Local Knowledge: Taking a test, checking it twice

Happy Holidays from Local Knowledge, your one-stop shop for trivia pursuit. Today’s quiz includes multiple choice questions related to Christmas in Macon and Georgia. There are also a couple of questions on the December anniversaries of historic local events.

In the spirit of the season, I have added a bonus question. 

Have fun.

Actress Anne Whitfield, who died in February at age 85,  attended Macon’s Clisby Elementary. She made her radio debut on her mother Frances Whitfield’s show, “The Story Lady,” on WMBL. Whitfield was cast in the role of Susan Waverly in a holiday classic that had its Macon premiere on Christmas Day in 1954. What was the name of it?

(A) “It’s a Wonderful Life”

(B) “White Christmas”

(C) “Miracle on 34th Street”

(D) “Miracle on Vineville Avenue”

 2. What historic meteorological event took place in Macon on December 25, 2010?

(A) There was one-tenth of an inch of snow on the ground, giving the city its first and only white Christmas 

(B) The Star of Bethlehem appeared over Lake Tobesofkee 

(C) Santa’s sleigh was delayed because of heavy fog

(D) The cicadas made a surprise return visit, adding background noise to all the Christmas carols 

3. What South Macon neighborhood, located between Houston  Avenue and Broadway, was one of the city’s most popular holiday  luminary attractions in the 1980s and ‘90s?

(A) Mikado Avenue

(B) Moreland Avenue

(C) Capitol Avenue

(D) Antioch Road

 4. Georgia native Brenda Lee was only 13 years old in 1958 when she recorded a Christmas classic that went on to sell more than 5 million copies. The song re-appeared at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as recently as 2023, making her the oldest artist to ever top the charts. What was the name of the song?

 (A) “Grandma Got Run Over By a
Reindeer” 

 (B) “Jingle Bell Rock”

 (C) “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

 (D) “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”

5. This week marked the anniversary of the Dec. 10,  1967, plane crash that killed Macon soul singer Otis Redding. Where was Redding flying to perform a concert?

(A) Des Moines, Iowa

(B) Fort Worth, Texas

(C) Raleigh, North Carolina

(D) Madison, Wisconsin

 6.  What Macon writer served as a technical advisor and dialect coach for the movie “Gone With The Wind,” which had its world premiere 85 years ago next week on Dec. 15, 1939, at the Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta ?

(A) Joel Chandler Harris

(B) Susan Myrick

(C) Harry Stillwell Edwards

(D) Willie Snow Ethridge

7. This year marks the 40th anniversary of what became one of the most popular Christmas toys of 1984. It had its beginnings at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Ga. What was its name?

(A) Holiday Barbie

(B) Cabbage Patch Dolls

(C) Tickle Me Elmo

(D) American Girl

8. Which of the following is NOT the name of a Georgia town?

(A) Santa Claus

(B) Bethlehem

(C) Holly Springs

(D) Eggnog

9. The late Bill Meriwether, a longtime Macon photographer, was famous for answering the telephone and greeting people year-round with what expression?

(A) “Merry Christmas” 

(B) “Happy Holidays”

(C) “Feliz Navidad” 

(D) “Bah Humbug”

 10. In 1928, President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge spent Christmas on Sapelo Island, off the coast of Georgia. Five years earlier, Coolidge was the first president to start what holiday tradition?

(A) He pardoned a Christmas ham

(B) He issued the first Christmas stamp

(C) He lit the first national Christmas tree at the White House

(D) He sang “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” on a karaoke machine in the West Wing

Bonus:  Bobs Candies in Albany, a brand manufactured by Ferrara Candy, is the world’s largest supplier of what?

(A) Striped candy (candy canes)

(B) Pecan Pralines

(C) Holiday fudge

(D) Divinity

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANSWERS

(1)  B.

(2) A.

(3)  C.

(4)  C. 

(5) D.

(6) B.

(7) B.

(8) D.

(9) A.

(10) C.

(Bonus) A.

REPORT CARD:

(9-11) Brightest bulb on the tree.

(7-8) Santa Claus is coming to town.

(5-6) You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

(3-4) Extra coal in your stocking. 

(0-2) Ebenezer Scrooge had a higher grade.