Maverick offers weekly Pub Quiz for patrons
You probably can’t learn as much at any other bar or restaurant
in town than at Maverick BBQ on Thursday nights.
That’s because the business at 35 Fifth St. located in an old
train depot continues to host its weekly Pub Quiz tradition that
brings out a festive crowd itching to compete and, perhaps, gain
some knowledge. And they can do it while enjoying a drink or
dinner, too.
Maverick offers weekly Pub Quiz for patrons
You probably can’t learn as much at any other bar or restaurant in town than at Maverick BBQ on Thursday nights.
That’s because the business at 35 Fifth St. located in an old train depot continues to host its weekly Pub Quiz tradition that brings out a festive crowd itching to compete and, perhaps, gain some knowledge. And they can do it while enjoying a drink or dinner, too.
The questions at “trivia night,” as it’s commonly known, range from a variety of topics within such categories as general knowledge, music, entertainment, sports, famous faces and history. Michael Murphy of Gilroy oversees the competition each week.
Several groups are regulars, though new customers tend to join on a weekly basis, some who know what they are getting into and others who simply come across it.
Murphy recalled how a mother and son had been ready to leave when it started one night, and how they ended up staying and becoming big fans of the challenge.
“They stayed, then came back for months and months and months,” said Murphy.
He has been running trivia night since June. Before that, he was a regular and a fill-in as moderator. Overall, the trivia competition has been running at Maverick on Thursdays for about five years now, noted Allen Coughlin, a co-owner of the business with other family members.
On Thursday, Murphy took his spot in the restaurant bar’s corner, seated with a wireless laptop in case he needed to double-check any questionable answers. There were more than 25 people participating last week, with six tables of teams and a couple partaking at the bar. Maverick averages more than 20 people each competition, Coughlin said, and residents are free to show up and play.
There are usually about a half-dozen or more rounds involved in each trivia night, with a variety not only in the question topics, but also in the format of the questioning.
After the first round Thursday, for instance, patrons took part in a “lightning round” that involves a single question with many answers. They were asked to name as many legal, three-letter Scrabble words that end in the letter “x,” and there were 36 possibilities.
For the next round, then, Murphy handed out piece of paper with pictures asking questions about each photo such as what food (ginger root) or which actress (Anjelica Huston) were being shown.
Other, more traditional rounds, though, defy patrons in wide-ranging categories.
“Which threat escaped from a research lab in Brazil in 1956 and has been heading north ever since”
Answer: Killer bees.
“Which city has the cemetery that is visited by the most number of tourists?”
Answer: Paris.
“Who was the oldest woman to have a No. 1 hit single in the U.S.?”
Answer: Tina Turner.
Murphy had to double-check on that one.
So if you’re interested in heading to Maverick and want to have the best chance of winning – the top team gets a gift certificate – it’s probably a good idea to either bring a lot of friends with varying interests or find one who is really smart in a lot of areas.
Trivia night starts each Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
