Candymaker/freelance writer/trivia host Kathy Blankenbiller and her team PhilNdeBlank took fourth and outfitted their team in t-shirts. Kathy is for hire, by the way :-)

The Four Orphans were cobbled together from several teams and managed some major team mojo to come in fifth.

The ever-travelling Talent Scouts continued their Easter weekend celebrating and took home some handy-dandy bottle openers.

You won't be able to miss this team from Harrisburg, All Jazzed Up, now that they're equipped with high-tech blinkers!

Team Cuscus, with new addition Helene (second from left). I took Helen's sister Val to my senior prom. I would post the pic, but I'm afraid my blinding pastel blue tux would scar your eyeballs.

Two-timing trivia Team Laffy Taffy (they play at both Chuckles and the Barn Door). I think MJ got a secret kick out of seeing Billy and I clearing tables.

The Outsiders are lost in thought, pondering the mysteries of trivia. From New York, via North Carolina and Great Britain, they discovered us via the power of the series of tubes known as the internets.

Bube's owner and long time trivia supporter Sam Allen proudly displays his vintage Art on Wood from 2001, a masterful portrait of monkey judge Mr. Shifferstein. Sam keeps it by his nightstand.

After Bube's, we headed to the Cove in Lancaster where good friend Damion Wolfe was wrapping up his gig. After some guy sang a cheesy version of Love Boat, Damion duetted with Curtis and his egg on "Me and Julio."

Hot Tub Jimmy was up way past his bedtime.

Later, in a special edition of "Mythbusters," Curtis disproved the notion that an eight inch plastic horse would be a choking hazard.

VFW: I'm Dreaming of a White April

Just like when the sparrows return to Capistrano, it's a sure sign of Spring when the Foreplayers return to the VFW (although it sure is hard to remember it's Spring when there are icicles hanging off your nose). Tonight's news was the start time referendum. Once in a while triva becomes a democracy as I step down as tyrant and let the people vote. The majority has spoken and the game start time will remain at 7 P.M. (No comment about me needing my beauty sleep, please).

On the competition front, Shitz and Giggle and Friends finally broke their fourth round curse and took first. In second, placing their highest score in a looooooooooooooong time, was Alice in Wonderland! Behind them were Chicks and Dicks. The B52s took fourth for the second week in a row and chose "anatomy" as their theme. In fifth (again) were Whatever (AKA Room Two); they chose "airports" as their theme

Trivia this Saturday: still open!

It's not too late! We still have some seats available for Saturday's $250 GRAND PRIZE Trivia Contest.

Here's a repeat of the details:

You can win big bucks this Saturday just by playing trivia. And you get to see the original host, Curtis Earth, in action. It's a chance for the trivia veterans (pre-2002) to re-connect with Curt and re-experience old times; and it's a chance for our "more recent" players to get to know his special brand of warmth and humor.

Curtis Earth, the founding father of trivia in Lancaster County, is returning to his roots and doing a special trivia show Easter Saturday night, April 7th at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy.

The grand prize is (drumroll, please...) $250!!! (you read that right, it's two hundred and fifty dollars, not $25!)

Other prizes other than cash will also be awarded, in addition to the $250.00 Grand prize

Show begins at 8 P.M. upstairs in the Alois ballroom.

Price: $10 per person - price includes a light Italian buffet of ziti and pasta, salad and dessert (which will be served at 8:30).

Maximum team size: 8 players.

We need a head count ahead of time, so please e-mail me with the number of players on your team and we'll reserve you a table!

Please RSVP to me (mike.horn@fandm.edu) as soon as possible.

Bube's: You Don't Know Poop

It was horse and poop night at Bube's and everyone had a craptacular time. I was going to experiment with scratch and sniff picture round sheets, but it was too costly. Once the stench cleared, Total Disagreement came from behind, beating the Bunny Pellets and the Jelly Roll Mortons by one question. Then Nate of the Pellets (sort of like Tarzan of the Apes) bested the Rolls in a Captain Jack-off, and took second plpace. In fourth were Equus Nutsackus, with the returning Marie and Nathan. They chose Sports Tribonds as their theme. Following closely behind was English minor Tom, the sole rep of Team Discovery Channel. He chose the Romantic Poets (e.g. Keat, Shelley, Byron and all those weepy guys).

Speaking of weepy, it's with a heavy heart that I report that it was Melissa's last night as our server. (That's Melissa and Matt in the pic above). She is quitting Bube's to take a break and concentrate on studying and her other job. Best of luck to you and see you in court!

Here's Bob, sporting another of his Trashbag fashions, with owl pellet expert Randy in the background.

