Over the past seven years the trivia contest has donated around $50,000 to various concerns across western Massachusetts.
It's been a while since I featured my favorite pub trivia, Thursday night trivia at the World War II Club in Northampton, but today actually provides a perfect occasion to do so again.
This week marks the seventh anniversary of the weekly trivia contest, and the 356th event since its inception in 2006. (By way of full disclosure, let me say that I have played there almost every week since 2009, even guest hosting twice with my good friend Shaun Hickson.)
What has been remarkable about this trivia night is it's growth. Quizmaster Chris Bigelow said that the first week only drew about 16 people But it escalated pretty quickly to a modest amount, around 40-50 contestants by week four. It grew marginally after that for a few years but never seemed to get beyond the hundred-person threshold. Then somewhere around 2008-2009 things exploded. Bigelow's contest started regularly pulling in more than 100 people and got the point where it had to be moved from the club's smaller front barroom to the back banquet room. It now regularly draws between 120 and 150 people.
The really great thing about the night is that it also raises money for charity. Over the past seven years it has donated around $50,000 to various concerns across western Massachusetts, including ones that help veterans, women and children, animals, and even Little League teams. For the seventh anniversary, the charity will be one near to my heart, the Dakin Animal Shelter. It will also be a special trivia set that will employ "lifelines" to help you with stumpers.
And while this charity aspect is a wonderful part of the weekly game, the real reason for its success is Chris. Along with being a brilliant guy who creates masterful trivia sets, henis also a great showman and a genuinely nice guy. It's an irresistible combination for people once they experience it.
The last but certainly not least aspect of the night-- one that often probably goes unstated--is the trivia teams themselves. Largely a collection of self-proclaimed nerds, the crowd is otherwise quite diverse and you won't meet a collection of nicer people anywhere.
So congratulations to Chris on seven strong years. If you think you're good at trivia, come down some Thursday night at 8 p.m. and check it out. But be forewarned: This is not your Trivial Pursuit-type trivia. This is hard-core real stuff. But it is incredibly fun and entertaining.
The WWII Club is at 50 Conz St.
Scouting report
There are plenty of tribute bands around, but the problem with most of them is that they focus (naturally) on covering and imitating one band. Not so with the Vicki Rose Tribute Band, which is not a tribute to Rose, but rather a tribute by her to a wide array of women singers over the decades. Included in the tribute are such starts as Cher, Madonna, Patsy Cline, Shania Twain and many more. The hand will be playing at American Legion Post 266 on June 21. The club is at 74 Pleasant St. in Granby.
The Equalites return to City Sports Grille on June 8. The bar is at 526 Pleasant St. in Northampton.
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