Date Night: Trivial Pursuits at Taylor's
Note: This is the first in an occasional series on fun and games being hosted by local establishments during the long Berkshire winter — but you don't need a date to participate. Photos by Melanie Rancourt
Thor Wickstrom flashes the gift certificate he and Jaye Fox won at a recent trivia night at Taylor's. |
The weekly tournament, which takes place Friday nights at 7:30 p.m., rewards winners with gift certificates to Taylor's or its sister dining establishment, the Freight Yard Pub.
Colleen Taylor, the weekly master of ceremonies, said she was nervous before the first night but was ultimately pleased with the turnout, as well as the friendliness of the people who attended.
"I have participated in trivia challenges in Boston," said Taylor. "Starting out low key is perfect for me. I did not know what to expect but I think people had fun. We have room to grow and I encourage people to help me brainstorm so that we can make the night more enjoyable."
Taylor uses questions from the trivia Web site 3streetstrivia.com. She takes the time to explain the rules of the game, which are easy to understand once the game progresses. Teams of up to six players are allowed to participate.
Each game has four rounds containing eight questions each. Answers are corrected at the end of each round and each team's score is recorded on the master's sheet. After the end of the first round, each team is given a puzzle paper, which teams work on until the end of round three. Correct answers from the puzzle paper are used as bonus points at the end of the game, along with any points won by answering two bonus questions.
Three teams, all couples, participated on the first night, with a fourth team of three joining a little late. The winning team, The League Rats, scored 24 points and were rewarded with a $25 gift certificate. The second- and third-place teams each won a $10 certificate.
Jaye Fox and Thor Wickstrom, veteran trivia players, said participating in a smaller, friendlier trivia night was a breath of fresh air.
 Colleen Taylor plays emcee; she's hoping the game night will catch on. |
On a recent Friday, three more teams competed against each other, and the word is spreading. Two of the teams grew to four players each. The winning team, The Jats, was the team of Alex and Sue Daugherty, Joelle Brookner and Tom Welch, who ate their dinner while they played.
In between rounds, participants talked about spreading the news through posts on their Facebook sites. With more people finding out how fun and enjoyable playing trivia is, Taylor is hoping that this becomes a popular Friday night event.
"It took a few months for our dart tournament to become popular and in time I think that trivia will take off, too," Taylor said. "It will take time, but for now, the teams that are showing up each week are all having a lot of fun.”
Trivia is held in the back room for now but if more teams participate and they get larger, Taylor said the competition could be moved into the main dining room.
