Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Like the empty skin of a hot dog - Trivia Tonight

It's getting close to Halloween, which means:

Akron Triviators' 3rd Annual SPOOOKY Trivia and costume contest!*

Prizes for all who show up in costume.

*Neither trivia nor costumes guaranteed to be actually spooky. Prizes guaranteed NOT to be worth it. Attend at your own risk. Do not taunt happy fun ball.


I'm pressed for time, so a selection of odd and disturbing images:





















TRIVIA QUESTION:

Akron's oldest spooky seasonal attraction is the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory.  What institute was originally housed in the laboratory?



Answer in person, after 7:50, for a prize.


Remember, this is the NO-BOOZE WINNING quiz.

Check Frank's Facebook page for the shotworthy question!




Excelsior!
-tpn
Frank's Place is at 594 W. Market St. Akron OH 44303 Their Facebook Page. And another.
Your weekly link roundup:
Last Call USA NEOhio - Facebook
Last Call Productions - Facebook
Last Call USA's Weekly HINTS
Last Call USA's Trivia League
check LEAGUE SCORES here.
ROB at Last Call
You are HERE.
Our company store.
I published a book!



Tuesday, October 20, 2015

I'll form the unincorporated townships! - Trivia @ 8 pm.

Akron was founded in 1825.

Summit County wasn't formed until 1840.


What three Ohio counties had bits torn off, and were sewn together, Frankenstein's Monster-like into the new Summit County?



(Or perhaps re-assembled, in a Voltronic-fashion?)



Answer in person, after 7:50, for a prize.



Remember, this is the NO-BOOZE WINNING quiz.

Check Frank's Facebook page for the shotworthy question!




Excelsior!
-tpn

Frank's Place is at 594 W. Market St. Akron OH 44303 Their Facebook Page. And another.
Your weekly link roundup:
Last Call USA NEOhio - Facebook
Last Call Productions - Facebook
Last Call USA's Weekly HINTS
Last Call USA's Trivia League
check LEAGUE SCORES here.
ROB at Last Call
You are HERE.
Our company store.
I published a book!
















Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Trivia Tonight? You can bank on it!

Interesting headline from the NYT:

Should We Bank Our Own Stool?

(Maybe this local celebrity was simply providing a public service and making a deposit?)


People have already guessed the twitter question, so you can tell me what company bought Dairy Mart, the chain that owned Lawson's.

Answer in person, after 7:50, for a prize.




Remember, this is the NO-BOOZE WINNING quiz. 

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Weekly Trivia Show and Wallenda Update

Hi All,

I've been tweeting daily Akron-specific trivia questions @AkTrivia.
You should check it out - there's no prizes for these (yet) but it's a little added bit of fun to your day. (Or at least I hope it is. . . )


Today's no-booze question is from the twitter feed:


James Renner's novel The Man From Primrose Lane has a scene that takes place in what Akron bar with "(a)bout one hundred framed photos of customers wearing clown noses?"
(No, it's not Frank's Place on Market. . . )

Answer IN PERSON at Frank's after 7:55 for your shot at a prize.

I wrote a piece earlier this week on the Flying Wallenda tightrope walking family.  The story they tell is that they earned their name after narrowly escaping death after an accident while performing in Akron in the 1930s.

I did a bit of research, and couldn't find a definitive proof on this, so I pulled out the big guns.

I asked a librarian.

Judy in the Akron-Summit County Public Library's Special Collections department sent me this delightful email:

Hi Rob,
Attached is the only article I found about the event.  I also looked at the Akron Times Press because it was a little more “sensational”, but I’m afraid I did not see an account of the accident.  I hope this is somewhat useful.
Thank you,
Judy
Here's the article:


Sure, it doesn't include the key phrase, but it does include:

  • The knocking out of a horseriding woman
  • Several daredevils falling from a high wire
  • A narrow escape from death
  • A trapeze artist missing a catch, and another fall
  • Another narrow escape from death
  • A mysterious fire 
God, I love librarians.
Thank you, Judy!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Aktrivia - The Flying Wallendas and Akron



According to the Wallenda family, they earned their nickname here in Akron in the 1930s.  From their website:
The Great Wallendas were headliners with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus during much of the 1930s and 1940s. Once in Akron, Ohio, the wire slipped slightly as they were performing. All four members fell to the wire, yet they were relatively unhurt. The next day, a reporter who witnessed the accident stated in the newspaper, "The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying,", and the headline read "THE FLYING WALLENDAS." That name is still synonymous with the family to this day.

You can see several other sources mentioning this incident, but I haven't actually found a single smoking gun - primary source.  They were definitely using the name by 1937, but I can't find it anytime before that.
The Beacon Journal does not have a good online archive going back that far, but I have emailed the special collections desk to see if they can dig out more.


There's also a cool article from the Beacon Journal describing when one of the Wallendas walked over the Rubber Bowl in 1973.




Excelsior!
-tpn

Previously:
Necco Wafers at the Frozen North and Why Archivists are Awesome