Why did star American football player Johnny Bright move to Edmonton?[1] What year did the Rat Hole close?[2]
This winter, we’re challenging Edmontonians to test their knowledge of facts like this – and learn some new things! – at our YEG Trivia Night series. We kicked things off in November with a queer history-themed night, we’re continuing in January with a Black history-themed program, and we’ll wrap up with one more event in March. Along the way, we’re weaving in general questions about work, neighbourhoods, and local celebrities.
The idea behind these events is to give people a casual chance to learn, see some friendly faces, and encounter history in new corners of the city. We also want to give people a chance to share their own knowledge of Edmonton’s past. That’s why for each event, we’re bringing in a different guest quizmaster, and helping them show off their own objects in pop-up museum display cases.
At our November event, for example, quizmaster Kristy Harcourt brought some local queer memorabilia, like a 1982 issue of Womonspace News and one of the very first Camp fYrefly t-shirts. Some of the objects will have clues to the trivia questions! (And yes, there are prizes)
This month, our guest quizmaster is Edmonton’s Historian Laureate, Donna Coombs-Montrose. Our intrepid team includes research support from Jeannette Austin-Odina (co-creator of AfroQuiz, still running strong after 31 years) and Dr. Jennifer Kelly (elder and curator of ECAMP’s virtual exhibit And Still We Rise: A Black Presence in Alberta, late 1800s – 1970s).
When: Sunday, January 26
Doors open 1 PM
Event 2 – 4 PM
Where: VP Kitchen and Lounge
#401, 8170 50 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB T6B 1E6
This AfroQuizzing edition will highlight Black history in Edmonton. Don’t worry about knowing a bunch before you show up! We’ll have a mix of easy and challenging questions, and the point is just to learn and have a good time.
Tickets are $5, available now on Eventbrite or at the door.
Seeking local story explorers
It may be snowy outside, but we’re already dreaming about the summer, when we’ll be offering ECAMP walking tours of the city. Are you a researcher obsessed with Edmonton history? We’re on the hunt for two contract tour developers!
Each tour developer will design one walking adventure that gives attendees an opportunity to learn more about local land, culture, and topics linked to ECAMP’s theme of labour history.
Contract: $4500 each (2 available)
Estimated Hours: 100 hrs research, writing, and revising; 20 hrs delivery and training
Contract period: February – May 2025
Apply by 12 noon January 27, 2025. Full details available here.
Looking forward to learning with you all soon.
– ECAMP Coordinator Chris Chang-Yen Phillips
[1] Johnny Bright started his football career attending Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and was severely injured in a racially-motivated attack during a game in 1951. He was drafted into the NFL but accepted an offer to play in the CFL instead. He said: “I would have been the [Eagles’] first [Black] player. There was a tremendous influx of Southern players into the NFL at the time, and I didn’t know what kind of treatment I could expect.”
He played for the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) and was the first Black player to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding player.
[2] 2000.