TDC can barely contain themselves.

Up Too Late loved their Gummi Christmas bears and promised to return.

Chuckles: Having A Holly, Jolly Time

By the time I remembered to whip out the camera, the mass exodus was in full swing. I did manage, however, to get a pic of Jackie and Brian, who won the grand prize in the Trashbag of Deelite: a 12 inch Santa (at least I think it's Santa; could be a Druid, a wizard or and old fat guy with a club). We had a great time tonight for our last show of 2006 (we'll be preempted at Chuckles the next two weeks due to the holidays). The Mill Mar team continued their momentum from last week by placing fifth. They were thinking about going with the Disney Channel, but chose one of my favorite movies "Young Frankenstein" as their theme. The Lethal Amoebas kept it in the 70s by choosing Little Feat lyrics as their theme.

The three top prizes went to the non-smoking room. The Tidy Bowlers doubled their size and placed third, winning approximately 73 cents per teammate. The Price Is Right, with special guest stars Erika and Patrick, led the entire evening, but the Talent Scouts caught up to them in the last round. They decided to retire Scott and sent Jen in instead for the Captain jack tiebreaker. She quickly defeated Patrick her first time out, as the Scouts claimed first.

Trivia: After Hours, or, the Talent Scouts celebrate Jen's (not pictured) victory.

Beware of Captain Jack!

VFW: You're a Softee, Mr. Grinch

Since the Toys for Tots campaign will soon be coming to an end, I decided to transform the Trashbag of Deelite into the Toybag of Deelite and filled it to the rim with trucks and dolls and games and Barbie Uno cards. And everyone's hearts grew two sizes that day, as all the toys ended up in the donation bin. Thanks, everyone!

On the competition front, it was a very tight race to the finish, with only six points separating the top seven teams. D&M and We're Here for the Beer almost made the top five. Bill's Team decided to stay and ended up in fifth. They chose the classic poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as their theme. Next up was a tie between Nix Lix and Chicks and Dicks. Leroy's first turn at the tie-breaker ended quickly, which meant his team got to pick. Keeping in the holiday spirit, they chose "classic holiday movies." Shitz and Giggles and Friends took the silver as Room Two returned to the winners' circle.

Bube's: Ovaries in an Uproar

Firecrackers, Bombs and Ovaries are flushed with victory. This team, who chose their name (traditionally the Exploding Ovaries) in counterpoint to the Nutsacks, has placed third and second before, but this was their first grab for the gold. They squeaked by the Flaming Moe-rons (Go Flyers!), who tripped up on a spelling question. In third place was the Stonecutters, who finally returned after a looooong summer hiatus. The Fool Monkey placed fourth, and Bill finally got to choose "islands" as their theme. The dynamic duo known as Who Knew? had a stellar fourth round and placed fifth. They chose our neighbor to the right, "New Jersey" as their theme. Next week is also our extra-special Christmas show, so beware!

Welcome back, Stonecutters!

Who Knew?, bronze medalists and proud owners of a monster box of Crunch and Munch!

Chuckles: Yeah, Baby, Yeah!

It was a pop-fest night as the themes were the Austin Powers series and the King of Queens. Out of the Vortex managed to escape a four-way tie for sixth place in the third to tie for first in the fourth (go that?). Then it was Tim of Ubersmack vs. Billy in the Captain Jack-off, with Mr. Warmth the Victor. If the Millmar Crew hadn't changed one of their answers, they would have been champs, but they had to settle for a tie for third with the Talent Scouts. Just like last week, the Scouts sent in Scott and once again he got bitten twice. So the Scouts chose the Philadelphia Flyers as their theme. The Tidy Bowl Crew once again did very well, placing fifth and choosing "Saved By the Bell - The Non-College Years."

Please note: We will not have trivia on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, so next week (Dec. 17th) is the final show of 2006!

The Millmar Crew are psyched that they won a can of grandma's awful Christmas candy.

Old Man Tim, Billy, Kelly, Older Man Deric and Marge put aside their rivalry for a photo op.

