You could call him a bit of a Trivia Nutt.

Bill Nutt, a Great Meadows Middle School teacher, Jeopardy! contestant, and host of The Inn at Millrace Pond’s Trivia Night, has his fair share of knowledge on an incredible array of subjects, and he loves to share this knowledge with others. 

Those who are too old to enjoy the “Useless Fact of the Day” he integrates into his lessons in the gifted and talented enrichment program at GMS (he also leads the Battle of the Minds teams) can gain some factoids at the next Trivia Night at The Inn at Millrace Pond on April 13. 

“I feel if I can make things fun but also give people the chance to learn something – and perhaps spur their curiosity – that’s a good thing,” said Nutt.  

The monthly trivia event, held on the second Wednesday of each month, is free and open to the public; the perfect laidback setting to test general trivia knowledge against friends as well as the Jeopardy! champion. 

Nutt appeared in two episodes of the hit quiz show in 1995 after his late mother-in-law, Georgine Lockwood, encouraged him to attend an audition in Atlantic City in spring 1993, he said. The year and a half long process included a second round of tryouts, a short couple of weeks to arrange his travel to L.A., and a long day on set. 

He revealed that, while his two episodes aired on subsequent days, they were shot on the same day. In fact, five episodes are scheduled to shoot each day and participants are told to bring extra clothing with them in case they win. 

“If you win, you have about 20 minutes to change your clothes and come out to pretend that it’s another day,” he said.  

Nutt was champion on April 18, 1995 (though the episode was shot in January), but came in third the following episode after missing the Final Jeopardy question (the answer, he remembers clearly, was “the infamous Boer War”). 

“What killed me is that I knew the Final Jeopardy questions for at least a week before that and at least a week after it.  Oh well,” he reflected. At least he had a lot of fun. 

And fun is what he tries to infuse into every trivia night. Half of his rules, in fact, are simply that: “Have fun.” 

Trivia night runs from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Inn’s Tavern. Participants can also enjoy dinner, desserts, cocktails and craft beers while competing for prizes during the evening. Folks can join in any time during the “contest.” Dinner reservations can also be made any time prior to, or during, Trivia Night. Reservations are suggested, but not required.  

The Inn at Millrace Pond is located at 313 Johnsonburg Road (Route 519), in Hope. To make a reservation please call 908-459-4884. For more about the Inn, visit www.innatmillracepond.com or LIKE the Inn’s Facebook page.