RRC Celebrates America 250 With Star-Spangled Trivia Night

By Kami-Leigh Agard

Last Wednesday, May 20, downpour rain did not deter folks from attending the Rockaway Republican Club’s (RRC) America 250 History Trivia Night at Jamesons, hosted by DJs at Work. From a mashup of “250-themed” history, pop culture and Americana questions like: “How many U.S. presidents have had four-letter last names?” to “How many hot dogs did the winner of last year’s Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest consume?”—the star-spangled event was punctuated by not just attendees racing to answer questions to win a prize, but to celebrate and learn more about America’s history and accomplishments as a nation. As RRC’s Paul King shared, the event was not about politics. It was about patriotism. “Our underlining goal for hosting an American history trivia night was to give everyone of all political spectrums a chance to honor and highlight our accomplishments as a nation. Also, I think it was really good that DJs At Work tied in modern pop culture to the questions because not everyone’s going to be a history geek,” King said.

On July 4, 2026, the U.S.A. will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was officially signed on August 2, 1776 in Philadelphia by 56 members of the Second Continental Congress. Officially, Congress declared its freedom from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, when it approved a resolution in a unanimous vote. The official organizing body, America250, of this year’s national celebration, America 250, otherwise known as the Semiquincentennial, is tracking thousands of community events, historical reflections, and civic projects nationwide. You can find local and virtual festivities on the America250 Events Calendar: https://america250.org/calendar

At the RRC event, attendees organized into seven teams: We the People; Yankee Doodle Dandies; Red, White, and Booze; Chicken Bone Beach; Sullivan #1; Midnight Riders; and the A-Team—all vying for prizes and bragging rights as the top two scoring winners. Other thought-stumping questions included: “Regarding the national anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ who was the lawyer and amateur poet who wrote the lyrics after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry? What war was taking place when the poet witnessed this bombardment?” Another question was: “When were cigarette ads banned on TV in the U.S.?” As emphasized by DJs At Work, to win the trivia night, attendees not only had to answer the questions, but show teamwork.

They warned, “We will not accept your answers unless we see some love with your teams. So, we need to see you put your arms around your teammates, start swaying and singing along to the music.”

Though the competition was close, by the end of the night, Team Sullivan #1 was named the victor. However, for attendees, it was not about winning a prize, but instilling pride in what it means to be an American.

As King said, the goal of RRC’s America 250 Trivia night was two-fold—to instill pride in being an American, while learning about the country’s illustrious history as a young nation.

He said, “The underlining goal was to honor and highlight our history. This really wasn’t an event for children, but in recent years, whether it’s schools, media, even public media like PBS, they’re so insistent on twisting American history to trying to fold it into their narratives—so much so, that they’re really undermining it. Whereas people don’t know, and especially our children aren’t getting the lessons of what made America unique and special when we got started as a nation, and how that carries through to life today. And so having a history trivia night lets us touch on that and have fun at the same time.”

One Breezy Point resident said, “I think it’s important to be involved in civic projects. I’m a proud member of the RRC, but we strive to make our events all inclusive. Anybody can come to these events, regardless of their political stance. America 250 is about celebrating 250 years as a nation, especially as we look forward to Memorial Day, when we honor our veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom as a people. We wouldn’t be here without the soldiers representing us in the armed forces.”

According to King, for the RRC, this year is about unification as a nation. “For all of our America 250 events, it doesn’t matter the political affiliation. We’re all Americans, so we should all be able to celebrate together. And the same goes for the RRC’s upcoming Flag Day event happening on June 14. Sure, it’s good for the club; it certainly gets more people involved and we get more members that way. However, these are important remembrances. At this year’s Flag Day, we’re honoring a local, Lt. James F. O’Brien, who died in World War II. Who knows if he was a Republican, Democrat, or whatever party in his day. He was just a brave American. So, that’s not partisan at all.”

At RRC’s trivia night, smartphones were not allowed to sleuth the answers. However, for RT readers stumped about a few of the trivia questions mentioned in this article, please see below:

—Question: “How many U.S. presidents have had four-letter last names?” Answer: Five. James K. Polk, 11th president; William Howard Taft, 27th president, Gerald Ford, 38th president; George H.W. Bush, 41st president; and George W. Bush, Jr. 43rd president.

—Question: “How many hot dogs did the winner of last year’s Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest consume?” Answer: Men’s division winner, Joey Chestnut, consumed 70 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

—Question: “Who was the lawyer and amateur poet, who wrote, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry? And what war was taking place when the poet witnessed this bombardment?” Answer: Francis Scott Key penned the iconic verses on September 14, 1814, following the 25-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, during the War of 1812.

—Question: When were cigarette ads banned on TV in the U.S.? Answer: Cigarette advertisements were banned on U.S. television and radio on January 2, 1971.

Stay tuned for more RRC events celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary, including Flag Day honoring Lt. James F. O’Brien on Sunday, June 14 featuring live music from the Rock-A-Wades at Callies; and closer to the Fourth of July: Cocktails at the Bay and the Patriots Parade For Kids. For more info, visit: Rockaway Republican Club NYC on Facebook/Instagram.