Yet another fundraiser for yet another good cause. And what fun our trivia team made it. No cross words, no accusatory glances and no cussing. How refreshing in today’s society.
A big shout out to Megan Vanderlee, who had cleverly assembled our team of eight. Certainly a demographic jumble. A diverse mish-mash in several ways, which was unquestionably the main reason for our success as a team.
Two of Megan’s pals, Wendy Kulp and Dan Smeenk, were certainly our superstars, with everyone else contributing here and there.
Objectively observing, I was the weak link, proffering only two or three correct answers. Ah, the curse of demographics. In a music category, I want more “Man in Black” and less Pink.
Camp David is in the state of Maryland, and a FIFA World Cup soccer ball has 32 panels. Now, what is the main element emitted by a volcano, and when did the first ship transit the Welland Canal? Somebody knew the answers.
As I ramble this week, I hesitate to sound immodest by mentioning that our team ended up with the most points. But as they say out west in Alberta, “It ain’t braggin if ya done it.”
There were 10 teams, all with clever names, and we were Les Quizerables. In the end, we got a few more correct answers than Quizzical Fitness, the Hopeful Guessers and the Oast Busters. Huzzah.
There are regular trivia nights around Niagara, and it is hard to make organizing appear easy. From our public library, community engagement co-ordinator Debbie Krause was the quarterback, bringing together all of the components.
On a technical level, there was a great sound system and clear visuals, and hospitality with Ken Slingerland and several of our local Kinsmen taking care of the beverages.
Coming up with fair and understandable questions is an absolutely critical aspect of an enjoyable trivia night. There is no room for ambiguity. Chapeau to Sarah Bowers and her enthusiastic helpers from our library.
A subtle aspect of planning a trivia night is selecting questions that are challenging, but not too challenging. We paying participants don’t need to be reminded how dumb we are.
Years ago at Club Italia in Niagara Falls, the winning team correctly answered less than 20 per cent of the questions. Too tough. We all complained vociferously, and voted with our feet by not showing up the next year.
Last week, the library had prepared six rounds, each with 10 questions. So a total of 60 questions. Our winning team got 46 points, 77 per cent. More than fair, wouldn’t you agree? Next year, I really hope Megan includes me on Les Quizerables.
I know, I know, we got lucky.
Our library trivia night host last week was NOTLer Mike Balsom, no stranger to microphones and group dynamics. He was blessed with competent and enthusiastic helpers, enabling him to move the program along at a good clip. No technical breakdowns, no needless patter, so all in all a very professional trivia night.
Even the technically complex category, called something like “Muted Musical Movie Posters,” was presented without a glitch or hiccup. Amazing, and what preparation and attention to detail. I was almost totally clueless in this category.
Really rambling now, what type of soup is traditionally served at the Robbie Burns Night Suppers? Before the main haggis course? I answered leek soup, but the powers-that-be wouldn’t give us the point. They insisted on cock-a-leekie. Chicken and leek. Sheesh. Details, details.
And what is the world’s smallest and shallowest ocean? Even with two ladies named Wendy on our team, as host Mike pointed out, we couldn’t get that answer. Hint: It is approximately 1.5 times the size of the United States.
This year’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Trivia Night was a resounding hit. Remember, it’s hard to make something look easy.
There is so much going on at the library. “More than books. More for you.” Discover stories, skills and community one chapter at a time. Always welcoming.
On June 8, 1800, the Niagara Library, the first circulating library in Upper Canada, was established “to diffuse knowledge” among area subscribers.
As I often conclude, not that long ago.
