It’s time for another round of Trivial Pursuit, Nebraska Edition. Let’s match wits on all things Nebraska based on May holidays or celebrations.

How many drivers with Nebraska ties have raced at the famed Brickyard during the Indianapolis 500?  My research shows seven.

Earl Cooper, born in 1886, was one of auto racing’s first superstars. Beginning in 1913, Cooper experienced a rash of tough luck on the bricks. Between spin outs, broken wheels and valve failures, Cooper’s best finish came in 1924. He finished second.

In 1910, Eddie Rickenbacker ran a Firestone-Columbus auto agency in Omaha before the racing bug bit. He started racing in the Indy 500 in 1913. Then, WWI hit and Rickenbacker won the Medal of Honor. By 1927, he owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway and sold the track in 1946.

Ronney Householder competed in 1937 and 1938.

Carl Forberg raced in the 1951 500.

Omaha-born Bob Mathouser raced in the 1964 race.

Lincoln native Roger Rager tried several times before qualifying for the 1980 Indy, clocking the tenth fastest qualifying time.

Gordon Smiley, another Omaha driver, ran in the 1980 and 1981 races. On May 15, 1982, Smiley set out to qualify after Kevin Cogan and Rick Mears turned in record-breaking times. On Smiley’s second lap, the car started to oversteer. Smiley tried to correct the problem, and the front wheels gripped, sending Smiley’s car across the track and into a wall at a speed of 200 mph. He died on impact.

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How often do you partake of an incredible edible egg? At our house, the answer is nearly every day.

Where does Nebraska rank nationally in commercial egg production?  Eighth.

According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska’s laying hen population is close to 10 million birds. They produce over 3 billion eggs a year, laying close to 95 million dollars into the state’s economy. Wakefield’s M.G. Waldbaum Company, a subsidiary of Michael Foods, Inc., is the largest processed egg company in the world.

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Beef Month wrapped up on Tuesday in the Husker state. What’s Nebraska’s ratio of cattle to people?

The Nebraska Beef Council reports that cattle outnumber Nebraska residents nearly 4 to 1. The organization sponsored a “Best Burger” competition. Who won? The Cellar Bar and Grill in Kearney. Been there, done that, tasted great. Still, nothing compares to a fresh burger grilled at home.

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You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, assuming you want to catch flies.

Is vinegar processed in Nebraska? Yup, and Once you’ve tried it, you’ll want to test every flavor and start concocting gourmet recipes.

Located in Cody, George Paul Vinegar began operations in 2009. Owners George and Karen Johnson began growing grapes just over a decade ago to make wine. Now the vinegary operates from a cozy straw-bale building. Locally-grown fruits – grapes, wild plums, chokecherries, and sandcherries– are processed “Old World” style.

Scott and I stopped last summer, toured the facility, and taste-tested several flavors. Peach vinegar = simply delicious.

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Are you a Nebraska trivia master?

Frightened by things that go bump in the night? Visit Nebraska and you’re certain to find  multiple sites across the state that are reportedly haunted.

A visit to an internet site – The Shadowlands - lists 62 towns scattered across Nebraska that haunted tales to tell.  Interestingly, it does not list my home town, Clay Center, where the elementary building is haunted. Supposedly, the ghost of former principal, Mr. Allan, haunts the school building. His photo hung in the hallway, at an entryway to the former gymnasium. Walk down the hall, and the eyes of the portrait follow you. Creepy, yes, but it’s a often-told tale. I’ll preface this by saying my parents both taught at the school and were good friends with him and both felt the photo had a some type of strange vibe.

They weren’t the only school employees who felt some type of presence in the school. One of the former school cooks, who arrived early each morning, said she heard footsteps crossing the gym floor, yet when she looked out, nobody was in the gym.

Nebraska Wesleyan campus in Lincoln supposedly is home to several ghosts. A former professor reportedly haunts the old music building. But don’t worry. It’s not the only haunted campus in Lincoln. The Temple Building at UNL purportedly has a ghost.

The State Capitol possesses a ghost on the observation deck. I’ve visited here several times and honestly, I have never heard the sobs of a crying man. I’ve heard plenty of howling wind though.

In Crofton, Nebraska, the Argo Hotel - a beautifully remodeled restaurant and bed & breakfast – houses a ghost. Maybe more. One legend says a young girl died in the basement and her ghost walks around the hotel. Another story says that the building used to be a mental institution and ghost-like wailing can be heard from several rooms. And yet another story adds that when a worker was tearing down a wall in the present-day lounge, a skeleton of a baby was discovered. And if that’s not enough, pictures have been known to move on their own.

Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, legends and stories continue to report about strange happenings that occur across the state’s wide-open prairie.

We even have our own ghost-busting group, although I’ve seen some of their stories featured in the mainstream media and they seem legit. Check out Midwest Paranormal Investigators in Kearney.

Once upon a time (1850s), in a growing Missouri River town (Omaha), amber waves of grain and hops were harvested to supply the big four breweries. In Omaha, beer was king and poured supreme.

