Wenatchee's trivia scene lights up the nightlife

WENATCHEE - Are you secretly a genius? In Wenatchee, there's a simple way to find out, almost any night of the week: A friendly game of trivia.

In fact, many of the places you already go on both sides of the river for fun on the weekends have a trivia night during the week, due to the game's growing popularity across the country.

Most players aren't really in it for the glory, either, although you can find some competitive types. They just want to hang out with friends and have some fun. And there is no shortage of places to do it these days.

Tuesday night trivia: A tale of two pubs

Down on Riverside Drive, you can cozy up in the covered area at Wenatchee Valley Brewing, where a hired host reads questions as you enjoy a beer in your numbered member's mug or a pizza, or maybe both.

If you prefer the pizza at the Saddlerock Pub downtown, they're the competition on Tuesday nights. The trivia is different, too, with WVB's coming from a national company that does bar trivia across the country and Saddlerock's quizzes written by hand by their dedicated host.

Wednesday night main events

Midweek, it's time to choose which of the two best trivia events of the week you like better. The most popular is at Ground Control, where a $2 buy-in will get you into the capacity crowd. You'll answer questions from the trivia specialty company Geeks Who Drink, in a two-hour format that promises some of every topic under the sun.

For just a $1 buy-in, however, the real game is across the street at Watercore Cider. Owner Sarah Lindell decided on a start time of 7 p.m., a full hour after Ground Control's, making it more accessible to people who get off work later. The host, Geoff Bullis, doesn't even emcee for pay, Lindell says, like every other host in town.

“I love the interesting factoids that come up from research,” Bullis says, “but really it's mostly about the people I get to be around.”

A 9th-grade math teacher from Eastmont, Bullis writes all the questions himself, making up six categories of five questions apiece every single week. They're not 9th-grade questions, though. This is the one where the masters of the obscure hang out.

Thursday: A beautiful view and big winnings

At Union Hill Cidery in East Wenatchee, on the first Thursday of each month, the trivia is currently served up by Austin Draude — you know him as “The Voice of the Wenatchee Wild” on the radio. With 14 ciders, 3 beers, and a house-made root beer on tap, Union Hill actually presents a chance to win some serious money. At one of their earliest events, the winner went home with more than $150, funded by the buy-ins.

At almost every trivia in town, even second place gets a cash prize. But since the point of hosting trivia in the first place, for a business owner, is to get people ordering food and drinks and filling seats, they'll sometimes get creative and offer something even for third place.

Fridays are for smaller trivia appetites, unless you like it BIG

The Last Pitch Café inside the Riverfront Rock Gym on the north end of town has a cozy space for trivia on the last day before the weekend with, you guessed it, pizza and beer, locally sourced.

Maybe you like it even smaller than that, and you want to squeeze into McGregor Farms Honey and Mead inside Pybus Public Market. During a recent game, the top prize was some honey from the McGregor Farm for each player on the winning team, in a tiny bear-shaped bottle just like the ones at the store, but filled with the best honey the valley has to offer.

The largest trivia gathering in town comes once a month on a Friday, and it's held inside the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. It feels naughty going in the museum after hours, but that adds to the fun. Tickets are reserved on their website, and upon arrival, a sign with your chosen team name will be sitting on a table waiting for you.

One of the most popular local actors in Wenatchee, Matthew Pippin, hosts the Museum trivia, and he is as much of a showman there as he is in any show at the PAC. When asked what keeps him wrangling the big crowd in the historic building, Pippin said “It's my love for the people that come to the museum and want to give it their all, win or lose.”

You couldn't make a living doing trivia, of course. But you could have a lot of fun all week long, if you have the stamina. Most people just pick their favorite one and stay loyal to that one.

Most importantly, the hosts — both the emcees and the businesses themselves — are always there to make sure you're having a good time. Jim Harvill, the owner of Jim Dandy's Haberdashery in the Mills Brothers building, was a host at Badger Mountain Brewery for five years before it closed, and now he joins the rest of the contestants at the various places around town as a player.

Harvill says playing trivia is different from hosting, because he notices poorly-worded questions more. “Is a river a body of water like a lake or an ocean is?” he asks. It could determine what makes up the southern border of a country in the geography category.

Doing something competitive but low-pressure with your friends is a great way to bond with familiar faces on a work night and still get home early.

As one skilled player, local hairdresser Erin Keenan, says, “You either win or you learn something.” But it could be both, whether you're a quiz whiz or just out for fun. So which night are you smart enough to pick?

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media