Guilden Days of Summer

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1. "Summertime, and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high..." CellarDoor started softly crooning the words to this old, summer classic, building in volume as the others joined in. Being a died-in-the-wool trivia nut, she couldn’t resist letting the moment go by without a question. Since its 1935 composition, this slow, rich lullaby has been recorded by over 2500 musicians, making it a true standard. How did "Summertime" debut? In a jazz-club concert by Billie Holiday In the movie "Emperor Jones" In the musical comedy "Lady Be Good" In the opera "Porgy and Bess"

2. Cymruambyth decided to entertain us with her own, made-up lyrics to "Summertime". "Summertime, and the living ain't easy, Not out here, with mosquitoes in swarm, But I admit that there's some compensation, In sunsets that glow, and flowers that grow, Now the weather is warm." While we were laughing she hit us with her own question about summer. We all know that summer is on the horizon when we set our clocks an hour forward (spring forward, fall back) so that we get extra hours of daylight. Which country introduced Daylight Saving Time? Australia United States Germany United Kingdom

3. Still in a mood to sing, maddogrick serenaded us with his favourite summer song, coincidentally entitled "A Summer Song". "Trees swayin' in the summer breeze, Showin' off their silver leaves, As we walked by. Soft kisses on a summer's day. Laughing all our cares away, Just you and I." These lyrics are from one of the great songs extolling the virtues of summer. It was a Number Seven song on the Billboard charts in 1964 at the height of the British Invasion. But who recorded this lovely little ditty? Peter and Gordon Billy Joe Kramer The Beatles Chad and Jeremy

4. Being an aficionado of Oldies music, Gretas had no trouble identifying the artists who recorded "A Summer Song", but then had her own musical question for us. Songs written about the apparent freedom and intoxicating promise of the summer season have always figured highly in rock and roll. Which of the following songs made the charts most recently? "Summer In The City" (Lovin' Spoonful) "Cruel Summer" (Bananarama) "Summertime" (Janis Joplin) "Dancin' In The Streets" (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas)

5. Jouen58 was quick to point out that music was not the only artistic medium to pay homage to summer. Which of the following is depicted in Giuseppe Arcimboldo's striking 1573 painting entitled "Allegory of Summer"? A man's head in profile, composed entirely of summer fruits, vegetables, and grains The goddess Ceres standing astride a globe, emptying an overflowing cornucopia A battle between two nude figures symbolizing the sun and the moon A radiant nymph, holding up the shining sun atop a mountain

6. Stuthehistoryguy was quick to point out that some pretty amazing books have been written about summer and summer activities. "At a point in life when one is through with boyhood, but has not yet discovered how to be a man, it was my fortune to travel with the most marvelously appealing of teams." These words begin Roger Kahn's classic baseball memoir "The Boys of Summer" (1972), which told the story of the 1955 World Series Champions (starting when Kahn began covering the team in 1952) and their lives in the years since that storied had season passed. What legendary team was the subject of this unabashedly sentimental tome? The New York Yankees The Brooklyn Dodgers The New York Mets The New York Giants

7. "Ah, summer! The season where the words are short, the days long, and the time and spaces full of whimsy, fireworks and sweat. It is any wonder then, that wordsmiths have been known to create the most watchable dramas set in the summertime?" Gatsby asked. One such play, and eventual film, introduced us to Alma Winemiller, a rather repressed spinster and minister's daughter, who was irreversibly drawn to Dr. John Buchanan, Jr. (he little more than an undisciplined young genius). The situation, as one might guess, grew just as hot as the meteorological climate surrounding it. What was this summer play/movie? The Long Hot Summer Summer in a Day Suddenly Last Summer Summer and Smoke

8. Trident87 prosaically pointed out that summertime in a tourist area was a great experience for those of us on vacation, but was a great deal of work for those of us trying to make a living,. Think about that next time you're sipping a Cosmopolitan on a beautiful island beach in the Pacific. Speaking globally, which country consistently outperforms all others in attracting foreign tourists? United States China Spain France

9. Pu2-ke-qi-ri agreed that summer wasn’t always all fun and games. The summer of 2006 boasted the hottest August on record, in Austin Texas, which made it difficult to leave her air conditioned house. The high temperatures for the days were at least 100 degrees (about 37 for all you Celsius types). It was days like that that made her wonder if a famous expression was really true...you know the one..."It's hot enough to _________ on the sidewalk!" What are these two words? Answer: (Two Words - first is a verb, starts with F, second is a plural noun, stars with E.)

10. Nannanut also shared some memories of extreme summer heat in her native Australia. The Australian summer encompasses the Christmas and New Year holidays and sees millions of Australians resting and relaxing. The elements, however, are not mindful of these laid back weeks. Which of these Australian regions has been devastated by fire during the Christmas holidays? All of these Canberra Helensburgh The Blue Mountains