St. Charles Trivia Bee draws record turnout with Hawaiian theme

Decked out in Hawaiian shirts and plastic leis, more than 30 teams from Batavia to Elgin did battle Saturday in the annual Trivia Bee for Literacy.

The event, held in the Q Center in St. Charles, raises $17,000 to $20,000 each year for the Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, according to the group.

"This is our only event fundraiser," Trivia Bee chairwoman Sue Doebler said. "Without that, there's so much of the program we couldn't support."

This year, a team from Studio 3 Productions called "Book 'em, Denault," claimed the top prize, tickets to the opening night of "Altar Boyz" at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, event organizers said.

The "HonoLUULUUs" from the Unitarian Universalists of Geneva finished in second place, while the "Poi Boys" from Elgin Community College came in third, according to the event organizers.

On Saturday, the three rounds of increasingly difficult questions focused on this year's theme: Hawaii. The trivia bee organizers chose the theme to mark the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood.

Despite the challenging economy, a record 35 teams, including local schools, businesses and community groups, took part in this year's trivia bee.

"It was the highest turnout we've ever had," Doebler said. "Because of the immigrant population in this area, everyone knows somebody that literacy has an effect on."

The Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley provides adult literacy programs to an estimated 270 people in the Tri-Cities area each year, according to the group.

"I think everybody had a good time," said Peg Coker, executive director of the Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley. "We can always count on our community to support us."

For more information on the literacy volunteers, visit lvfv.org, or call Peg Coker at (630) 584-4428.