Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
This week marks the ten-year anniversary of the Facebook group “Events in Davis” with its more than 11,000 members. I founded the group for the same reason that I started the Poetry Night Reading Series more than 18 years ago – I wasn’t finding the sort of events in town that I had found in other cities I’ve lived.
I’ve loved living in cities that have featured theatrical performance, poetry readings, classical music concerts (such as the Baroque violin and harpsichord concert that my son Jukie enjoyed at Davis Community Church this past Sunday), and stand-up comedy performances. Have I left out your favorite genre of performance? I guess I should include trivia nights, or what we call pub quizzes.
Speaking of comedy, one of the best one-liner comedians working today is Andy Huggins, the 72-year-old comedian who mostly mocks himself for presenting as being so old while performing before hip young audiences in comedy clubs. Here’s an example of his work: “As far as social media goes, you can follow me on the bulletin board at Kroegers, or MyChart.”
Huggins’ joke about Kroegers reminds me how, even in 2025, the humble bulletin board still thrives, as long as we visit it. Before online community forums, we used to depend on thumbtack-and-flier bulletin boards to find out anything, and people still depend on fliers in 2025. When my son Truman was showing me around his home campus of Ithaca College, we encountered a flier recruiting (paid) actors for a student movie he had made in the spring. He pointed out that, as that particular flier served its purpose back in mid-April, he could take it down.
Ithaca, New York has a strong bulletin-board culture, likely stronger than what we have in Davis. While walking around town during my visit last month, I photographed a few bulletin boards and then asked ChatGPT to categorize and summarize the offerings. Below you will find the results. You can tell that ChatGPT created this extended list, for only this large language model uses emojis as bullets.
🎭 EVENTS & PERFORMANCES (ITHACA / REGION)
🎶 Music & Dance
- Great Blue Heron Music Festival 2025
July 4–6 music festival featuring various regional acts.
- REV Theatre’s “Barnum”
A circus-themed musical running July 9–26.
- The Notorious Stringbusters
Live bluegrass performance on July 5.
- Pineapple Punk Party
Music event held June 29.
- Burly Bingo
Drag or burlesque-themed bingo night on July 18.
- Bluegrass Jam
Recurring acoustic jam sessions.
- Drag Me to the Discotheque!
Dance party for queer and allied communities.
- Community Square Dance at Stone Bend Farm
Folk music and dancing with live music.
- MicrTones
Electronic music and DJ show with multiple performers.
🎭 Theater, Literary, & Performance
- Musical Theater Open Mic
Recurring public event for live musical performances.
- The Wedding Show
Interactive theater event at The Cherry Arts in Ithaca.
- Spring Writes Literary Festival
40+ free literary events with 100+ artists.
- Extended Stay Theater Series
Theater event featuring short plays and staged readings.
💃 Other Events
- Dance Party on the Patio (June 28)
Open-air community dance.
- Peace Trot (June 15)
5K and 10K run/walk for community solidarity.
- FLX Calendar Events
Includes local music, crafts, classes, and fairs.
- Hardware Demo Day
Hands-on event for trying tools and equipment.
🧠 EDUCATION & CLASSES
🎓 Academic & Skill-Based
- 2-Week Free Language Programs (Chinese & Japanese)
Intensive summer courses open to all.
- Wild Mushroom Identification Classes
Field and classroom instruction.
- Astrology Meetup
Monthly community meeting on astrology topics.
- Chess for Kids
Private chess lessons and peer coaching.
- Creativity Connects Us
Art program focused on healing and self-expression.
- Creative Reuse Art Supplies Drive
Art supply collection for community reuse.
- Information Literacy Campaign
Poster encouraging information sharing and fact-checking.
🤝 Parenting & Youth
- Virtual Childbirth Education
Remote childbirth preparation classes.
- Summer School of Rock
Free youth music program.
- LGBTQ+ Youth Events
- UNIQUY: LGBTQ+ youth group with weekly meetings.
- Activate! Youth Summit (June 14): Activism and empowerment event.
🧘 SERVICES & WELLNESS
- Jillian’s Cleaning Services
Local professional cleaning offerings.
- Creativity Coaching
Sessions with a local coach for artistic support and expression.