The Jon Shober gang had a good time, despite Jade's near-death encounter with the Trashbag of Deelite.

Josh and Sarah couldn't make it in time for the show, but hung out afterwards.

Chuckles: My Kingdom for an Answer!

King Edmond Ironside, son of Ethelred the Unready stopped by the show last night and was shocked to see that his mug was on the picture sheet. Alas, it was only a cruel April Fool's trick, since the real picture sheet had been withheld.

Tonight marked the debut of our new hostess, Sara's twin sister Anna. She got to see a nailbiter night, as last week's champs Easy Like Sunday Morning (they change their name weekly), tumbled in the last round. The Lethal ("Don't Hate Us Because We're Beautiful") Amoebas, took first. In second were The Price Is Marked Down and in third, once they finished with their morning wood, was Skirtland. The fourth-place Talent Scouts chose Spaceballs as their theme, followed by the Tidy Bowlers, who once again took fifth. They chose Amish culture. Laffy Taffy and the Sad Clowns almost made it, as did my favorite team name for the night, the Grotty Lil Wenkers.

Program note: don't forget that Chuckles will be closed on Easter Sunday, so our next show will be April 15th.

Rod was so taken aback by his marvelously practical individual Spongebob pizza slice plate that he gave it away!

The Price Is Marked Down recruited some members of the Millersville Alumni Association, Bob and Jean.

VFW: The Envelope, Please

We had a special guest host tonight at trivia: Flat Tyson of We're Here For The Beer. F.T. wanted to take advantage of the low postal rates before they go up to $.41, so he mailed himself from Denver, Colorado.

He got to see some hard-hitting competition, as Room Two finally toppled We're No Biscuits from the winner's seat. Chicks and Dicks were close behind, with the Biscuits in third. The B52s placed a respectable fourth and chose cars of the 1950s as their theme. Tyson's grandparents then chose American Indian chiefs as their theme. If they only had won second place, they could have afforded to send him home via first-class Fed Ex!

Flat Tyson enjoyed playing trivia with Grandpa Don and Eccentric Uncle Steve. His favorite categories were stamp collecting and pulp fiction.

Bube's: The Littlest Warrior

They had a special surprise birthday party for my nephew James tonight, so I asked my brother to find a suitably embarrassing pic to post on the answer sheets. Here's the more colorful version of the future Marine. They had a good time and missed the top five by only a few points, right behind The Lord Found His Nutsack Good (I'm paraphrasing that name).

Also, props to the Jon Shober Gang, who like to see their name in print.

Obviously, his taste in headwear hasn't changed.

The Toxic Olives were joined by trivia virgin Kumiko (center) on her first night of trivia-playing. With 8 out of 10 questions right in the last round, they rocketed from third to first, nudging out barmates Team Discovery Channel (second) and the Chubby Stubbies (third).

You can always count on the Jelly Roll Mortons to pick intriguing categories. Tim is showing their theme choice on the card above. The Fool Monkey kept it in an animal way by choosing horses as their theme. (Maybe I'll combine them and do ten questions on horse poop).

Win $250 Just By Playing Trivia!

No, the spammers haven't infiltrated my blog, it's true! You can win big bucks next weekend just by playing trivia. And you get to see the original host, Curtis Earth, in action. It's a chance for the trivia veterans (pre-2002) to re-connect with Curt and re-experience old times; and it's a chance for our "more recent" players to get to know his special brand of warmth and humor.

Here's what I sent out to our mailing list:

Curtis Earth, the founding father of trivia in Lancaster County, is returning to his roots and doing a special trivia show Easter Saturday night, April 7th at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy.

The grand prize is (drumroll, please...) $250!!! (you read that right, it's two hundred and fifty dollars, not $25!)

Other prizes other than cash will also be awarded, in addition to the $250.00 Grand prize

Show begins at 8 P.M. upstairs in the Alois ballroom.

Price: $10 per person - price includes a light buffet of ziti, salad and dessert (which will be served at 8:30).

Maximum team size: 8 players.

We need a head count ahead of time, so please e-mail me with the number of players on your team and we'll reserve you a table!

Please RSVP to me (mike.horn@fandm.edu) as soon as possible. Reservation deadline is Monday, April 2nd.

Chuckles: I'd Like to Buy a Vowel

It looked like there was going to be a massive tie in the end, since everyone was log-jammed by the end of the third round. But The SuperNovas continued their momentum and took the top spot. The Novas like to change their names from week to week, but you can usually find them seated at the bar (appropriately enough for a team that used to be called the Boozehounds). The Price Is Right welcomed back Connie Price and took second. In third was Ubersmack, which benefited from Tim's newly shorn head. The Tidy Bowlers placed fourth and chose Spongebob as their theme. then there was a tie between arch-rivals Vortex and a sugared-up Skirtland, with Lee besting the Belly. Skirtland at first chose "24" as their theme, but then changed it to "English kings." Hopefully the Bowlers are reading this blog, otherwise they'll be studying the wrong subject.

