You can still be a ‘Know-it-All’ with trivia
Popular pastime is back in local venues after pandemic shutdown
TEXARKANA — Texarkana’s live entertainment scene has eased back into a nearer-to-normal swing of things with a bit of live music restarting, and this out-and-about socializing resurgence includes trivia.
Know-it-All Trivia established a beloved presence here in Texarkana since it was co-founded years ago by the late Darin Lavender. Now with his untimely passing, Clay Monts has picked up the mantle to run Know-itAll here at three Arkansas-side Texarkana venues.
After a pandemic-caused semi-hiatus, Know-it-All is now played at Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar on Sundays (8:30 p.m.), Pop’s Place on Wednesdays (7:30 p.m.) and the Arrow Bar on Thursdays (8:30 p.m. with a post-trivia open mic).
Each evening of trivia is introduced along with a spirited exhortation to “Don’t be a jerk” (or similarly salty phrasing) and to not blurt out the answers during this fierce but fun live trivia competition. The witty banter between hosts and repartee with the crowd is one of the cherished, unique aspects at Know-it-All.
Monts has a revolving cast of co-hosts. “Ever since Darin’s been gone, since it’s fallen to me to take over and I don’t have anybody that’s like 100-percent-on, I-can-do-it-all-the-time, I’ve got about 15 people now that I just kind of cycle through,” Monts said. Know-it-All has its first female host, too.
“It kind of gives new perspectives,” Monts said about his cast of trivia time colleagues. They’re part of a local, homegrown tradition here in Texarkana, and the Know-it-All boss is happy to see it return, in part because it’s his job.
“It’s amazing to be back. We’re slowly building our crowds back up. People are still kind of iffy about coming back out, but we’re really starting to build our crowd back up,” Monts said.
During the past couple of months, he experimented running Know-It-All online. It
kept him afloat personally and kept Know-it-All in the minds of its fans, a real community that came through, including the Shreveport, Louisiana, arm of Know-it-All. Jim Reed heads the games there.
“In 10 years of doing Know-it-All Trivia this is the first time we’ve been able to bring Shreveport and Texarkana together,” Monts said. “I take a little pride in the fact that Texarkana won all three times.”
Trivia aficionados from Georgia and Los Angeles joined the regional Know-it-All players — “so we had coast-to-coast trivia coverage,” Monts said. It was complicated to arrange but still fun, and trivia “kept people’s spirits up,” Monts said.
They basically did trivia as they do it at a bar, just with Facebook Live first and then another platform that allowed more camera angles and such. People submitted answers via a messenger app and talked online with each other.
“It was like everybody was hanging out in the chat, talking,” Monts said.
Perhaps it speaks to the brand and strong sense of community among Know-it-All players who are used to gathering weekly (or more often) to show what they know, enjoying libations and food while they’re at it.
“It’s something that’s kind of become an institution. Darin started it and I’ve been doing it seven years. It’s kind of become one of those things that people just take for given in Texarkana. There’s always Know-it-All Trivia, you know,” Monts said, noting that when his ex-wife passed away, trivia was the first thing to get him out of the house.
“I started going to trivia every week and made new friends,” Monts recalled.
The appreciation and love for trivia run deep. That connection has something to do with what Lavender built over time, combining ideas he had from living in St. Louis and creating a unique betting system. Thanks to Lavender and co-founder Jesse Capps, Know-it-All brought something new to Texarkana.
“There’s a legacy that Darin left in this town. Everybody that knows Darin loves Darin, and it’s a legacy that he left and is something that everybody loves — and is something that I’m in the position to keep going,” Monts said. It’s something Lavender gave him, too, and he aims to continue that gift.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of big shoes to fill. I feel like I’ve got a lot of eyes on me, so I’ve got to make sure this thing is really good and really successful,” Monts said. He’d like Know-it-All to continue past him, too. “I don’t want Know-it-All Trivia to ever die.”
Bre SchraderTice is the groundbreaking new female co-host on the Know-it-All scene. She’d been a Know-it-All fan and player for more than five years before becoming a host. Hosts call out questions but also prep beforehand by writing them and creating categories.
“Though, as the first female host of Know-It-All Trivia, I was slightly nervous but my fellow co-hosts put me at ease and helped me with advice on hosting and creating categories,” she said. “They’re a fairly motley crew of knowledgeable guys and Clay does a phenomenal job leading us. I’ve also gotten a positive response from folks playing the game, happy to see a woman on the mic finally.”
Free beer and learning more trivia are perks as both player and host, she said.
“Whether I am creating the questions or answering them with a team, I love learning new and often completely random information,” SchraderTice said.
With teams of four seated at separate tables, trivia even fits with social distancing, she observes.
“I think everyone could use a fun time out with friends again and Know-It-All Trivia is here bringing the fun,” she said.
“I think everyone could use a fun time out with friends again and Know-It-All Trivia is here bringing the fun.”
—Bre SchraderTice