In 1856, McCumbe’s Brewery opened as the River City’s first brewery. Two brothers purchased McCumbe’s in 1861 and switched the name to Metz. Business boomed.

Krug’s Brewery opened in 1859. Falstaff purchased the plant in 1936 and by the mid 1960s, was the third largest brewer in America. Eventually the company sold to Pabst and Falstaff fell to its demise. The Omaha plant shut its doors in 1985.

Storz Brewing and Willow Springs originated in Saratoga, Nebraska, in Douglas County in 1863. Eventually the brewery moved to Omaha. In 1884, the plant foreman, Gottlieb Storz, bought the factory. Considering the boom in Omaha – the crowded and growing stockyards  and the influx of immigrants to the town’s South side – beer was a natural fit. During Prohibition, Storz continued its reign with near beer products. By 1960, Storz sold one-third of all beer in Nebraska, but just over a decade later, it would shut down operations. The year: 1972.

It would take nearly  20 years for a new beer movement in the Cornhusker State. In March 1991, Lazlo’s became Nebraska’s first craft brewer. In 1997, when the legislature passed laws allowing the sale of craft beer outside the brew pub, the name changed to Empyrean.

Two of my favorite craft beer spots are Gottberg Brew Pub in Columbus. The beer is great; so is the root beer for those who choose not to drink. And I love the Upstream Brewing Company in Omaha’s Old Market. Both spots have such great character (as well as characters!!).  Now, ten breweries exist in Nebraska, and over a handful of craft brew bars operate. (Plus, they’re the only two I’ve visited. So far!)

Nebraska breweries include:

• Empyrean Brewing - Lincoln
• Gottberg Brewery - Columbus
• Jaipur Brewing Company - Omaha
• Lucky Bucket Brewing - LaVista
• Modern Monks – Misty’s - Lincoln
• Nebraska Brewing Company - Papillion
• Schilling Bridge - Pawnee City
• Spilker Ales - Cortland
• Thunderhead Brewing - Kearney
• Upstream Brewing - Omaha

Try one of these Nebraska-made craft breweries and toast the amber waves of Nebraska hops and grain.

New York has the Guggenheim and the MoMA. San Diego’s Balboa Park hosts the nation’s largest urban cultural park, home to 15 museums. Chicago lauds its exhibits: The Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Hull House. History and art enthusiasts revel at the delightful treasures displayed within these halls.

Nebraskans don’t have to travel across the Midwest or even to the coasts to visit top exhibitions. In our own back yards, historical societies, art foundations and educational groups have assembled some of the best collections around.

If you have never traveled Nebraska’s byways and stopped at some of our state’s quaint menageries, you have the opportunity to this weekend. The Smithsonian and Smithsonian Magazine welcome visitors for their 6^th annual National Museum Day.

And the good news: you don’t have to visit Washington D.C. to partake. Nine museums across the Cornhusker state are offering free admission with the required ticket, which can be retrieved at www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday.

What sites can you visit in Nebraska?

The Lincoln County Historical Society maintains a museum in North Platte. Inside, exhibits show what life is like in cattle country. The museum features railroad history, too. Several preserved outbuildings depict 1880s living.

At Kearney’s Buffalo County Historical Society and Trails and Rails Museum, visitors discover the history of the Overland and Mormon trails and the Union Pacific railroad along the Great Platte River Road.  Check out a locomotive and the depot, along with the Boyd Ranch House, the Freighters Hotel, a school house, 1898 church, and a log cabin.

Enjoy living history presentations? Visit the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island. In addition to the main building, saunter through Henry Fonda’s birthplace, a livery stable, blacksmith shop or the Silver Dollar Café. The museum also offers educational classes for parents and children. Its H.A.T.S. (Heritage Activities for Today’s Students) program, with grade level-appropriate activities, introduces learners to pioneer life.

Headed to this week’s Husker game? Since there’s a six o’clock kickoff, go early and visit three of Lincoln’s top treasures: the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, Nebraska History Museum and University of Nebraska State Museum. Discover the history of quilting, a 14-foot mammoth, or the amazing stories of our state’s ancestors.

The Cass County Historical Society Museum in Plattsmouth conveys the history of the county, which was settled in 1854. Steamboating on the Missouri, pioneer life, and agriculture production are highlighted.

In Omaha’s Union Station, The Durham Museum examines regional history. Celebrate the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, model trains, or the soda fountain.

Ever visited the oldest county museum in Nebraska? The Washington County Historical Museum in Ft. Calhoun contains prehistoric relics and Native American pieces. Objects from Fort Atkinson are also displayed.

Since I’m a history enthusiast, I’ve visited five of the nine museums participating in this weekend’s event. I’m amazed at the information and artifacts that explore the lives of those who lived here before us.

High quality exhibits exist here at home. Which museum will you visit and enrich your Nebraska knowledge?

Share your favorite Nebraska Museums at http://luannschindler.com.