Trivia Night Experiment. 30+ people crammed into the Bobo's (somewhat small) house for the first-ever Firefighter's Fathead Challenge. That night kindled the flame of bigger and better things to come. The majority of the original 30+ "guinea pigs" still attend and volunteer for the Fathead each year.
FEBRUARY 27, 2010 - 2nd Annual
Location - Delaware Township Community Building
Money Raised - $72
Attendance - 32
Winning Team - Quizzed In Our Pants
We moved the event to the beautiful Delaware Township Community Building and it was held on a (Fishers FD) B Shift. The melodic voice of Dave Bobo pleased the crowd as our MC. 32 people attended. We raised just $72, but hey, for the first official year, we were happy to see black numbers instead of red!! The winning team was "Quizzed In Our Pants" and yes, that really was the name of the team! Everyone attending had a fantastic time and committed to bringing more friends next year, and boy did they!
FEBRUARY 26, 2011 - 3rd Annual
Location - Delaware Township Community Building
Money Raised - $1316
Attendance - 100+
Winning Team - Art & Judy Levine's Team
The event was held at the Delaware Township Community Building, and it was held on a (Fishers FD) C Shift. We were very happy when Mindy Winkler, a friend and local celebrity, signed on as our MC. Acknowledging that the trivia night was something that people were excited about, we designated that all funds raised would benefit Hamilton County Firefighters who had children with extenuating medical needs. This was the first year for pre-registering. Although only 18 people pre-registered, over 100 showed up at event. Yes, we were a little overwhelmed, but the event was a booming success. The winning team was: Art & Judy Levine's team. In the spirit of the event, this winner of the 50/50 raffle selflessly donated his portion back to the cause. We increased our fundrasing to $1316!
FEBRUARY 25, 2012 - 4th Annual
Location - Delaware Township Community Building
Money Raised - $6780
Attendance - 150+
Winning Team - The Honey Badgers
Pre-registrations of 82 (getting better!). Total attendance, over 150. The event was held at the Delaware Township Community Building, and it was held on a (Fishers FD) A Shift. Mindy Winkler was our MC once again and the winning team was "The Honey Badgers". This was the first year to auction off clues for the Bonus questions, which was an instant success! This year, we more than tripled our money raised - $6780!
FEBRUARY 23, 2013 - 5th Annual
Location - Delaware Township Community Building
Money Raised - $8870
Attendance - 200+
Winning Team - The Quizzards
Again, the event was held at the Delaware Township Community Building, and it was held on a (Fishers FD) B Shift. Mindy Winkler was our MC. We moved into the 21st century and started to accept credit cards during the event. The winning team was "The Quizzards" who selflessly donated their team's winnings back to the cause. Our goal was to max out the capacity of the building, and we were so close! There were over 200 people attending, and we raised $8870.
FEBRUARY 8, 2014 - 6th Annual
Location - Delaware Township Community Building
Money Raised - $11,000
Attendance - 270+
Winning Team - Quizzed In Our Pants
"Keeping up with technology" and trying to rid ourselves of living in the stone ages - the Firefighters' Fathead Challenge website was created! Because of a conflict with a prominent, local charity, the event was moved from the normal shift rotation to A Shift. The trivia night was once again held at the beautiful Delaware Township Community Building. Dave O'Brien from Country 97.1 Hank FM wowed attendees as MC. The most fantastic Big Hoffa's BBQ provided the food. Hampton Inn joined the fun with an awesome group rate for their suite rooms, and Dan Young Tipton Chevrolet, Buick, GMC provided complimentary transportation from the hotel to the event and back! The winning team was once again, "Quizzed In Our Pants". Our goal was to max out of the building, and this year we did! To speed up the raffle prize process this year, we implemented a single raffle ticket number to each trivia player. There were over 270 people attending, and we raised over $11,000!
FEBRUARY 28, 2015 - 7th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $15,000+
Attendance - 300+
Winning Team - (If your team won, please contact us)
A great testiment to the fun and giving spirit of Fathead attendees, we moved to an even larger facility this year. Holy Spirit at Geist so warmly opened their doors for our event, and what a perfect fit it was - both in size and in the almost seemless transition. This location, and especially the coordinating staff, was truly a blessing. Thank you Father Dan and Marty! The melodious pipes of Dave O'Brien once again knocked it out of the park as our most-excellent MC, entertaining over 300 trivia players and close to 50 volunteers. What a tribute to everyone who supported such a worthy cause with their generous donations: We raised over $15,000!
