MOUNT VERNON, Wash. About 30 people put their civic knowledge to the test Wednesday during a trivia event hosted by the League of Women Voters of Skagit County, according to goSkagit.
The gathering, billed as "Pizza and Civics Trivia," delivered exactly what the name promised: pizza and refreshments at the Mount Vernon Library Commons, followed by trivia questions from an expert.
Running the contest was Michael Bowman, the rural civic engagement specialist for the Office of the Secretary of State, who told those gathered he thinks he has the best job in the world. He said he travels around Washington leading workshops on civics, civic education and how to get engaged at the local and state levels, as part of what he called a small but mighty team of four in the office's Civic Engagement Program.
Bowman hosted a trivia event for the league in April in Burlington, but said he wrote new questions for Wednesday's event so repeat attendees would not have a leg up. He said he hopes such events spark intergenerational discussions and present civics as something fun rather than just a duty, noting the laughter and competitive spirit in the room, along with questions people do not know.