteries section. Dan Cotton agreed that the bottle’s location made the copycat find a little “obvious.” Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
A1-themed cookies that Shea Alltmont baked for Avon Lake Public Library staffers in June. Alltmont reassured Dewey Decibel that A1 Sauce was not actually used in the recipe. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Shea Alltmont, who runs a small business called Tiny Kitchen Bakery, provided Dewey Decibel with the recipe for her A1-themed cookies. Image:
Shea Alltmont
Jill Ralston, former public relations and marketing coordinator for Avon Lake Public Library, created this display of A1 Sauce-themed memorabilia and the A1 Sauce bottles staffers had found in the stacks. The display generated a lot of community interest. Photo: Courtesy of Avon Lake Public Library
Avon Lake Public Library gave one of its A1 Sauce bottles to Dewey Decibel for “further analysis.” Here, American Libraries Managing Editor Sanhita SinhaRoy lends her eye to the investigation. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
The “A1 Mystery of Avon Lake” made quite an impression on Dewey Decibel correspondent Terra Dankowski. When she got back to American Library Association headquarters in Chicago, she constructed this board of suspects and evidence. Photo: Terra Dankowski/American Libraries
Dewey Decibel podcast goes ghost-hunting in its special Halloween episode
4 thoughts on “The A1 Mystery of Avon Lake”
What if someone just bought the bottles from a surplus store? All the bottles were really clean with no labels, and there had been a Heinz factory in a nearby town that closed–it seems reasonable that empty, unused A1 bottles could be purchased somewhere around Avon Lake.
I agree. This is completely within reason. The bottles themselves are not the mystery here, I think it’s just part of the fun to wonder about.
What if someone just bought the bottles from a surplus store? All the bottles were really clean with no labels, and there had been a Heinz factory in a nearby town that closed–it seems reasonable that empty, unused A1 bottles could be purchased somewhere around Avon Lake.
I agree. This is completely within reason. The bottles themselves are not the mystery here, I think it’s just part of the fun to wonder about.
Who did the music?
Most Dewey Decibel music is composed and performed by host Phil Morehart. But the creepy theremin jam in this episode comes from here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Meczp/Hanging_from_the_Purgatorys_Pendulum/