Brent Krizo presides over trivia at Modern Barn

BETHEL — What is the unit of measurement of one stone equal to in pounds? In 1932, what animal did the Australian government lose a war against? What uses the rating system of E, T, and M? These are some of the questions that have been asked at the Modern Barn Trivia Night – a weekly event that takes place each Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The idea of a local Trivia Night came from Brent Krizo, who moved to Bethel with his wife Sarah Krizo, who works at Gould academy. Jessica Stasinos, owner of the modern barn, said that they had talked about the potential for a Trivia Night, but not actually done one yet.

Brent began trivia in Carrabassett Valley alongside other employees of the Carrabassett school, as a way to stay social during COVID. After he moved, he was introduced to Stasinos through the Gould snowboarding team in 2021, which led to discussions about Trivia Night. Soon, the first night was hosted, and the Modern Barn began its weekly tradition.

“We’ve had a really great turnout from the start,” said Stasinos. Krizo was told by a Gould faculty member that Trivia Night “Helped create more of a sense of community, especially for the Gould faculty who have come from elsewhere.” There is no entrance fee to play – anybody that happens to come to the Modern Barn during Trivia Night has the option to join in if they are so inclined. “It ends up being a bonus if people come in Wednesday night,” said Stasinos.

Both Stasinos and Krizo have done their best to keep Trivia Night as a fun and welcoming atmosphere. “We don’t want it to be stiff and stale, we want it to be interactive,” said Stasinos. Krizo has also worked to keep Trivia Night open and interactive for those that come, changing methods over time to suit the environment.

One such way is that teams trade answer cards between each round of questions, scoring each other. This gives the teams chances to shout out their answers and talk to each other. “It adds a lot of banter, a lot more friendliness and cohesion with the whole group,” said Krizo.

“It’s about fun, it’s about making people feel belonging and a sense of community” Stasinos said, “Sometimes people at the bar will pair up with someone next to them even though they don’t know them.” Both emphasized that the point of the Trivia Night is community, and all are welcome to join and engage.

Another way that Krizo keeps things open is in the variety of questions asked. He very intentionally does not use themes, and will pull trivia from literature, sports, or simply random facts with equal measure. His goal is for trivia goers to at least be able to guess an answer if they have no idea.

At the end of each season, there are prizes. These vary from gift cards, farmers market items, or membership in the Modern Barn mug club. The prizes vary greatly, and are only at the season finales, which Stasinos hopes is a way to motivate people to come all season. Points are based on accumulation, so the more people come, the better.

This is Brent Krizo’s final season of trivia, but Modern Barn is already looking for a new trivia master. “We have two people who are basically doing a trivia audition,” said Stasinos. “We’ll definitely continue the trivia.”