I'm a Mercedes

You appreciate the finer things in life. You have a split personality - wild or conservative, depending on your mood. Wherever you go, you like to travel first class. Luxury, style, and fun - who could ask for more?

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Breast Cancer Fundraiser

The maker of M&M candies has teamed up with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funds through the sale of their new "pink &white" M&M candies.

For each 8-ounce bag of the special candies sold, the makers of M&M(Masterfoods) will donate 50 cents to the foundation. The next time you want a treat, please pick up a bag (now sold in stores nationwide) - you will be donating to a great cause and satisfying your sweet tooth. Just think...If each of us buy one bag or two.... how much will be donated. Buy a bag for a friend...........

Please pass on to all your family and friends.

VFW: So Many Choices

Ashley was upset that the Chicks and Dicks failed to stop We're No Biscuits from winning. Right behind the Chicks were the B52s, who did really well with the military aircraft theme. In fourth were Room Four Improvement (you know them better as Room Two). They chose New York City as their theme. Inspired by Jerry's choice, Shitz and Giggles chose another city, Chicago. 4 Minus Bill, meanwhile, chose to skip out on the last round. Alice, Joel and Annie chose to form a new team. And Mel and cookie connoisseur Nick chose to swap prizes.

Special thanks to Dennis for keeping me historically accurate on a couple questions. The Flying Tigers, for example, were not Mustangs, as I had erroneously stated. (I think they were Tomahawks)

Bube's: Mom Power!

Total Disagreement (But We All Love Cookies!) brought along a secret weapon from Florida, (Jen's mom) and took home the top prize, romping to 17 point victory. Mr. Darcy's Wise Men also had a great night, taking second. Then we had our first three-way in a while, with the Chubby Stubbies, The Fool Monkey Was Told That It Tastes Like Chicken and El Rye del Helado Frito all tied for third. The Chubs won out, Charles picked "creationism" and somelier-in-training Josh chose "French wines." The John Shober Gang, meanwhile, played with their Woolly Willy.

Team Ken, AKA Your Mom, AKA What Happened to Mitch?

Melissa opens up her team "Bube's Bitches" to now allow male members.

Curtis Earth Show April 7th at Bube's!

Hi,
My name is Curtis Earth and I perform in Orlando Florida. I am bringing my Trivia Show back to PA on April 7th. Bube's Brewery, 8pm. Cover Charge is $10 per person and it includes a light buffet. Upstairs at Alois ballroom.

Cash and Prizes for the winning team.
Team max is 8 persons.
Could you please say something about it?

Click here to read the newspaper article that was written on me and is in today's paper (Orlando Sentinel)

Thanks
Curtis Earth

Chuckles: Menopause for Dummies, ANyone?

Lisa, Adam and Tim of the Boozehounds had a great night, tying for second with the Talent Scouts, then winning the Captain Jack-off. They failed to stop Ubersmack, whoever, since they won by one question. In a tie for fourth were Out of the Vortex and The Poor Charlies. Vortex chose "military aircraft" (which was also picked at the VFW this week, coincidentally) and the Charlies chose "80s horror movies."

Trashbag prizes included a drinking bird, a copy of Menopause for Dummies (won by the age-inappropriate MJ) and a box of doggy doo bags, which Beth will use to police Deric. A fun night of 19 teams and one country (in fact, the Republic of the Tidy Bowlers was so large that they spun off their own colony, the Tidy Bowl Outcasts.

The ever-charming Carol and the dapper Dwight were roped into staying up way past their bedtime.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I had the pleasure of joining a busful of Lancaster 505 folk on St. Patty's Day, as 45 people joined to terrorize the bars of Marietta. Here a happy Irish couple join Pete, Craig and Kumiko at Shank's Cafe.

VFW: Beware the Day Before the Ides of March!

Frank says I show too many pix of beautiful women on the blog, so I'm trying something different. Tonight's drama came from the hard charging B52s, who improved round after round. They almost caught up to the We're No Biscuits team, losing only by three points. Also doing well were the Chicks and Dicks, who placed third. In fourth were D&M, who chose military aircraft as their theme, and the Clyde-less Room Two, who chose '50s rock and roll. Shitz and Giggles did one of their patented spectacular crash and burns as Major Nix Lix and Son cornered all the sweets and set up their own bake shop.