VFW: We Can Dance If We Want To

It was a trip back to the days of big hair when we featured music of the '80s as one of our themes tonight. And it was appropriate that the team that chose that theme, Shitz and Giggles and Friends, took the top prize. One question behind them were two teams: The B52s and Chicks and Dicks. So it was an alligator tie-breaker between Sheila #1 and Carmen. It was Sheila's first crack at Captain Jack and I blinked, so I missed the quickest best-of-3 contest in trivia history. We're Here for the Beer tied for fourth, so they chose Christmas carols for their theme. And Major Nix Lix and Son second-guessed themselves out of the top spot and ended up also tied for fourth. Keeping it seasonal, they chose The Twelve Days of Christmas. And I have a special holiday theme for the Trashbag, too!

Bube's: Trivia Battle Royale, with Cheese

Once again there were audio issues, including the temporary death of my iPod (of course, it helps if you remember to charge it). My favorite team name of the night was "Un-Creative Table Number Two." (Along with "If the Nutsacks Had Done It, This Is How We Would have Done It.") The Tesla Death Rays fought off a last minute charge by the FJ Chubby Stubbies (who only missed one question in the key final round) and claimed victory with an impressive 93 points. There was a tie between perennial rivals Team Discovery Channel and the aforementioned Nutsacks, with the Sacks winning. So TDC chose "tribonds" as their theme for next week. In fifth were the Fool Monkeys, who chose Broadway musicals. Thanks go out to John and Bill of the Monkeys, who checked out J's new Saturday night trivia show at the Tilted Kilt. They gave J two thumbs up. Also, thanks to Janelle of A Dirty Shame who interviewed me for her journalism class, and to my cousin Mark who hung out with me pre-show.

Bob, Karen, Randy and Dave brought along some extra fire power and had what I believe to be their highest scoring night ever.

An origami version of a root beer barrel barge.

Nobody expects the Jelly Roll Mortons! You never know at what venue they'll turn up.

Thanks to Seth and Missy, who helped me write some blues questions for this week's VFW show

Chuckles: Bodies Everywhere

This is what Cafe Chuckles looked like after an extremely tough night of trivia. When the dust cleared, Marge-lett O'Hara and Bill Buttler of Out of the Vortex were left standing, defeating the Lethal Amoebas by one question. There was a tie between the Talent Scouts Featuring Special Guest Sue and Ubersmack for third, so it was Scott vs. Kelly for the money. Despite Kelly's best efforts to throw it, her team came in third, so Scott's fourth-place team chose the Austin Powers movies as their theme. There was also a tie between The Tidy Bowlers and The Price Is Right for fifth, with the Bowlers victorious. They chose, after intense deliberations, the TV sitcom The King of Queens. I promise to tone down the difficulty (a bit) for next week.

St. James: A Bunch of PEBDYs

That stands for Pretzel-Eating Beer-Drinking Yahoos, an affectionate term for the St. James Men's Club. The Earth Trivia show was part of their Christmas party Saturday night and everyone had a great time. The special themes were, appropriately enough, pretzels, beer and St. James the Greater (not to be confused with the lesser known St. James the Fair to Middlin'). Thanks to Mike and Frank for coming up with the idea and perhaps we can do it again. And maybe we'll finally solve the mystery of who stole Bob's Boilo.

VFW: A Photo Album's Worth of Pix

Scoot and Annie had to, well, scoot early, so they missed out on the last round. But here are some pix of what they missed. (My apologies for missing pictures of We're Here for the Beer and the Posse).

Skip, Erma, Carmen and Ginnie celebrate their close victory. Only three points separated the top five teams in a night of intense competition.

Andrew was convinced that it was his youth power that gave Nix Lix their silver medal.

Room Two was in a three-way with Shitz and Giggles and Outback. It was Matt's scary knowledge of Madonna that broke the deadlock, as they claimed the money.

Greg brought along some reinforcements to the Outback team. They chose "blues music" as their theme for next week.

Shitz and Friends were happy to have Giggles back in the fold. They chose "80s music" as their theme, so next week wear your big hair.

