“The trick is to just find the weird shit to do in Brandon and go to it.” That’s the advice Kate Wilson gave while discussing how to make the most out of living in Brandon and why she hosts a weekly trivia night at Prairie Firehouse with her husband Aaron Wilson.
Approximately eight years ago, what could have started off as an almost murder on Craigslist turned into a job as a trivia night host in North Carolina. “It was a legit company that sent people out to bars to do trivia, so we did that for awhile,” says Kate.
Originally from the southern U.S., but now living in Brandon, Kate and Aaron work at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba and the University of Brandon respectively, and have just celebrated over a year of hosting Trivia every Tuesday night at Prairie Firehouse for teams of six or less.
This year, Kate and Aaron wanted to up the ante a little bit and host a winner takes all trivia competition where the top team takes home $200 in cash and a $100 gift certificate to Prairie Firehouse – plus a sweet trophy. “It’s just the next level of competition and really fun to watch people be super competitive,” says Kate. With only three weeks left to go and ten spots in the championship, new teams are arriving each week for their chance to win big.
When asked what one her favourite trivia questions was, Kate fondly remembered a question where teams had to determine if the word she said was a character from Lord of the Rings or a piece of IKEA furniture. “We used backroom Lord of the Rings characters and everybody was like, ‘shit, I’m pretty sure that’s the name of my pillow!’” she laughs.
So, if you’re looking for something weird to go to at 8:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night, join Kate and Aaron at Prairie Firehouse, just be sure to make a reservation. But be warned, I’m pretty sure Kate and Aaron’s two dogs Dexter and Sally and their two cats Ginny and Twilight are the real trivia masters.