Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

There’s no truth to that old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”  Let me explain.

Several months ago my husband and I  decided to forego the usual trip to Pennsylvania over Christmas weekend, for several reasons. We planned, instead, to head south for the  New Year’s celebration with family in York and Adams Counties and trade Christmas gifts with kids and grandkids on New Year’s Day.

We had no sooner arrived and unloaded the car at the home of Daughter Number 1 in Gettysburg on Thursday evening, December 31, when we headed out to a restaurant/bar called Gettysburg Eddie’s. This unique eatery  honors  a native son, a one-time famous left-handed pitcher and 1946 Baseball Hall of Famer named Edward Stewart Plank (1875-1926).

 Not only did Kris treat us to dinner there;  she and her fiance Dan introduced us to a new recreational activity called Buzztime Trivia. 

Buzztime Trivia is an interactive electronic game that’s played in selected restaurants and bars across the country, and Kris and Dan are devoted fans. In fact, they’re listed among  the top five scorers at Gettysburg Eddies. I’ve always been a Trivial Pursuit board game aficionado, but this was the first time I’d had to test my hand-eye coordination along with my trivia knowledge.

But even a senior citizen like me can learn to play Buzztime Trivia. You play against your friends or family at your table (in our case it included Dan’s parents), or against other individuals in the same restaurant/bar in which you’re sitting. Or, they might be in another establishment across town, or anywhere in the country. It took several games to get coordinated,  but eventually I caught on. While watching the questions appear on an overhead screen, you push a button on a hand-held device for the correct answer. Your score depends on speed, as well as accuracy. It was a fun way to spend New Year’s Eve, and I had been looking forward to it. 

As to Gettysburg Eddie – well, that’s another story. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn about this unique  restaurant, Buzztime Trivia,  or the baseball pitcher, visit www.gettysburgeddies.com. Click on the link on the left-hand side – “About Eddie Plank” –  for more on the farm boy who scored big time in the major league.  

Stop by again soon for news of our New Year’s Day/belated Christmas celebration.