Kevin Coughlin and Aaron Campbell (of The Tree Thuggers) toasted during Tuesday’s event at Summit Coffee. At right, Trivia Night’s final results. (Brian Helfrich photos)

Upstairs at Summit Coffee on Tuesday night, seven energetic teams with varying numbers of players competed in the shop’s first-ever Trivia Night.  When it was over, a team called Pair of Pears came out on top, and brothers/proprietors Tim and Brian Helfrich declared the night such a roaring success that they’re planning to make it a regular event.

Divided into four rounds, the contestants competed with topics ranging from geography and food to board games and science.  There was quiet murmuring as teams pored over images of various skylines and board games or tried to remember the number of time zones in China.  Correct answers were met with laughter, cheers, groans and a few “I-told-you-sos.”

A five-person team called The Tree Thuggers led most of the evening, as the remaining teams jockeyed for position.  Just Here for the Drinks, a lively group of young women, would accidentally let others overhear their wrong guesses.

Several teams of couples held their own, with only two heads against the collective knowledge of the larger groups.

In an exciting Final Jeopardy-style ending, Pair of Pears (Hans Armstrong and Carol Wilber Bradfield) correctly answered the final question and pulled ahead of The Tree Thuggers, who had bet too much to stay in first place.

Knowing that the second place prize was a round of drinks on the house, and first place received empty Summit glasses, perhaps The Tree Thuggers were actually the ultimate winners.

The Final Question: “What North American city has the largest running electric street car system? Answer: Toronto

“I don’t believe it,” was the winning team’s reaction. “We went just for the fun and could not believe we won. TONS of fun. Great friendly crowd, all good sports,” Ms. Bradfield said later.

Summit plans on hosting Trivia Night every few weeks or so. Watch the Summit Coffee calendar for updates. “It beats watching TV on a Tuesday night,” Ms. Bradfield said.