- Yoga Classes at Mighty Yoga
Promotion includes $10 first visit offer.
- Rejuvenate at the Ithaca Children’s Garden (June 20)
Wellness event with kombucha and sunshine.
- Vitamin D Awareness Campaign
Health education on deficiency prevention.
📢 ACTIVISM & POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT
- Living Wage Town Hall
Public forum on fair wages.
- Stop Starving Gaza
Political awareness and action campaign.
- Glory to the Fallen & Day of Healing
Revolutionary political remembrance event.
- No Kings: Nationwide Day of Defiance (June 14)
Rally held at Washington Park.
- Voting Engagement & Info Booths
Posters encouraging voter participation and education.
- Pride Booth Outreach
Community info distribution tied to local LGBTQ+ events.
- Doomsday Messaging Poster
Anti-capitalist and social justice commentary.
🛍️ MISCELLANEOUS / COMMUNITY RESOURCES
- Onigiri Food Days
Weekly food-related cultural event.
- Transportation Scout
Possibly a survey or outreach effort about local mobility.
- Grow Your Own Organic Garden (Coplant Gardens)
Gardening resource with promotional materials.
- Local Event Roundups
Multiple boards feature compiled lists of arts, culture, and civic events.
So, does the progressive college town of Ithaca have more going on this summer than your hometown? Would you avail yourself of any of those events or services if they were offered to you? I’m doing my part locally by hosting poetry readings, pub quizzes, and Stories on Stage performances in Davis, but I think more of us should put our cultural shoulders to the wheel, at least as audience members if not as organizers and performers.
Walt Whitman’s famous proclamation about poetry can apply to many fields of cultural creativity and performance: “Poetry (like a grand personality) is a growth of many generations — many rare combinations. To have great poets, there must be great audiences too.”
Thanks to all of you who read about Ithaca offerings, and who continue to contribute to such generational cultural growth!
Happy mid-July to you! The weather will be cooler than we deserve this evening. I invite you to join me outside our favorite brewery tonight, perhaps in the shade, for a grand competition featuring 31 questions on a variety of topics you should know something about. My man Bill at the bar may be taking on all of you, solo.
In addition to topics raised above and below, expect questions tonight on the following: American heroes, amendments, transportation contrivances, horror stories, candy, robots, heinous behavior, royalty, winds, pleasant walks, the Appalachians, vaccinations, champions, doctrines, swimmers, patriarchies, dukes, nuts and fruits, republics, birthplaces, tuxedos, movies for children, castles, offensives, U.S. states, geography, current events, and Shakespeare.
Two teams tied for first place on July 16 with 27 points each. Congratulations to the team Menace to Sobriety for besting Inforwhores on the Mars tiebreaker question.
For more Pub Quiz fun, please subscribe via Patreon, where you may find bonus pub quiz hints, at https://www.patreon.com/c/yourquizmaster.
Thanks to all the new players joining us at the live quizzes and to all the patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. We have over 70 Patreon members now, including the new paid subscribers Damian, Jim, and Meebles! Thanks also to new subscribers Bill and Diane, Tamara, Megan, Michael, Janet, Jasmine, Joey, Carly, The X-Ennial Falcons, and The Nevergiveruppers! Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. Maybe next week it will be you! I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, Still Here for the Shakesbeer, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the conversationally entertaining dinner companions and bakers of marvelous and healthy treats, The Mavens, whose players or substitutes keep attending, despite their ambitious travel schedules and the cost of avocado. Thanks in particular to Ellen and to my paid subscribers on Substack. Thanks to everyone who supports the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of pub quiz boosters. I appreciate you backing this pub quiz project of mine!
I also want to recognize those who visit my Substack the most often, including Luna, Jean, Ron, Myrna, and Maria, to whom I send sustained compassion.
Best,
Dr. Andy
P.S. Here are three questions on musicals from last week:
- On the cover of the album of the soundtrack to The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews is carrying a suitcase and a what?
- Near the beginning of one soundtrack, we learn that “Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything.” Name the play.
- According to the title of a song sung by Willy Wonka, “Count to three, / Come with me and you’ll be / In a world of” WHAT two words?
P.P.S. Join us July 17 at 7 for Poetry Night!