Trivia nights grow popular among youth

True or False: only adults go to trivia nights. If you answered false, you are correct. What started as a way for businesses to earn more on slow nights has turned into a routine social event for adults and students alike.

Each trivia night varies from place to place but consists of similar components: small teams and spirited competition. There are numerous restaurants (and youth groups) that offer weeknight trivia, but a small list includes Mellow Mushroom, Huey’s and the Swanky’s.

“[There are] five-to-six groups of people that come from all over the city,” Grant Baxter (10) said, “all just ready to compete and have fun.”

Some nights feature an assortment of categories like art, history or pop culture. Others are centered around specific topics. For example, Baxter’s first trivia night was The Office-themed, so random questions were asked, covering the show’s multiple seasons.

“One category was like ‘Here’s five pictures of characters. Tell us where they worked,’” Baxter said.

Missy Scruggs, former girls’ director of Grace Evangelical Church’s youth program, was tasked with creating events that encouraged students to show up and meet new people. Her solution? Host a trivia night.

“Trivia nights with young people is a really cool, new thing that people are getting behind and think is really fun,” Scruggs said. “If you’ve got a bunch of kids in a room who may or may not know each other, it’s a great opportunity for them to get to know one another.”