Weekly Trivia Team Provides Relaxed Social Scene

BELLINGHAM – On any given Sunday night, one can find a group of adults gathered around a booth in the Village Inn Pub ready for a game to start. These people are part of a weekly trivia competition hosted by James Gillies.

Sunday night trivia has been occurring weekly since the middle of December and frequently brings in about 20 people each week. According to Andrea Hattery, a loyal attendee, there are events on Sundays at the Village Inn and at Uisce on Tuesdays.

The usual crowd, according to Hattery, is a group of adults ranging anywhere from 20-40 years old. Teams are comprised of four people each and each night typically has at least 5 teams. Teams are required to pay a $1 entry fee per player and the winning team takes the whole pot.

The Questions Being Asked

Questions are created by the question master, James Gillies, and are from a wide variety of topics. Gillies says he “just thinks of the questions. I’ve been doing it for two and a half years and am starting to run out of things to ask. At the Uisce location, teams suggest categories and I do five questions from each category. At the Village Inn it’s all random.”

These questions range anywhere from “In which state would you find the only royal palace in the United States?” to “What is the fastest sea mammal in the world?” It is a two-part competition with the first half containing 22 questions and the second half containing 23.

Hattery has a strong desire for more adult programs in her neighborhood and says that trivia club is “one of the only chances I have to meet people besides in a bar.” Other players such as George and Cathy Wall say, “We usually come every week. It’s a good way to socialize and meet new people in a fun atmosphere.”

Residents Have Great Desire for Programs

Lack of adult programs in the Guide Meridian neighborhood is a common frustration. According to the neighborhood association co-president, Beverly Jacobs, “Our lack of a community center is one of our neighborhood’s biggest issues. We need to be providing more positive activities for people to be involved in.”

Not only is trivia club helping to provide an adult activity for residents of Bellingham, but it is also helping the local economy. The manager of Village Inn Pub, Mare Boyle, says that they have noticed returning customers who have come to trivia club and never knew otherwise about the restaurant.

More frequent customers may be due to the specials provided the night of trivia club. Village Inn offers $3 burgers and drink specials as well. These specials are available to all customers, not just members of trivia club.

Boyle says she chooses to advertise the trivia club with weekly ads in both the Cascadia Weekly and Take 5 publications. There is also a sign posted inside the Village Inn to inform weekly customers about the event.

To find out more about trivia club or to attend, call the Village Inn at 360-734-2490.