Sharpen your pencils; it’s time for our end-of-year SLO County events quiz

Rest in peace, 2017. Now that you’re officially history, we bid you a not-so-tearful goodbye. First, though, we offer readers the chance to test their knowledge of local events that occurred over the past 12 months by taking our annual, end-of-year Tribune trivia quiz.

Score one point for each correct answer — and Happy New Year!

Multiple choice

1. According to the city of SLO, approximately how many people participated in the Women’s March in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 21?

a) Fewer than 5,000

b) More than 12,000

c) 2,500

d) More than 7,000

2. Edie Knight, an 86-year-old Atascadero woman, was tried by the state Attorney General’s Office on what misdemeanor charges?

a) Littering

b) Loitering

c) Electioneering

d) Trespassing

3. Which celebrity was NOT spotted in SLO County in 2017?

a) Arnold Schwarzenneger

b) Keanu Reeves

c) Trevor Noah

d) Melania Trump

4. Some local Democrats, including many who supported Bernie Sanders for president, formed a new Democratic Club this year. What is its name?

a) SLO Berners

b) SLO County Progressives

c) The SLO Resistance

d) SLO Persisters

5. What’s the latest plan for Pirate’s Cove?

a) There isn’t one

b) Whatever Coastal Commissioner Erik Howell wants

c) Sell it — it’s a great place for a Westin Hotel!

d) The county is working on one — again

6. It was another big year for Cal Poly alum Weird Al. Which of the following honors did he receive in 2017?

a) A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

b) A Grammy

c) He was inducted into Cal Poly’s media hall of fame

d) He was invited to perform at the White House

7. Sears, one of the anchor stores at Madonna Plaza, closed in 2017. What will replace it?

a) It will be demolished and replaced by three storefronts

b) A skating rink/trampoline park

c) Off-campus housing for Cal Poly

d) An Ikea

8. Which of the following opened in San Luis Obispo County in 2017?

a) A new airport terminal

b) A new animal shelter

c) A new casino

d) DSW

9. What DIDN’T local residents do to honor Foxy, the Arroyo Grande “mascot” euthanized by the USDA?

a) Hold a candlelight vigil

b) Write numerous letters to the editor

c) Start a scholarship fund in Foxy’s name

d) Run a paid obituary in The Tribune

10. What reappeared over the Christmas holiday?

a) The Foster Freeze sign

b) Watermelon Rock

c) Creepy red “It” balloon

d) WalMart’s plan to open a store in Atascadero

11. What was the median home price in SLO County in August?

a) $482,000

b) $603,000

c) $569, 500

d) $502, 200

12) On the Happiness Scale, San Luis Obispo dropped from first place to fifth. What city now ranks as the happiest in the whole U.S.A.?

a) Santa Cruz, California

b) Boulder, Colorado

c) Eugene, Oregon

d) Fort Collins, Colorado

#fakenews

Some of these headlines appeared on The Tribune website. Others are fakes. Mark “R” for real and “F” for fake.

1. Bad haircuts aren’t a crime. But what this barber did with his scissors was, police say.

2. He went shopping for a car. He came home with a camel.

3. Cell phones with built-in scent detectors due out in 2020.

4. Family’s cross-dressing crime caper foiled by burning dress, sheriff says.

5. He’s biking down the entire West Coast — with a life-size rhino hot on his heels.

6. She got violently sick after posing for selfies in Bubble Gum Alley. Now she’s suing the city.

7. He bit off a man’s ear, spit it out in fight over pot, cops say. It was Christmas Eve.

8. Meet the 10-year-old who speaks 11 languages, plays 13 musical instruments ... and will be starting college in the fall.

9. They’re opening a wedding chapel ... for canine couples only.

10. Lady Gaga plans return to Hearst Castle; this time she’s bringing ice skates.

Say what?

We’ve chosen some memorable quotes. Tell us who said (or tweeted) what. Answers can be used more than once.

Double your score if you can tell us the subject of the conversation.

1. You have plants that get so big you have to take a chainsaw to it.

a) San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent Eric Prater

b) County Supervisor Lynn Compton

c) County Ag Commissioner Martin Settevendemie

d) Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley

2. I have a large family, big dog and lots of moving parts to manage... To place all of this in perspective, I could not afford to purchase the home we currently have been renting since 2010.

a) County Supervisor Adam Hill

b) San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent Eric Prater

c) SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon

d) Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham

3. No way this big ass is going to get two shows through tonight ... you are going to have to pick me up and carry me.

a) Harvey Weinstein

b) Jay Leno

c) Garth Brooks

d) Milo

4. ... I’m told that the City Council will do anything for money. Are you whores?

a) Milo

b) Roy Moore

c) Harvey Weinstein

d) Former Grover Beach Mayor Ron Arnoldsen

5. I’m not going to put potholes above poor people.

a) Pope Francis

b) Rep. Salud Carbajal

c) County Supervisor Adam Hill

d) County Supervisor John Peschong

6. It’s a veritable sausage fest. Possibly because you study real subjects (like engineering and math).

a) Milo

b) Ann Coulter

c) Steve Bannon

d) Weird Al

7. I can just see the eager 12-year-olds lining up to tour the Dana Adobe.

a) County Supervisor Debbie Arnold

b) Former County Supervisor Ruth Brackett

c) County Supervisor John Peschong

d) County Supervisor Bruce Gibson

8. We have had graffiti tags or written signs, but never spray-painting the entire surface like this in a way that’s perceived to be artful.

a) Sheriff Ian Parkinson

b) SLO Natural Resources Manager Robert Hill

c) SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon

d) Pismo Beach Mayor Ed Waage

9. Pretty suspicious that Ted Cruz is here in our community around the same time a fox is murdered in the village. Where is our press??

a) PETA

b) Radio talk show host Dave Congalton

c) County Supervisor Adam Hill

d) County Supervisor (and avowed animal lover) Lynn Compton

10. I didn’t think it was anything against the law.

a) Michael Flynn

b) Porch pirates who claimed they “found” packages on doorsteps

c) Edie Knight

d) Anonymous artist responsible for painting watermelon rock

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Sharpen your pencils; it’s time for our end-of-year SLO County events quiz."