Trivia In Sigourney

SIGOURNEY – National trivia day is celebrated annually on Jan. 4. Robert L. Birch is credited as the founder of National Trivia Day which was first celebrated in 1980.

On the other hand, trivia competitions in Sigourney have been a tradition since 2008 with Jerry and Emily Wohler coordinating the events as the primary fundraiser for the Sigourney Fireworks Fund. Over the years the Wohler’s have organized over thirty trivia competitions. Trivia teams of up to eight people each would compete against each other in ten rounds of ten questions each. In early years, the conquering team would win money but always ended up giving it back to the fireworks fund. More recently, winners walked away with bragging rights and sometimes a traveling trophy.  

The Team Trivia competitions have been held in various locations over the years including open air on the Sigourney square or in the July 4th beer tent across from Memorial Hall, Sigourney Golf and Country Club, Knights of Columbus Hall in Harper, and Hi Dollar Auction. The popular trivia events were always well attended and consistently raised thousands of dollars each year towards the annual Sigourney fireworks display.

In 2020, the Team Trivia competition that had been planned for Jan. 11 was first postponed due to poor weather conditions. Subsequent attempts to reschedule were squelched as Covid-19 crept across the United States and the ensuing restrictions on social gathering were implemented. The traditional Team Trivia fundraising for the fireworks was non-existent for the entire year of 2020. There are no current plans for upcoming Team Trivia competitions due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. 

Jerry and Emily Wohler have now passed the torch for Sigourney Fireworks Fundraising responsibilities on to Dave and Lucinda Brooks.  

Please consider making a direct donation to the Sigourney Fireworks Fund to keep the awesome July 4th aerial display as beautiful and impressive as past years. To donate, please contact Lucinda at the Keokuk County Bowl at 641-622-2223 or drop by the alleys almost any evening. You can also reach Lucinda via email at keokukcountybowl@hotmail.com. And, if you want to see more information on the fundraising efforts just follow Sigourney Fireworks on Facebook.