It’s Trivia Night in the Ohio Valley
Steubenville Kiwanis Club to hold 13th-annual competition

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER W — The Pride of the Red Knights from T-Town was the winning team in last year’s Team Trivia Competition, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Steubenville. The team is looking for another win this year, when the club holds its 13th-annual event at 6 p.m. March 8 in the Commons Area of Steubenville High School. Those competing on the Red Knight team last year included, from left, front, Carmen Lucas, Jim Cope, Donna Twyford, Abbie Wilson, Jane Schockey and Mickey Cope; and back, Shawn Lucas, Fred Burns, Jim Orsini and Kathleen Nail. Only two points separated the first-, second- and third-place teams. -- Contributed
STEUBENVILLE — If you were asked what the term for one-trillionth of a second is called, would you know?
The correct response would be a picosecond.
Questions such as this, will be asked during the 13th-annual Kiwanis Team Trivia Competition, set for 6 p.m. March 8 in the Steubenville High School Commons Area.
According to the event’s chairman, Tom Timmons, secretary/treasurer of the Steubenville Kiwanis Club, the event “is a good team competition,” in which “everyone is pretty competitive.”
Timmons’ sister, Sue Busler, will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies. Although she resides outside of St. Louis in Maryville, Ill., she continues to make the trip to Steubenville every year to host the contest.

TIMMONS SIBLINGS — The Timmons family is responsible for bringing the annual Kiwanis Team Trivia Competition event to the Ohio Valley. Coming up with the concept was Sue Timmons Busler, who informed her brother Tom Timmons, left, about her fundraising idea. Their brother, Mike Timmons, participates in the event with additional family members. -- Contributed
Busler is the one who came up with the concept of holding a trivia night as a fundraiser for the Kiwanis. Timmons then brought her idea to members, who agreed it would make for an entertaining way of raising money to help with community and youth service projects.
The fast-paced trivia competition asks 10 questions per category, with 10 categories in all. A possible score of 100 points can be earned per round, with contestants hoping to come as close to 1,000 points as possible.
All ages are welcome to participate. A maximum of 10 people can participate per team. Each team will pay a $120 entrance fee. Prizes will include $500 and bragging rights for the first-place team; $250 for second; and $100 for third. This year’s judges will include Paul Brandt, Peggy Pugh, Joe Corabi and Dave Scarpone.
Timmons noted there will be a couple of breaks held throughout the evening; however, the night moves quickly. In addition to the trivia portion of the evening, a Chinese auction will be held, along with a 50/50 drawing. Teams are welcome to bring their own snacks.
“Thanks to my sister, the annual Kiwanis trivia competition is always very competitive and entertaining,” Timmons stated. “You find out how much you know, how much you don’t know and how much you forgot. The team names are creative and imaginative. The deliberations are fun and intense. Hearing the right answers is jubilant and heart-wrenching. The snacks are great and wholesome — well, at least some are wholesome. And the auction items are worthwhile and wonderful. So, to summarize, Kiwanis trivia, without a doubt, is the best team trivia competition in Steubenville.”
As Timmons said, it is simply about the excitement. After 13 years, the event is still going strong, despite some obstacles getting in the way throughout the years.
In January 2020, the club was ready to hold its milestone 10-year anniversary. Preparations were being made for a March 14 event. Janna Rusinovich-Sims, who was president of the club at that time, had commented, “Our annual Trivia Night fundraiser that was to be held on March 14 will be rescheduled for a later date. This was a hard decision since so many people and local businesses look forward to this fun event.”
Little did anyone know at the time just how long of a delay there would be until the next competition would be held. COVID was a new concept, and one everyone was just getting used to. The contest did not make its return that year, nor did it take place the following year in 2021. The next time participants would gather was to be on March 12, 2022. However, a snowstorm caused the event to be delayed again. Finally, on April 2, 2022, there were no obstacles in the way. And their excitement could not be contained. Competitors were elated to be with friends and fellow club members again. It had been quite a while since many returning teams had seen one another.
Busler explained how the idea to hold a trivia competition even came about.
“Trivia competitions are huge in the St. Louis-metro area, where I live,” she began. “There are dozens of competitions every weekend — from Boy Scout troops hosting an event in a church basement, to a large, nonprofit offering a Trivia Night inside a large corporate arena.”
“Because of the popularity, ‘professional’ teams have sprung up, comprised of experts on sports, history, movies, literature, geography, pop culture and more,” she continued. “These teams inevitably take the top prize, but it doesn’t lessen the fun for those who come out to spend an afternoon or evening with good friends, matching wits with others from the area.”
Busler, who retired as a colonel after 27 years in the Air Force, and who was in the first class that included women at the Air Force Academy, conveyed how she became involved in the competition arena. She and her husband, Bruce, also a retired Air Force colonel, moved 17 times before ending up in Maryville, Ill.
“Back in the day, when we were assigned to an Air Force Base here, we competed in a handful of small trivia competitions on and off base,” Busler said. A youth program director at her church had asked about her hosting an event, writing questions and being the emcee.
“I agreed to do it and had a ball,” she recalled. “About that time, my brother reached out and asked if I had any fundraising ideas for his Kiwanis Club in Steubenville. We discussed how it works, and after talking about it with his club, they invited me to come back and host their first trivia competition.”
Busler stated her parents were in Barnesville and the event was “a good excuse to come visit them,” while helping out her brother and his club.
