Around the Island

Trivia ‘battle of brains’ connects Shelter Islanders

Whether it was the fact that it coincided with happy hour, or that the stakes were modest — no prizes, just bragging rights — or that it provided the chance to see human faces again, there was definitely fun in the air when the Battle of the Brains was waged on Saturday, April 11 at 5 p.m.

Quizmaster Bob DeStefano, Library Director Terry Lucas and about a dozen Islanders convened via Zoom for a contest that’s been a popular favorite at the Library. With the Library closed for the quarantine, this gave folks a chance to relax and have some fun while social distancing.

Mr. DeStefano, Reporter columnist and former golf pro at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, has been hosting these contests for several years, both on the Island and at Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton. The assembled contestants were a diverse group, and Mr. DeStefano posed 25 questions from a wide array of fields. Unfortunately, sometimes the diversity of the questions and the responders didn’t quite match.

Although most correctly answered some questions Mr. DeStefano thought would be difficult — What Great Lake is entirely within the United States? (1) — other questions stumped everyone: What is the name of the house band on the Muppet Show? (2).

The biggest laugh came when no one — including Town Supervisor Gerry Siller — could correctly give the street address for Shelter Island Town Hall (3). Mr. Siller came closest, but was off by two digits.

Saturday’s contest ended in a tie for first place with two teams. Both teams had 21 out of 25 correct and they only had two players on their team. The team of Jody Sisley and Bill Mastro and the team of Linda Hacker and Greg Toner were the winners. The next Battle of the Brains will be played on Saturday, April 25 at 5 p.m., followed by one on Saturday, May 9 at 5 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to join in the fun by emailing Terry Lucas at [email protected] or [email protected] and they will send you a link. No cost, just a little old fashioned fun, and bring your own beverages.

Answers: 1) Michigan; 2) Electric Mayhem; 3) 38 North Ferry Rd.