Jan., 2001 article from the Lititz Record Express
by Kathy Blankenbiller

We have a new fun tradition here in Lititz-to meet at the General Sutter on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. to play Curtis Earth's version of Trivia (G-rated, by the way). Sure, he's appeared there before during the spring and summer, but he finally hit the big time and was invited inside.

I'm glad he was! What a pleasant way to spend a mid-week evening; good food (the only kind the Sutter has), good music, a great way to learn new interesting facts, and to really top it off, a smoke-free environment-thank you Mr. Brophy!

The debut was January 10th and Curtis's faithful fans were there in force, anxious and ready for the challenge. Never having experienced one of Curtis's games (sorry Curtis), I wasn't sure what to expect so I checked out his web site before attending (see below for the web address) to learn the rules.

Three sets of ten questions are asked with each set increasing in point value. Trivia teams can be made up of one to 99 members (yes, 99!). Team names are chosen by the team to reflect their egos, philosophies or personalities. Last week, for instance, "The Almighty Team," took first place, followed in second place by "Team Happy Pants," with "The Gang of 5" holding on to third. My team (never mind what name we chose, it's too Goofy to mention) was no match for these very knowledgeable Trivialists (?).... Trivialiers (?).... people. Alas, my team consisted simply of my dear friend, Donna Robinson (owner of Pocket Change Gifts) and me (owner of Max, the dog...who, by the way, doesn't like trivia).

What human wouldn't love trivia? Putting aside for a moment the fact that trivia is a superb way of learning obscure facts, watching the responses of the players as Curtis announced the correct answers proved to be almost as entertaining as playing (Donna and I didn't do so well, so I had plenty of time to watch everyone else). There was a very nice mix of arms raised in victory with the accompanying "YES!!!" as well as looks exchanged among teammates ranging from frowns to sneers, tongues sticking out, eye rollers, eye blinkers, stares of "I told you so," and the ever-popular, eye-popping bewilderment expressions.

Trivia is not as trivial as it may seem at first glance. It cannot be studied, per se. Our memory works in two main ways, really. One part helps us remember facts and events, while the other helps us learn repetitive processes such as driving a car or tying our shoes. Facts and figures may be learned easily, but not retained for very long unless we have a particular interest in them. Actually, the mind remembers what we have said and seen more vividly than what we have read. For instance, let's say you love football but never formally studied all the facts and figures that are part of it, yet you gleefully (if you bet right) rattle off Superbowl statistics that might elude someone who follows basketball instead.

Therefore, a trivia team has a better chance to win if the members include people who have very varied professions and interests. So, next Wednesday evening, gather your group, decide on a team name and enjoy Trivia Night at the Sutter with the one and only (thank goodness!) Curtis Earth!

Links:

Curtis Earth Trivia
www.curtisearthtrivia.com

Curtis has been kind enough to share his various views with us here on his own web site. Read the various team biographies and current standings, the rules of the game, and test yourself with a few sample questions. He has also included a schedule so if you can't make Wednesdays, you might catch Curtis at another location.

Article © 2001 Lititz Record Express