September 25th and Trivia Unplugged are right around the corner. This message is to notify you that registration for Trivia Unplugged  2010 is now officially open on a first come, first serve basis. The advance registration fee is unchanged from last year at $160 per team. Registration on the day of the event will cost $180. Last year teams were only allowed to bring 16 members with them. This year there is no limitation on the number of team members you can bring. However, at any given time there can only be ten team members at your table in the competition room. Your teams alternate members can observe the competition from the Spectator Room. Be advised that although the competition has been expanded, the total number of teams allowed is limited. Our best advice: dont dilly-dally if you want to get in the game. Please print out the attached registration form, fill it out and return it with the registration fee to the following address:

Trivia Unplugged
Arts Alliance of Portage County
P.O Box 565
Stevens Point, WI 54481-0565

Advanced registration forms must be postmarked no later than September 17th. After September 17th you will have to register on the day of the event ($180). When you arrive on the day of the competition, go to the registration table to check-in / register between 1:00 and 2:30 pm. Please make checks payable to the Arts Alliance of Portage County.

We are proud that Trivia Unplugged has joined 90 FMs Trivia in making Stevens Point the trivia capital of the known world. If you missed it, last years inaugural Trivia Unplugged was a smash hit. It was great to see the Trivia teams youve known for so long all in the same room. Although the competition was tough, there were plenty of laughs. We had a lot of nice comments during and after the event. We heard from a number of people that they felt the four hour contest was just too short. We have addressed that issue by extending it to six hours this year, running from 3pm to 9pm.

Whats that? You dont have a team and still want to play? Heres a solution. Im sure that many teams want to play but cant get enough of their regular players together for the six hour contest. Well, what about combining teams? If you are interested in playing, but cant command enough players, go to the Trivia Forum and start searching for players. Go to the Trivia website, www.90fmtrivia.org and follow the link to the forum. Oz has created a thread just for searching for players, its under general banter/looking for players for September trivia.

How it works:
See the Official Rules & Information link above for all the details.

At the end of the contest there will be a final rundown of the teams. Trophies will be awarded at that time. There will be a mixer for about an hour afterwards. If you are coming from out of town, welcome back. You may want to consider the convenience of staying at the Ramada Inn which is offering us a discounted room rate. When making reservations, be sure to mention Trivia Unplugged to get the special rate which is $75 per night (plus taxes). For reservations call: (715)-341-1340. The Ramada Inn (the former Holiday Inn) is kitty corner from Sentry World HQ. It has an indoor pool, a recreation center, a restaurant and bar. What more do you need, hey? The Ramada Inn is a generous sponsor of Trivia Unplugged.

From the Arts Alliance...
Trivia Unplugged is a fund raising event for the Arts Alliance of Portage County. The Arts Alliance is an arts advocate and is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. We understand that healthy communities are ones in which the arts play an important role and make vital contributions. By way of the arts, our goal is to promote a civic environment in which residents take pride, where a skilled workforce and young families and are enthusiastically engaged and where children are encouraged to develop skills and confidence through self discovery. This work is accomplished through working relationships with elected officials, arts organizations, schools, artists and citizen groups. For more information about the Arts Alliance of Portage County, visit www.artsportagecounty.org

In a conversation with the Oz about the financial need of the Arts Alliance we hit upon this idea of Trivia Unplugged. We felt that not only would it be great big fun but we also felt that the Trivia community would grasp the opportunity to make a contribution to the future of Portage County. We hope to see you at the Ramada!

Thank you very much,
Otis McLennon
Executive Director, Arts Alliance of Portage County