By Dave Dyer

Staff Writer

   Did you know that Howdy Doody, the popular 1950s puppet, had 48 freckles on his face representing each state at the time?

   The question was just a mere sample of many puzzlers asked during the Project G.R.A.C.E. “Trivia Bee,” hosted in the Winslow Homer Auditorium at Scarborough High School last week.

   The bee split up 20 teams through four rounds. Six trivia questions were asked per round with the top two teams advancing to the next round. If teams were tied in points at the end of a round, a sudden death question was posed. Awards at the ceremony included “best costume,” “most enthusiastic fans” and “best team name” as well as Trivia Bee champion.

    All proceeds from the event, which included $300 team entry fees in addition to monetary donations made during the bee, benefited Project G.R.A.C.E.

    Trivia Bee Chairperson Alberta Follansbee said Project G.R.A.C.E. helps area families.

    “It’s based in Scarborough and helps families in need in the greater Portland area,” she said before the event. “Last year we were able to raise $9,000 through this event. I’m not sure if we’ll make that much this year with the economy being the way it is.”

   After the event, Follansbee said this year’s Trivia Bee raised $6,600.

   Mary Nablo, who was on the “Soccer Moms” team and has volunteered for Project G.R.A.C.E. in the past, said the organization benefits many people.

   “They have back-to-school programs, gifts for needy families, family shelters, they really help people in need,” she said.

   Action moved quickly through the first four rounds and the semi-finals. In the first round, “The Retirees” and the “Hot Shots” made the next round, with The Retirees beating the “Key Club Misfits” on a sudden death question involving musician Barry Manilow.

   In round two, the “Mighty Middle School Quackers” defeated “Joe the Banker” in sudden death on the Howdy Doody question and joined “The Rebels” in the semi-finals.

   Round three involved the “cPort All-Stars,” which featured “Earnie the cPort starfish” defeating the “Traveling Trivia Tree Huggers,” joining “Densa” in the semi-final.

   The Soccer Moms and the “Fleet Street Three” won round four.

   Megan Lien, a member of the team representing cPort Credit Union, said her team participated in the event last year.

   “It’s such a fun and unique way to raise money for a good cause,” she said.

   In the semi-finals, the Rebels breezed past the Retirees, Hot Shots and the Mighty Middle School Quackers. Densa was able to squeak by a three-team sudden death tie with the cPort All Stars and the Fleet Street Three when they were able to answer what a “nanosecond” is correctly.

   The championship round between Densa and the Rebels ended in controversy due to wording of an answer in regards to Mel Blanc, the voice of cartoon character Bugs Bunny, being allergic to carrots. The judges ruled in favor of Densa, who answered the question correctly. However, Densa decided to allow one more question as not to end the game in a controversial manner.

   The final question asked to the teams was ‘who was the actress who had a plumbing fixture named after her?’ Densa, comprised of Peter Dufour, Jan Kinerson and Patrick O’Reilly from MacDonald Page & Company, won the match with the correct answer  former “Charlie’s Angels” actress Farrah Fawcett.

   The Pierce Steers won the best costume award, wearing Viking helmets and fake nose rings. The Traveling Trivia Treehuggers, made up of teachers Anne French, Elise Mercier and Jamie Schwellenbach from Catherine McAuley High School were awarded best team name and the Fleet Street Three, which included Catherine McAuley students Richele Grenier and Allison Walker-Elders along with teacher Joseph Wagner, won the award for having the most enthusiastic fans.

   Grenier said she enjoyed the Trivia Bee.

   “It was a little less formal than I’m use to,” she said. “We had a great time and it was nice to do this and raise money for a good cause.”