6th annual Natal Day Quiz on June 9

Cars, other vehicles, and animals properly and legally drove on the left side of the road on Main Street in Yarmouth until: 1) July 1, 1867; 2) Jan. 1, 1900; 3) April 15, 1923; or 4) We always drove on the right.

That was one of the questions asked at the 2007 Natal Day Quiz. The answer appears at the end of this article.

Teams may register now for the 6th Annual Natal Day Quiz to be held at the Meadowfields Community School on Yarmouth's Natal Day, Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m. Approximately 40 teams are expected to register for this event that supports the breakfast programs in Yarmouth County schools. All the money from registration fees of $10 per team and the donations collected at the door will be given to the breakfast programs.

A new development this year is the transformation of the quiz web site: nataldayquiz.ca. Teams may now register on-line or may download registration forms to be mailed. Interactive quizzes from previous years are on the site as is a gallery of around 275 photos.

Natal Day celebrates the founding of Yarmouth Township on June 9, 1761 when the first three English families arrived at Chebogue Point. One of the goals of the quiz is to bring back the enthusiasm and fun that existed years ago when Natal Day was a local holiday—complete with a street parade and fair—a time that is still remembered by many of the area’s citizens.

Most of the questions concern Yarmouth County history, ranging from the pre-historic era to current events. A unique feature of the quiz is the involvement of school students as “runners,” and team members. Every team must have at least one elementary, junior high or high school student on each team of five people. Last year there were family teams and all student teams as well. There are no prizes for being first, other than bragging rights.

Teams should not be afraid to enter because they believe they don't know much about Yarmouth County. The questions will be either true or false, or multiple choice. There is no penalty for a wrong answer and there is always a chance of a wild guess being correct. With true or false questions, for example, the odds are 50-50 a team will be right even if it has no clue as to the correct response. All teams are asked the same questions at the same time. Answers are written on small individual whiteboards supplied to each team. The emphasis is on fun. Instructions to the teams include: Remember: You are in a school! Anyone caught not having fun will be sent to the principal's office.

Some of the teams come in costume. The Founding Families Five who have participated every year have their own baseball caps; The Red Hatters always add colour to the event; some teams have their own T Shirts. Some teams are sponsored by local businesses and organizations, others are made up of groups of friends. Last year, two teams were recruited from the spectators. The only rule is that at least one team member be a student Student.

Spectators are encouraged to attend. Everyone is asked to respect Meadowfields' no scents policy so that the quiz may be enjoyed by those who have an allergy to perfume.

The questions appear in a PowerPoint presentation visible to both spectators and teams. When time is called a student writes the team answer on a small whiteboard and holds it up for everyone to see.

The organizers include: Wilfred Allan, quiz master; Allen Whittaker and Kellie Perry, web masters; Loran Fevens, master of ceremonies; Paul Brittain, registrar; Jim MacLeod, photographer; Gary Archibald and Gordon Treichel, chief scorekeepers.

Teams are encourage to register now to assist the organizers with their planning. While registration forms ask for the names of the team captain and each team member substitutions may be made right up to the night of the quiz. Most questions one might have about the quiz are answered on the web site.

When did Nova Scotia switch to driving on the right hand side of the road? 3) April 15, 1923. While Quebec and Ontario always drove on the right, thanks to immigration from France, the Maritimes and British Columbia switched in different years in the 1920s. Newfoundland did not switch until it joined Confederation in 1949. In parts of Nova Scotia this was known as “The Year of Free Beef”—as most oxen could not be re-trained to switch to the opposite side of the road many farmers and teamsters had to replace their oxen with ones trained from the get-go to keep to the right. The “left-handers” went to the slaughter house.