Elgin trivia tourney raises money for literacy tutoring

Twenty-two teams competed Saturday in The Literacy Connection's 18th Annual Trivia Bee Fundraiser at Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin.

Teams comprised no more than four members, and prizes awarded to the top three teams.

Teams played three rounds, and each round had increasing point values for correct answers.

Questions included asking the reason that most carrots are orange and which ballet company is the oldest.

For the past 18 years, both Jeanne Rowe and Mary Sullivan have been on the question committee responsible for creating such obscure questions. This year they were joined by Chris Huege.

"We are trying to get 30 teams," Executive Director Karen Oswald said, "but we have seen a drop in corporate sponsorship of the teams."

The Literacy Connection is a nonprofit, community-based organization that helps people attain fundamental literacy skills and learn to read, write, speak and understand English. Learners are provided tutoring services free in 16 area communities.

Following a sudden-death tiebreaker round, first place honors went to the Judson University team in 2014. This year however, due to scheduling conflicts Judson was unable to field a team.