Trivia Challenge reaches inevitable conclusion Friday night in Santa Cruz

Young actor Thomas Horn (center) was part of a trivia team Friday that included his father Erich (left) and brother Philip. (Photos by Tom Dunlap/Register-Pajaronian).

SANTA CRUZ — The 4th Annual Literary Program Trivia Challenge reached what some would call an inevitable conclusion Friday night at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

That’s because a team called The Inevitables repeated as champions, beating a tough field of 31 teams that included a squad called The Horn Triplets, featuring the young actor Thomas Horn (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”) and his father and brother. The Horns came down from the East Bay for the challenge.

“The Inevitables won again, in a sudden-death match at the end, over the Purple Cobras,” said Genie Dee, Literacy Program director. All proceeds from the event go to the Literacy Program of Santa Cruz County.

Third place was claimed by the Tuesday Lunch Bunch, a team that includes retired General Electric nuclear engineer Dale Bridenbaugh.

The trivia event was a rousing success, with a great spread of food and drinks before the event and in between the three rounds. Dale Julin from KSBW-TV performed the MC function, a role he appeared born to play. He calls himself the poor-man’s Alex Trebek.

The fundraiser comes at a time of need in the literacy world.

“We need tutors in the Watsonville area, and you don’t have to speak a foreign language,” said Victoria Nelson, GM of the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian and the steering committee chairwoman for the Literacy Program.

The group offers tutor training, and there’s a program starting in October, Nelson said.

Why were the Horns at the event, some asked. It turns out that Thomas got his big break on “Jeopardy,” where he won more than $31,000 when he was only 12 in 2010.

Thomas said he’s working on his next movie, called “Space Warriors.” It also stars Mira Sorvina, Josh Lucas and Danny Glover and is scheduled to be out in the spring, he said.

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For more information on the Literacy Center or to find out about tutor training, call 427-5077.

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