The Foreplayers were doing really well and only missed the winners' circle by one question.

Tonight, Bruce's team was known as "Mahatma Bambi."

The Pretzel Cats enjoyed the show so much that they vowed to return.

The best bartenders in Lititz, Laurie and Alice, AKA two-thirds of Alice in Wonderland.

The B52s could have used Cindy tonight.

Bube's: The Triviaceous Period

Not the momma! And not the Henson Dinosaurs, either. It was dinosaur night of the 15 foot tall cold-blooded (or were they warm-blooded?) variety, along with Fight Club (but I'm not allowed to talk about that). It looked like it was going to be sparse night, but then the regular crowd shuffled in (along with that old man making love to his tonic and gin. Everybody sing!). TDC and Eman Meat - that's "Team Name" for the dyslexic - both missed the top five by one measly point. The Jelly Roll Mortons made their first trip to the winners' circle and originally chose "Mike Horn" as their theme. But the Witness Protection program nixed that idea, so they chose "Arrested Development - The TV Show" as their theme (yes, I realize we had that a month ago, but it was a different team). The Tesla Death Rays finally came through in the last round, so they chose "Pulp Fiction." Brent was finally joined by Keith, as the Wise Man became the Wise Men and they used their Wonder Twin power to come in third. Charles, Carol and Bill stripped down their team name to TFM and placed second (along with winning one of the more unusual trashbag prizes - a bag of snap peas). But the Nutsack-a- suarus-rex tore up the vegetation and led the pack all the way, stomping over the competition.

Chuckles: Going Commando

Tonight's big news was the debut of Cordless Mike with the cordless mike. Of course, there were some minor squawking and volume issues, but it turned out fine, so beware! I might sneak up on you when you least expect it. Tonight it was bowling and Seinfeld night. Victory snuck up on the Price Is Right as a 35 in the last round helped them to pass the Rainmakers by two points. Out of the Vortex placed third, despite an awful picture round. The Lethal Amoebas took fourth and chose the TV series "Strangers with Candy" as their theme. A miniature version of Skirtland took fifth and chose the American Civil War. Barb and her Laffy taffy crew enjoyed their newly decorated nook out in the boonies. Eastside was getting by on confidence alone, while carol of KC qestioned the questions.

Reminder: No VFW Trivia Tonight

Stop your basting and come out to the VFW to hear the band Hotwired. See you all next week!

Bube's: I Yam What I Yam

In honor of their missing comrade, the Soon to Be Full Monkey team says "Charles," instead of "Cheese." They're celebrating their first victory in a while, but it was a close one, since they staved off the charging FJ Chubby Stubbies and won by one question. A mere two points behind the Chubs were the Wise Men, followed by Ten Pounds Nutsack With All the Trimmings (They chose Fight Club as their theme). TDC was fifth and chose dinosaurs (as in actual beasts, not the Jim Henson TV show). Missing the winners' circle by only a couple of points were the Toxic Olives and the Jelly Roll Mortons. And we welcomed back Eat It Raw, as Chris finally unchained Brian and let him out of the basement. Trashbag of Deelite prizes once again had a holiday theme. For some reason, the 2 pound yam from the Trashbag was traded in for a tiny stuffed horse.

Chuckles: The Things That Pass for Knowledge

It was a musical matchup, with Shania taking on Walter and Donald. The Lethal Amoebas' knowledge of Steely Dan helped them post a surprise victory. Skirtland also did well, placing second and winning the grand prize of a turkey from Stauffer's of Kissel Hill (Congrats to Kay!). Then there was a tie between the Price Is Right and Ubersmack for third. Deric was determined to lose, and lose he did, so Ubersmack picked Seinfeld as their theme. The Talent Scouts were doing well until the finale, and settled for fifth. They chose bowling as their theme. Joe's Team, Bug Man and Laffy Taffy also combusted in the end. The Flying Purple People Eaters are steadily climbing the ladder, getting b etter each week, and the Tidy Bowlers are close behind. Hopefully next week's debut of the cordless mike will help the non-smoking room acoustically. Gifts from the Trashbag were all holiday-oriented (with some leftover Halloween specials), although I forgot to bring the turkey bacon. Look for that at Tuesday's Bube's show.