“Our parents have since passed away, but I continue to return each year for a handful of reasons,” she said. “I appreciate what organizations like Kiwanis do for their communities and get a lot of satisfaction helping them raise money for their projects. It’s a lot of fun.”
” I have been coming back for so long now, I’ve developed relationships with club members and look forward to seeing them,” Busler added. “And I get to see both of my brothers and nephews.”
She said her brother, Mike, competes on a team during the trivia event, along with her nephews, husband and “a few smart guys they bring in to make the team competitive.” She stated she sometimes gets to see her high school classmates who compete on Barnesville teams.
“The biggest challenge for me is to find the right balance of difficulty in the questions,” Busler explained. “You don’t want it to be too easy because the prize money is substantial, and there needs be enough tough questions to differentiate the top teams. On the other hand, if it’s too difficult, the teams don’t have as much fun. Everybody goes home feeling like they don’t know anything, and that’s not what we want.”
“Get some friends together, form a team, grab some snacks and settle in for 100 or more questions that will take you back to fourth-grade history, or that darned song your granddaughter wouldn’t stop playing at Christmas,” Busler concluded. Past participants shared their thoughts about the event, including Kiwanis President Laura Rauch.
The executive director of the United Way of Jefferson County stated the club is “proud to host the Kiwanis Trivia Night.”
“This fun-filled evening brings our community together in support of our club,” she began. “And the support means so much to us. In attendance, you will find competitive teams who compete for cash prizes and who can take a chance on winning great items in our drawings.”
Rauch said club members cannot thank Timmons and Busler enough for their “hard work and dedication to make the evening a great success.”
“I encourage anyone who likes trivia to gather a team and join in on a great time,” she concluded.
Kiwanis member and trivia participant Bill Holt is the executive director of the Jefferson County Prevention and Recovery Board. He explained he has participated in the annual contest for several years.
“This is a fun and challenging trivia event,” he stated, noting the “friendly competition” takes place within “a cheerful atmosphere.”
“Not only is the event a great time, but it supports a great cause,” Holt said. “Kiwanis supports many great local initiatives for our children, and fun is had by all.”
Gem City resident Jim Orsini is a member of the Toronto Kiwanis Club.
He has been participating in the Steubenville club’s annual trivia contest for years.
Orsini stated, “I have participated in the Steubenville Kiwanis Trivia Night since its inception. And it’s always a great, fun-filled evening.”
Orsini was on the winning team last year, the Pride of the Red Knights from T-Town.
“We were fortunate to win last year since the final result was only by one answer,” he commented.
“We are looking forward to this year’s contest, as well.”
Orsini stated the Toronto team usually has the same team members competing.
When asked which type of questions he prefers answering, he responded that he enjoys sports questions, noting other members of his team prefer the likes of pop culture and history.
And it is good to have a balance across the board, in order to cover as many areas as possible.
Mike Gray, director of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, stated he has always loved being a part of the annual contest, noting it is for a great cause.
“The Kiwanis Trivia Night is a great evening of challenging questions, sharing fellowship with the teams and showing support for a good cause,” Gray said. “Ever since I kicked myself off our team, they have done so much better!”
Timmons announced everyone is welcome to attend — if not as contestants, then as guests who can watch the contest and show support for the cause.
Non-participants can purchase auction tickets in the hopes of winning one of the many items which has been donated by Kiwanians and local businesses.
It is important to note that those who are not taking part in the contest will not permitted to walk around and interact with competing teams during times of play.
“I think people have a great time doing this event,” Timmons remarked. “They come and enjoy getting together as a team, trying to figure out the answers to the questions. This is a fun, very competitive and fast-moving event. Most teams come back every year to participate, but we always welcome new teams.”
In past years, winning teams have merely inched their way to victory.
During last year’s competition, only a two-point difference separated the top three teams, Timmons remembered.
He stressed the importance of each and every question being answered correctly, as last year, the top score was 916, while the third-place team received 914 points.
Members of the Pride of the Red Knights from T-Town became the victors, winning against Hunkler’s Heroes from the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County.
The team of Check Your Head received third place.
The two points that separated the three teams only proves that this particular event, along with its competitors, can be, well … competitive.
Scores are posted by a Steubenville High School student following each round of the 10-round challenge.
Those interested in joining the competition and signing up a team, can contact Timmons by calling (740) 314-9574 or e-mailing him at timmons@wesbanco.com.
- LOOKING FOR ANOTHER W — The Pride of the Red Knights from T-Town was the winning team in last year’s Team Trivia Competition, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Steubenville. The team is looking for another win this year, when the club holds its 13th-annual event at 6 p.m. March 8 in the Commons Area of Steubenville High School. Those competing on the Red Knight team last year included, from left, front, Carmen Lucas, Jim Cope, Donna Twyford, Abbie Wilson, Jane Schockey and Mickey Cope; and back, Shawn Lucas, Fred Burns, Jim Orsini and Kathleen Nail. Only two points separated the first-, second- and third-place teams. — Contributed
- TIMMONS SIBLINGS — The Timmons family is responsible for bringing the annual Kiwanis Team Trivia Competition event to the Ohio Valley. Coming up with the concept was Sue Timmons Busler, who informed her brother Tom Timmons, left, about her fundraising idea. Their brother, Mike Timmons, participates in the event with additional family members. — Contributed