Bube's: Gearing Up for St. Patty's

Welcome back, By Your Powers Combined We Are Stephen Hawkings! The Hawks were regulars a couple of years ago and have vowed to come back more often. Derrick is sporting his prize from the Trashbag of Deelite: the best St. Patty's hat that one dollar can buy.

It was truly a fun night, with a full house and teams flip-flopping in the standings. The Fool Monkey Mourns the Loss of the Stardust and the Chubby Stubbies led the first three rounds, but both teams self-combusted in the final round. The Monkeys placed fifth and chose historical earthquakes as their theme. The Wise Men took fourth and chose Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. The Toxic Olives welcomed back the long-lost Ellen and placed third, followed the biggest movers of the night, Total Disagreement. They went from 7th to 2nd, scoring 7 out of 10 right in the end. But, when the dust cleared, it was the Tesla Death Rays who claimed victory.

We also welcomed back Rebecca as one of our servers and said hello to Matt, who joins us as our regular bartender. I think Matt is stalking me, since he also showed up in disguise behind the bar at Symposium on Thursday night, where Damion Wolfe was playing.

Chelle and Steve, proud winners of a Wee Pee-Boy, made a rare Tuesday night appearance at Bube's. You can usually catch them belting out songs at J's Sunday night karaoke show.

The Kinky Munchkins and Toto, Too are showing how much they "L"ove trivia.

Chuckles: Reader's Digest Condensed Blog

Just had a quick conversation with Chris, our guest host at Cafe Chuckles. He had a great time with his "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" format. And Laffy Taffy, a team filled with teachers, took first. Next week's themes are Top Gun and the Nip/Tuck television series. Thanks again to the Ivey man!

VFW: We're No Slackers

We're No Biscuits debuted their team cheer tonight. And they had something to cheer about, since they blazed through the dreaded last round and claimed the top spot. The Chicks and Dicks were second, followed by Shitz and Giggles. Room Two cleared the room right after the last question, leaving Clyde to pick classical music as their theme. And D&M landed in fifth, choosing fresh water tropical fish.

Carmen, Skip Jr. and Erma welcome the newest member of Chicks and Dicks.

Austin and Kyle brought along some re-inforcements and did four times better than they expected.

Bube's: Can You Hear Me Now?

Nathan, Marie and her Siamese twin sister and Josiah of I've Been Wading in the Velvet Nutsack charged hard at the end, but could not stop the Phool Monkey Phancys Itself a Phishhead. The 'sacks placed fourth and chose the book of Hosea as their theme (It's one of the shorter books of the Old Testament, so now you have your weekend reading assignment). Total Disagreement also did well, placing fifth and chose human anatomy. Third place went to TDC, led by Missy the original Phishhead. Karen finally returned to the Tesla Death Rays and they placed second. But it was a Monkey night most of the time, with Charles and the gang scoring an impressive 82 points. I, in the meantime, lost 82 pounds running back and forth from room to room as the sound system in the first room went kaput.

The Jelly Roll Mortons were distraught that they bombed tonight.

The Superfriends allowed Steve to join their team once he became a puckhead.

Chuckles: You Want Me to Eat What?

In an effort to get the Trashbag of Deelite back to its wacky roots, I took a trip down the Goya aisle and threw in some coconut juice (with pulp!) and some octopus in garlic sauce. Half the Talent Scouts liked it and the other half thought it was vile. Since octopus is brain food, it gave them the edge and a victory for the second week in a row. The Price Is Right merged with some of the Flaming Morons to take second. The change in scenery and a new room did the Laffy Taffy crew good, since they came in third. In a tie for fourth were the Lethal Amoebas (who chose Martin Scorsese films as their theme) and Out of the Vortex (who chose CSI: Miami, my least favorite CSI).

We also learned that ETOH is hospital code for alcohol, Shemat needs to pay attention to their dad more, and Skirtland never heard of Soul Asylum. The Shitheads were doing well, but disappeared. When I asked if anyone had seen the Shitheads, many teams volunteered their suggestions.

In case you missed the announcement, Chris Ivey, the Joan Rivers of trivia, will be subbing for me next week, so be afraid!

VFW: What-a-world

There was no way out for people who do not like Kevin Costner movies, as that was one of our themes for the evening. The Chicks and Dicks were going for a fourfer, but they were stopped by the We're No Biscuits team. (See Kirk for the amusing origin of their name). Room Two settled for third and we had a tie between the badly-named Three Minus Bill and Shitz and Giggles teams. Bill's team chose domestic beer and the Gigglers chose U2. We welcomed back Tom and Nick, who promptly cornered the Oreo market and also said "Howdy, stranger!" to the newly toasted Paul (toasted meaning by the Florida sun.)