The Pub Quiz trophy at Odie’s Deli in Soldotna is somewhat of a pre-pandemic time capsule.
There’s a singular post-it note stuck to the three-tiered award that reads "Hug Dealers.” That's the team that won Pub Quiz the last time Odie’s hosted, back before COVID-19 hit and made large gatherings unsafe.
Now, the much-loved Wednesday night tradition is coming back. Odie’s owner Megan Weston said after two-plus years, it feels safer to get back into the groove.
“I wish I could tell you there was some fantastic sign from the universe," Weston said. "But it was more like, ‘OK. I think we’re just ready.’”
Odie’s has been holding Pub Quiz nights for a decade.
It's been a weekly chance for 15 teams of four to flex their trivia knowledge, competing through several rounds of questions falling under a wide range of themes.
Weston said Pub Quiz nights last about two hours and entry is $5 a pop. Volunteers make up the questions and run the nights on a rotating schedule. The team that wins the rounds gets the pot.
Pub Quiz has a loyal Kenai Peninsula following, including a 300-member Facebook group. During the height of the pandemic, some players even put on virtual Pub Quiz nights, over Zoom.
But Weston said they’ve been getting questions from customers about when the in-person nights would start back up again. She said they’re easing back into things this week.
“Trying to get our feet back underneath us," Weston said. "We haven’t done this in a couple years.”
But she said it’ll be the same, classic Pub Quiz. She’s co-hosting this Wednesday’s Pub Quiz alongside Pub Quiz founder Kelsey Shields.
“So it’s going to be really throwing back to some of the original things. Even some of the rounds are going to be some twists on our classic rounds," Weston said.
The first Pub Quiz of the year is this Wednesday, April 20 between 6–8 p.m. Space is first come, first served.
Weston said they’ll run Pub Quiz nights until June, when the Soldotna Wednesday Market starts back up for the summer. She said they’ll then resume again in the fall.