There's a New Team in Town

Thanks to Hot Tub Steve (AKA Mini), I got to see the debut exhibition bout of what is sure to become Lancaster's newest champion franchise, the Dutchland Rollers! You can see some of my lame cellphone shots at right.

These ladies have been practicing all year, but they looked like seasoned pros to me (of course, I know jack about roller derby, so take that comment with a grain of salt). I sat behind White Thrash's family, so we rooted for her team, the Poison Apples. They ended up winning in a final tie-breaking jam, so we were rooting for the right team. I think their next bout won't be until next year, so go their website and sign up for their mailing list. This is not your mother's roller derby! (Unless your mother wears fishnet stockings and goes by the name of Hillbilly Hellcat or Penny Purgatory).

VFW: Hey, Good Looking!

No, that is not my high school picture. That is Hank Williams the Third's grandfather, AKA Hank Willams Jr's father, AKA Hank Williams (he sure had a lot of aliases). He was part of one of our themes, country music of the 50s and 60s. The B52s got swept away by the music as they, led by the warbling Paul, sung their way to the top spot for the second week in a row! (A team record for the B52s). Chicks and Dicks leapt from fifth to second, while D & M took the bronze. Next up was Shitz and Friends Minus Giggles (we wish a speedy recovery to Willie), who chose animated Christmas specials as their theme. We're Here for the Beer finished fifth and chose spelling as their theme. (Steve better watch out, since it looked like Darla, Sheila and Don were going to exercise their license to kill when they missed a James Bond question).

Reminder: There will be no trivia on Thanksgiving Eve. Instead, give your brain a rest and break out your dancing shoes, since the band Hotwired will be playing at 8:30. See you all in two weeks!

Bube's: We'll Stay for Just a Bit

Here we have the Depends Team, who were in town on a visit from Pittsburgh. They had no intention of staying after dinner, but with a little persuasion, they sampled the first round and stayed until the end, when they took home the imaginary Fifth Place trophy. They naturally chose "Pittsburgh landmarks" as their theme for next week, when all 12 of them will take the train in. The FJ Chubby Stubbies once again placed fourth and chose "Italy." Last week's champs, TDC settled for third and the dynamic duo of "Dirty Shame" took second. The Flaming Moe-rons (Go Flyers!), always contenders, finished strong in the last round to take first.

These two guys were the ringleaders of the steel curtain.

Janelle and Justin, AKA "Dirty Shame," came through in the last round to overtake TDC for second place!

Chuckles: A Tribute to Dad

Once again going on memory for this blurbage: Sunday marked the fourth-year anniversary of my dad's passing (that's him clowning around at right), so I chose questions that he would have approved of: Armstrong, the Steelers, Dairy Queen, Hee-Haw, etc. And the picture round spelled out his name. He was able to play trivia a couple of times when Curtis was doing the show, but was not able to see me host. But he always enjoyed hearing the questions.

The other themes for the night were Lincoln's cabinet (with which everyone did surprisingly well) and Hanson. Unfortunately, the mmmBop lyrics in the final round tripped many. Marge of Out of the Vortex, however, channeled her inner teeny-bopper and led her team to victory, squeaking by a last round surge by Skirtland. Ubersmack and the Amoebas tied for third, with the Meebs falling. They chose "Steely Dan lyrics" as their theme. The Laffy Taffy crew took fifth and kept it musical by picking Shania Twain lyrics. Props go to Bugman, who aced the picture round, Jackie and Brian of the Jelly Roll Mortons, who made it to two shows this week, and to Lori, who ably handled some drunken oafs who provided us with a halftime show. Team Zissou did extremely well, considering that they missed the first round. And Fonk du Jour CV Beat the Barons had one of their highest placings ever, almost making the coveted Top Five.

