Comedian Ben Bailey, former host of thetelevision show Cash Cab, will host Trivia Night, Sept. 23 at the Crystal Ball Room Submitted photo

Question: Who is the comedian that will be hosting Trivia Night at the Crystal Ball Room?

Answer: You guessed it — Ben Bailey, former host of the television show Cash Cab.

The Sept. 23 event is the brainchild of St. Susan Center Board President Cindy Saxton where she thought of reaching out to Bailey. She contacted him by email through his website to see if he would be interested.

“And then he (Bailey) had his manager called back to see if we were legit,” said Executive Director Cherie Rowland.

Rowland said he is hosting the event and first will do his standup routine, followed by the Cash Cab-type trivia game.

In preparation for the event, the center will be holding three preliminary trivia nights, Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sept. 16, at 6 p.m., where teams with a maximum of five people will compete. The winning team each night will be able to participate in the finals on Sept. 23 with Bailey, Rowland said.

And not even one sample question will be released prior to each competition, Rowland said.

“Cindy said she is going to keep these completely under wraps because she said I can’t keep a secret.”

Rowland added that admission to the prelims is free, but there will be food and beverages for purchase at the prelims as well as the finals with all proceeds benefitting the center. Rowland is hoping to have three teams each night and said there will be seven rounds of questions. There is not really a time limit in the prelims, she said, as the event will end when all questions are answered and there is a wining team each night. Tickets for the finale, Rowland said, are $50, but the three winning teams will not have to purchase tickets.

“That’s part of the winning (package). And we are hoping everyone has an enjoyable night,” she said.

Rowland added that the point of having the prelim trivia nights is to bring more awareness to the center, and what function it serves in the community.

“So we might, let let everybody know what we’re what we’re here for,” rowland added.

She noted that in August the center served 5,000 meals which is a significant increase from 2022.

“Last year, we were averaging about 125 meals a day. And now we’re averaging about 250 to 280 meals a day,” Rowland said.

She said that the FeedMore Western New York Program partners with the center as well as area residents and community retailers, businesses, and other agencies. Her staff is made up of volunteers who generously give their time and effort to support a good cause.

“We are so blessed to have so many people in this community supporting St. Susan Center. An ultimately, it’s supporting those most vulnerable folks in our community. What we’re here for is the immediate need for food,” Rowland said.

For more information about the trivia nights contact the center at (716)-664-2253 or visit stsusancenter.org.