REEL East Texas has thrown down the trivia gauntlet for a second year, calling all movie (and taco) fans to the Texan Theater for Margaritas & Movies Feb. 19.
After costumed crews of cinema fans turned out for the inaugural event in February 2025, Chip Hale says, REEL’s board members were keen to bring the fundraiser back as an annual event.
“We’ve worked Oktoberfest for a while now, and the board decided we needed to have another fundraiser at the beginning of the year,” REEL’s executive director said, and Margaritas & Movies proved a crowd-pleaser. “It was so well-received that it’s back by popular demand.”
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19 ahead of dinner at 6 p.m. and trivia at 7 p.m. Individual tickets and tables of 8 are still available for $85 and $600, respectively, along with a variety of sponsorships. Admission will be sold at the door that Thursday night. Tickets are available via Givebutter at https://givebutter.com/qfkXGB
This year’s trivia categories range from Rom Coms & Chick Flicks to 20th Century Rocks (movies before 2000), Millennial Movies (films after 2000) and Blockbusters. There will be three mini-games as well, including Quick Clips, Music at the Movies and Potent Quotables.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Hale added. “Some of the people complained that the questions were a little bit too challenging last year, so we’re making them a bit more palatable this year and not so difficult.”
There’s a costume contest, as well (guests are encouraged to dress in a film-focused get-up) as well as a silent auction and street tacos from Edgar’s Big Taco.
Other sponsors include Zen Kitchen, WasteWarden Septic Service, Texas Defense Articulations, The Studio Kilgore, Selleck Accounting & Finance, R&K Distributors, Mitch Moehring Strings, Longview Museum of Fine Art, Kilgore Quick Care, Kilgore Current, Euphoria Botanicals, East Texas Preferred Properties, Credit Union of Texas, Circle Cafe, Charlie’s SnoBall & Seasonal Tanning and 4 Star Cinema.
“Not only are we getting new teams and many of the same teams from last year, but we’re branching out and getting new sponsors which is a good sign for a successful event,” Hale noted. “The money we raise goes toward all of the programs we have – education in our screenwriting class and film camp plus preservation of the Old Post Office and the Texan Theater, which provide a great experience for people here.
“We’re extremely active in the community. We like to put our money where our energy is – whenever we raise funds, we put the money toward things that benefit the city, benefit the Downtown Entertainment District and benefit REEL East Texas as well.”
