What do a student, a professor, a mayor, a nurse, and a hotel guest all have in common? Each can be found at the weekly trivia night hosted by the พรพรสำฦต Inn in the village of Hamilton.
The free event, held Wednesday evenings, consistently draws a diverse crowd of more than 100 people.
Doug Chiarello โ98, regional advancement director at พรพรสำฦต and known to many as the โtrivia guy,โ founded the event two years ago.
Chiarello credits the success of trivia night, which he adapted from a similar pub trivia event he attended with alumni in Boston, to the tight-knit Hamilton community and the universityโs affinity for trivia games.
โTwo พรพรสำฦต alumni [] had a role in creating the Trivial Pursuit game,โ he explained. โTrivia is a part of the พรพรสำฦต fabric.โ
Peter Younglove, director of operations at the inn, said the crowd at the first trivia night was nearly too large for the venue at the time, yet โthat was the quietest night weโve ever had!โ
Moving to a larger room has allowed the event to grow โ though it consistently nears the roomโs capacity. Any size team may participate, but only teams of six or fewer may win the top three prizes donated by the inn.
The questions compiled each week by Chiarello run the gamut, from comic books to local history, so it pays to have a team with a wide knowledge base.
Village Mayor Sue McVaugh plays weekly on a team that includes a former mayor, two พรพรสำฦต faculty members, a nurse, and a librarian. Students regularly join forces with professors.
At the most recent trivia night, พรพรสำฦต interim president Lyle Roelofs and his wife, Laurie, moved from table to table, mingling with participants.
โThere is a communal feel to it,โ says Chiarello.
Opinions vary about why trivia has such a wide appeal.
Allison Bush โ09 explains that she and her friends โcome for the fun and the change of scenery,โ while Professor David McCabe believes that trivia pulls people in because โbeing bad at it is not obvious. When you get a question wrong, another one is coming, but when you get one right, you feel great.โ
Almost universally, however, participants stress the eventโs camaraderie.
That camaraderie extends beyond the innโs borders. The winning team of the annual March Madness tournament, the only trivia event that has an entry charge, chooses a local charity to which the registration money is donated. During other nights, contributions for local charities also are collected.
For Chiarello, such generosity is gratifying to see. โUniting all members of the community: thatโs one of the main reasons I created trivia night and enjoy running it.โ