The Wellesley Historical Society (WHS) held a Trivia with a Twist fundraiser at Papa Razzi, where 15 teams were asked to delve deep into their knowledge of both town history and general topics. The Wellesley-specific questions weren’t exactly a cakewalk. The toughest questions tested the crowd on minutiae having to do with the event’s major sponsors, Needham Bank and the Wellesley Rotary Club.
The big winners for the evening: Team Tollhouse. Second place went to Team Supreme; and Team Rotary Club came in third. Papa Razzi supplied gift cards as prizes so winners could come back for a night out at the Italian trattoria.
Here are a couple that stumped the crowd of 90:
What year did Needham Bank first open its doors? Not a single team came close to that one. The answer: 1892. There’s a lot of old Wellesley money managed by that 128-year-old institution, no doubt. Bank pres Joe Campanelli said, “Sure, we’ve been around forever, but that doesn’t stop us from staying cutting edge. Our customers keep us young and vibrant.”
Who was the first president of the Wellesley Rotary Club? Um, Horatio Hollis Hunnewell? Isaac Sprague? Nope and nope. It was Fred Simms, who served in 1946-47. Not a single team knew the answer to that one. Long-time Rotary Club member and former president Tory DeFazio said, ” I couldn’t remember last night! shame…shame!!….but nobody knew.”
Papa Razzi supplied a nice buffet of grilled vegetables, cheese and crackers, and fried calamari and hot peppers, as well as a cash-bar.
Amanda Fisher, Executive Director of the WHS said, “Our fundraisers, such as the Trivia event, benefit our educational programs and overall operations of the Society. We have to fundraise our operating budget to continue to sustain as an organization.”
Some of the WHS concerns that require such sustenance: their archive that contains a variety of resources available to scholars, students, genealogists, and general researchers; an extensive collection of art, maps and plans, and photographs; their regular lecture series and historical walks; and keeping space available for the popular Tollhouse Shop, which is open to those seeking vintage treasures on Wednesdays, 10am – 2pm; and Saturdays, 10am – noon.
The WHS also is working toward moving into the Stanwood House, located at 323 Washington St. The non-profit acquired the property in 2012 and has been updating the 100+ year-old building for WHS use.