FEBRUARY 27, 2016 - 8th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $17,700+
Attendance - 450+
Winning Team - We've Got Big Butts
What an awesome event again this year! Holy Spirit at Geist provided a great venue for The Fathead Challenge for the second year in a row. We were honored to have Dave O'Brien MC for the third straight year. A highlight of the evening was a moving video tribute to the many active Hamilton County Firefighters and their children who are currently serving or who have previously served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We thank them for their service to our country. Over 450 people participated in this year's event which raised more than $17,700! The winning team, "We've Got Big Butts," graciously donated their winnings back. We are so pleased with the overwhelmingly generous response of all our attendees. These donations were shared with The Hamilton County firefighter families to help them meet their extensive medical needs.
FEBRUARY 25, 2017 - 9th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $18,000+
Attendance - 450+
Winning Team - Fox 59
Just when you think a good thing can't get any better,,.2017 certainly did! With an even bigger crowd at Holy Spirit at Geist and the first attempt at 'use your phone to bid,' for the silent auction items, fun was had by all. Dave O'Brien brought his A-game (but when does he not?) and there was fierce competition between the trivia teams. A new, "Super Bonus" round was well-received by all and it will certainly be back again for 2018. A live, Leg Lamp (think Christmas Story) auction was a huge hit and the proceeds went directly to the first firefighter in the nation to return to shift after the loss of a leg. A newcomer to the Fathead, a team from FOX 59, narrowly outwitted 50 other teams. In the end, just shy of $18,000 went to very deserving firefighter families.
FEBRUARY 24, 2018 - 10th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $15,000+
Attendance - 450+
Winning Team - Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
We were hoping for our biggest crowd yet and we weren't disappointed. With 47 teams participating, competition was fierce. "Teach An Old Dog New Tricks" posted a record high 58 points and took the title of Fathead champs. Master of Ceremonies, Dave O'Brien, once again entertained us with his wit and charm cementing his status as greatest Fathead MC ever. We were so honored to have had the most volunteers to date as well. Thank you to the Mt. Vernon Honor Society for showing up in force to tackle all of the "runner" duties. After $20,000 plus was raised this year, we realized one thing...The Fathead Challenge is here to stay!
FEBRUARY 23, 2019 - 11th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $20,000+
Attendance - 500+
Winning Team - Got The Band Back Together
With our biggest year yet, attendance and money raised, the Fathead Challenge was a huge success. 56 teams participated this year and the scores were very close. "Got The Band Back Together" broke the scoring record with 61 total points and took home the grand prize. Dave O'Brien was our honored MC and once again he knocked it out of the park. Thank you to all of our volunteers and players for making this the best Fathead Challenge yet!
FEBRUARY 29, 2020 - 12th Annual
Location - Holy Spirit At Geist
Money Raised - $20,000+
Attendance - 500+
Winning Team - Got A Mind Full Of Junk
Beating our previous attendance record, 2020 was a great year for trivia. "Got A Mind Full Of Junk" won with a solid 53. We were packed to the gills at Holy Spirit and will be looking for a new venue soon...which is a great problem to have! New Master of Ceremonies, Lindsay Monroe, was amazing and hopefully a permanent fixture at the Fathead. Thank you to all of our volunteers and once again, thank you to the Mt. Vernon Honor Society for showing up in force to tackle all of the "runner" duties.
2021 & 2022
COVID
MARCH 4, 2023 - 13th Annual
Location - Hamilton Co. 4-H Fairground Exhibit Hall
Money Raised - $16,000+
Attendance - 300+
Winning Team - Got A Mind Full Of Junk
Coming in with a repeat victory after a 2 year hiatus, "Got A Mind Full Of Junk" beat out the Jeopardizers by a close 2 points. This was the first year at our new venue, The Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds. We had a solid showing of 35 tables and Lindsay Monroe came back as our MC. HSE Honor Society came through with an amazing showing of volunteers and Earl B's set a new high standard for the VIP meal.