Local trivia nights planned throughout the coming year
BULLHEAD CITY – Jessica Tary freely admits she didn’t grow up playing Trivial Pursuit. Instead, “I like odd facts, knowing different things,” she said. That just happens to be a definition of trivia, and her popular tournaments are due to her attention to detail, organizational skills and creativity she puts into engaging teams, structured games and, of course prizes.
Tary organizes four 12-week trivia tournaments/year, including new 60 questions/week, a weekly prize wheel (and prizes) and weekly point rewards. She currently manages 17 teams and has outgrown five venues, awarding more than $1,000 in cash and prizes on the final evening of each tournament.
Tary’s play isn’t buzz-for-the-answer. Each team answers 10 questions in each of six categories with a time limit of “40 seconds per question,” she said. There are question questions, multiple-choice questions and true/false questions earning 3 points, 2 points and 1 point respectively, in six rounds. In the final round, teams roll the dice to pick a category and can wager their points on the final-round question. Upsets are common. “Depending on the night, they either love it or hate it,” said Tary.
Tary also keeps it interesting by inserting challenges, the secret points, into each week. Players know they can earn extra points, they just don’t know how they’re earning them until Tary reveals them. Past extra points have been earned for most points in a specific category, points wagered, most correct consecutive answers, etc.
Weekly winners spin a prize wheel for cash, free team drinks, a dunce card (free trivia answers) and more. At the end of the 12-week tournament, prizes include $400 for the first-place team and lesser cash prizes for the second- and third-place teams. More than $1,000 cash is distributed at the end of the tournament, Tary said.
Many teams and players have been playing since the beginning in 2017, and players often switch teams (between, not during, tournaments). “A lot of the younger players hop around; they join different teams to test themselves,” said Tary. A team of players in their 80s “attend religiously,” she added.
Play starts at 6:30 p.m., and tends to last until about 8 p.m. Get there early to get a seat because Tary is a “stickler for time,” she said. “I don’t like to waste anyone’s time; we’re going to get going.” $20 registers a team for the tournament, and weekly play is $5 per person. Teams can have up to six players.
“Miracle Mile is our sixth location, and we’re at capacity; we fill it consistently,” she added. The Drifiting Bistro has a full bar and kitchen on-site for food and beverage sales. No outside food or beverages are allowed.
Although this tournament is full, other than the open tables for play and/or spectators, the next round will start sometime after Easter, Tary said. She also creates special trivia events between tournaments including adult-themed Naughty Nights and, at the other end of the spectrum, Family Nights.
The Miracle Mile Event Center at the Mohave Shrine Club is located at 2580 Miracle Mile. Reach out to Tary at JessicaTary83@gmail.com or 928-296-0748 or JJEventsInfo.com.
Juliette Cowall
