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Original article March 31, 2009 Local pub brings top trivia players to Buckhannon By: Allison Sharp/Record Delta Staff Writer
One local pub is doing its part to bring tourism to the Buckhannon area. Allburghers Appalachian Pub Co. recently hosted the 2009 W.Va. Buzztime Trivia Open. Buzztime Trivia is an online trivia site which people throughout the country enjoy. Contestants form teams and answer random questions online, competing with others from all over the U.S. and Canada. There are more than 3,700 trivia teams. Allburghers hosted the event Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29. According to the trivia organizer, who only gave his name as Bob, there were about 50 people from various parts of the country who traveled to Buckhannon to take part in the fun. “This is a gathering of people who just love to play trivia,” Bob said. The group consisted of players from Northern and Southern California, Virginia, Montana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and New York. Most of the players stayed at the Bicentennial Inn because of the great hospitality and group discount, Bob said. For those who were not able to make it all the way to Buckhannon, the pub’s web cams allowed players to watch from their homes and finally put a face to a name of his or her online trivia teammates. The first W.Va. Buzztime Trivia event was held last year in Bridgeport and was originally set to be held in Morgantown this year, but when the Morgantown location fell through, Allburghers jumped up to the plate and welcomed the trivia addicts with open arms. Allburghers General Manager Michael Currence said even though his establishment hosted the event, it was a communal effort. The VFW loaned the pub tables and chairs, the Bicentennial offered discounts on rooms and local business were very hospitable. “It’s been an awesome time,” Currence said. “People seem to really enjoy the different businesses and the small town.” Bobby and Greta Reeves, from Southern California, said the community is nothing like California and hopes to return very soon. “I’d love to come back,” Bobby said. “People actually talk to you here when they pass you. Everyone is very friendly and there is a lot of hospitality.” Currence said Allburghers looked at the event as something that could also potentially bring some money to the Buckhannon community during the economic slump. The pub provided the trivia players with possible dinner options, such as Maroma’s, CJ Maggie’s, King’s Pizza, etc. Players also visited The Daily Grind for their morning coffee and shopped at local downtown businesses. “It was great for everyone involved,” Currence said. The trivia team was ranked in the top five throughout the entire weekend, and according to Bob were ranked number one for most of the day Sunday. Members played their hearts out from open to close and enjoyed trivia, laughs and drinks all around. The Reeves said they have been to over 125 different locations throughout the U.S. and even some in Canada. Bobby Reeves said, “We try to make trivia part of our vacations every year.” But Greta interrupted with, “Just admit it’s an addiction.” Montana resident Gary Baker, also known to his trivia family as BigSky, said he’s been enjoying trivia for over six years. Although he’s only played at 50 different locations, he said he knows some players that have traveled to well over 600 different trivia locations. “When we travel, we scope out ahead of time to find towns and bars that have trivia.” Baker said. Buckhannon is miles from California and Montana, but the Reeves and Baker said it’s a small price to pay to be able to enjoy good times with great friends. All the players know each other from online gaming, but meeting face to face is something they all think is a great way to make the team stronger. “We always have such a good time,” Bobby Reeves said. According to Greta the group at Allburghers has rivalries all over the country. “Bars got together to try to beat us,” Greta said. “There was a lot of trash talking going on.” A representative from Buzztime Trivia, Mary Campbell, traveled to Buckhannon to distribute prizes and additional electronic trivia pads for the group. Bob said the group had Buzztime Trivia T-shirts made and will be donating the money raised to the Upshur County Special Olympics. |
