It’s the time of year that John and I have some of my favorite conversations.  Each year we spend one evening together where he asks me intense thought provoking questions like, “Would a Blue Devil beat a Wildcat?” or “Who would win, a Buckeye or a Jayhawk?” You see, I pick my bracket based on which mascot would win if they fought each other. There are strict rules for my system: you can’t win if your mascot is a color (sorry Syracuse) and if Butler University is in the tournament (my alma mater) their Bulldogs have magical powers (obviously). Sometimes it’s easy to pick who will win. Clearly a Wolf Pack will crush a Gopher, but other times the mascots require some deep thoughts (ie: Wildcat vs Panther).

The Ream bracket challenge is legendary. It’s intense. The entire family plays, and even extended family is included. Everyone has their own method for choosing their brackets, from which teams colors they like better, to where they’d like to live, to actually knowing something about basketball. However they arrive at their choices, everyone roots hard for their bracket and we enjoy multiple daily emails back and forth. It’s one of my favorite times of the year.

We’re excited to have Trek be THE PLACE to come watch March Madness this year. Starting TODAY we’ll be open early (at noon!) so you don’t have to miss a single game. We’ll have them up on the big screens and there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

We’ve got pizza available, or you can bring in your own food to go with the best beer in town. We’ve got some awesome trucks lined up for this first weekend- Put It In Your Face is hanging out with us on Friday night, and Comida El Catrin is with us Saturday. We’re also hosting a mini tap-takeover with Masthead Brewing on Friday night, so you’ll have multiple reasons to come watch the games with us!

In case you need just one more incentive, every game you watch at Trek will allow you to be entered into a grand prize drawing. Mention the secret phrase “Trek to the Championship” and your bartender will give you an entry into our drawing. The winner will be picked after the championship game on April 8th.  The winner will be the proud owner of a Trek Growler and 5 free growler fills!!!

So, grab your friends and come hang out with us for the next couple of weeks. Enjoy the games in the best setting in Licking County. We’ll be there to cheer with you, and we want to hear how you make your bracket! We’ll see you here, it’s #WorthTheTrek.

P.S.  The way I see it, as long as Duke doesn’t win… everyone wins. 🙂