STOCKTON -- The buzz in the air Friday night at Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium was all about reading.

And it took on a 1960s flavor at the 14th annual Trivia Bee benefiting the Stockton/San Joaquin County Public Library: Family Literacy Program.

Funky hats and tie-dye shirts stood out among the hundreds of Stockton and county residents who watched or competed in the trivia bee. All the money raised in the trivia bee goes to support reading programs through the county library system.

"This is a real hoot," said Lee "Bud" West, president of the Library and Literacy Foundation. "This is a lot of fun."

Some 33 teams answered trivia questions about the 1960s in the friendly but fierce competition. The trivia bee is the Literacy Foundation's largest fund-raiser each year that helps young families and adults improve their reading skills.

The event was expected to raise up to $30,000, said Nicky Stanke, director of the county library system.

"It's mostly fun," Stanke said. "That's the great thing about it -- to see bankers show up in crazy costumes." [ photo ]

One question asked the name of the legendary three day rock 'n' roll festival in 1969: Woodstock. What 1960s guru and Harvard professor advised his followers to tune in, turn on and drop out? Answer: Timothy O'Leary.

Susan Hildreth, State Librarian of California, drove down from Sacramento to cheer on her team, the Beedazzlers.

"I'm rooting them on," said Hildreth, who added she hadn't seen some of the costumes since she was in college.

Hildreth said her work in Sacramento keeps her away from literacy events in communities around the state, such as the trivia bee in Stockton. She said the San Joaquin County library system is one of the strongest in the state.

"It makes me see what I'm doing in Sacramento is worthwhile," Hildreth said. "I don't get to see that every day."

Ginger Wick may have worn the most outrageous costume, topped with a decorated hat. An employee of the San Joaquin County Public Health Services, she had participated in the trivia bee about 12 times, with her team winning three times.

"It's fun and it raises money for literacy," Wick said. "We all have weird brains that retain strange things."

---

* To reach reporter Scott Smith, phone (209) 546-8296 or e-mail ssmith@recordnet.com