Quiz Night: raising funds with right answers

KENT — He was dressed in a T-shirt and blue jeans and at times danced ferociously to “The Bird.� No, Clive Lodge was definitely not an Alex Trebek-type figure as he hosted the 10th annual Quiz Night at the Kent Community House on Saturday, April 18.

The event is a fundraiser for the Kent Children’s Center.

And the game itself was not what you would call a standard quiz challenge, like Jeopardy, for example. It was more like a combination tailgate party, indoor barbecue and family reunion, with contestants bringing wine, beer, chicken and all kinds of other foods to eat and drink as they competed.

According to Lodge, who organized the event with his wife, Diane, this year 165 people took part. There were 44 teams with names such as The Procrastinators, Not Your Average Bear, Spooner Street, He Said She Said and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

“We brought this over from England, where they play these kinds of quizzes in pubs,� Clive Lodge said. “We give it an American twist by including a video screen. The game is 12 rounds with 12 different questions.

“But as for the questions themselves, these are the type of questions you can answer without having to go to college. The janitor working up the street has just as much chance of answering these questions as the college graduate does.�

Joel Benson, captain of The Pussywillows team, said he had a very clear strategy for winning.

“We’re going to strike fear into everyone’s hearts,� Benson said. “That and we’re going to copy from our neighbors, The Quadratics.�

One team, called the Treasure Keepers, was made up of staffers from the Kent Children’s Center.

“This is very exciting for the children’s center,� Treasure Keeper Toni Hanny said. “And as for winning tonight, I sent all of my teammates home to read the encyclopedia all week, so if we lose, it’s not my fault. It’s the encyclopedia’s fault.�

Neither Hanny nor the rest of the team would identify which encyclopedia they used to prepare for the quiz.

Meanwhile, while the Treasure Keepers were wising up with a bag of Smart Puffs snack food, a few tables over the Latchkey Kids team was dining on wine, grapes and cheese.

“Our strategy? Not to get too drunk,� team member Jennifer Luning said. “And also to use our iPhone.�

Not so fast, Lodge said from the stage right before the game started. He warned contestants that anyone using an iPhone during the game would be disqualified.

“Even if you go into the bathroom and e-mail someone from there, we will find you and disqualify you,� Lodge said. “Don’t even think of it.�

During round nine of the game, Elvis impersonator Drew Dyal entertained the audience with a selection of The King’s hits.

In the end, the winners were, ironically, the team known as The Underachievers, who scored 100 points.

“We raised $2,216 in entry fees,� Lodge said after the game. “We are really pleased.