My First YouTube

Here's my first attempt at posting on YouTube. It's Damion Wolfe performing his song "Freestyle" at the Chameleon Saturday night. My camera only records three minute films, so the ending is cut off. Damion was phenomenal, and that other guy was pretty good, too ;-)

VFW: Slaughter in the Fourth

I don't have my notes, so this is from memory: My main impression of tonight was the carnage created by the last round. Room Two and Shitz and Giggles had been leading all night. But when the smoke cleared, it was the B52s who emerged victorious. And Nix Lix almost made the winner's circle, missing it by one point. They chose candies of the 1960s as their theme. Keeping us in nostalgia mode, fifth-place Chicks and Dicks chose country music of the 50s and 60s. (And you're looking at a picture of the present-day Frank Serpico, by the way).

Bube's: Dodging the Draft

Problems with the taps system did not deter the teams from a thoreauly rousing night of trivia. And neither did one of our stranger themes: transcendentalists. The Firkens (pictured above) were astonished to see that trivia is still going strong at Bubes, approaching its ten year anniversary. They placed sixth by almost catching up with the fifth place Tesla Death Rays. They chose the 1950s camp classic movie "The Bad Seed" as their theme. The two man team known as the FJ Chubby Stubbies did really well, placing fourth and choosing the Phillies for next week. The Olives were in second all night, but were usurped by the hard-charging Fool Monkey Wrench in the Electoral Works team. The Monkeys almost beat TDC, but they won by a mere whisper. Also: thanks to Rebecca for doing a bangup job on her first night as trivia server.

Pierce and Pierce may not have placed, but they did manage to win three Trashbag prizes (even though Sugar daddies are not their favorites).

The trivia virgins known as the Jelly Roll Mortons are seen here puzzling over the last round. They enjoyed it so much that they vowed to check out the Cafe Chuckles show.

Damion Wolfe Opening for Tim Reynolds

Songwriter-guitarist and huge trivia supporter Damion Wolfe will be playing this Saturday (Nov. 11th) at the Chameleon Club. He'll be opening for famed guitarist Tim Reynolds, who is well known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band. Surely a night not to be missed!

Chuckles: White and Nerdy

We have a musically diverse group at Chuckles, as evidenced by the themes. We've already had doo-wop and Bon Jovi. So this week, it was gangsta rap and next week it's Hanson (they sang the immortal "mmmmmCRAP!" - or something like that). Marge and the Notorious B.I.L. got in touch with their inner rappers and led the way until a meltdown in the last round. Joe's Team and Laffy Taffy, also, were not big fans of the final round. The Price Is Right took fifth, but since they will not be here next week, they gave their pick to the Tidy Bowlers. The Bowlers were taken aback by finally getting a choice and scrambled for a theme, so they chose the aforementioned musical trio. Skirtland placed fourth and chose Lincoln and his cabinet (Quick everyone, you have one week to read Doris Kearn Goodwin's Team of Rivals. C'mon, it's only 944 pages!) Ubersmack, led by Ole Boy Deric, came in third and the Lethal Amoebas featuring Lefty Lorraine came in second. And the big story of the night was the fourth round comeback of the Talent Scouts, who managed to make it to the top spot two weeks in a row.

VFW: Saddle Up!

In honor of our horse tack theme, the night came down to a shootout between four members of Room Two and D & M + 3, with rootin' tootin Clyde providing the key shots. Shitz and Giggles and Friends took third, followed by the B52s, who were in their comfort zone, fourth place. To change things up a little, Sheila chose cars of the 1960s as their theme. We're Here for the Beer took fifth and chose the Al Pacino flick Serpico as their theme. The Patty Melts enjoyed the new earlier start time of 7, while the Foreplayers took advantage of the nice weather to make a return appearance. We had a special grand prize of a giant Shrek doll, courtesy of yard sale shopper extraordinaire Renate. Paul was initially reluctant to accept the prize, but decided his grandson would enjoy it.

VFW: New Start Time!

Don't forget that tonight we begin starting an hour earlier, at 7 P.M.! (or else you'll miss the first two rounds) - Note this only applies to the VFW; Chuckles and Bube's remain at 8 P.M.