Story by Taylor Inman, Contributing writer
Murray businesses and organizations are gearing up their trivia teams for the chance to win both prizes and bragging rights in this year’s Murray Main Street’s Annual Trivia Night.
All proceeds for the trivia night go directly to Murray Main Street, which in recent years has received up to $6,000 from the annual game night, money that in turn will go directly back to Murray. In the 18 years its been active, Murray Main Street has invested $13 million in downtown buildings and businesses, as well other community-centered projects.
The trivia night has seen 10 years of competitive fun among teams. Mark Welch, a board member for Murray Main Street, has some advice for those looking to take the top cash prizes.
“A team that’s successful will have pretty diverse knowledge,” Welch said. “Some of the better teams I’ve seen have a range of ages, too.”
Teams from various professional offices, real estate agencies and local banks are set to duke it out in this year’s competition.
But Welch, returning this year as the master of ceremonies for the third time, said that it’s not necessary to be part of an organization or business to be able to get a team together for the trivia night.
“There are some teams that are just buddies, and they’re actually some of our better teams,” Welch said.
Deana Wright, program director for Murray Main Street, said that while having a well-rounded team is important, University Libraries won last year with a team made of only young people.
Wright said that it’s important to expose Murray State students to Murray’s downtown area.
“One of the things we try to do is bring the students downtown as a part of ‘Great Beginnings’ to show them what businesses they can go to in the downtown area,” Wright said. “Last year, we did a Twitter scavenger hunt and that was a way for them to learn what is downtown and let them see those great businesses.”
Murray’s historic downtown area, from the Calloway County Courthouse to its buildings that line the square, is one of many to promote small businesses and preservation. Murray Main Street is a direct supporter of this district and the community at large, being one of the earliest chapters formed in the Jackson Purchase area.
“Back in 1998, there hadn’t been many updates. The upgrades that we got in the 70s were now becoming an issue for the buildings,” Wright said. “What Murray Main Street did was really focus on the court square, bringing back modern conveniences and the quality you expect in a downtown area.”
The doors for Murray Main Street’s Annual Trivia Night will open at 6 p.m. and questions begin at 6:30 p.m. on Feb 19. It costs $160 for a team to enter. The cost includes dinner and a chance to win cash prizes awarded to the top three teams, with an opportunity to play mini-games during the night for other door prizes. Nonparticipants can have dinner and spectate the games for $8.
To register a team, contact Murray Main Street at 270-759-9474.