The Local & Furry Tales Sling Drinks & Celebrate Pups

Prim and proper at first

As the sun set on May 14, two warm, friendly people united to host an epic trivia night in Beijing. Kenn Bermel, manager of the Local, and Ellie Rodewald of FurryTales teamed up to raise money for a worthy cause and draw attention to the lively organization. FurryTales has saved over 200 animal lives since its official inception late in 2021, and when the organization took over the second floor of the Local to celebrate its two-year anniversary last December, Ellie and Kenn spoke awhile. They quickly realized that an animal-themed trivia night would be a great way to raise awareness while enjoying a fun night out with friends.

A little more relaxed later.

This particular night was an endurance race in addition to a competition of knowledge, as the event started at 8 PM and went on for more than three delightful hours. Thanks to the double digit number of teams, creative questions and generous prizes that included rounds of shots, things got a bit silly, were never quiet, and were relentlessly fun. A couple of teams tagged out early, but most stayed to the end.

The poster from that night

Something perhaps less well-known is how carefully Kenn prepares the questions each week. He pores over slides, checks spelling, and takes pride in the presentation of the questions week after week, though errors occasionally slide in. Still, his thorough preparedness is reminiscent of a teacher preparing lessons for some adult students–students rewarded with booze and food!

Perhaps because of the specific focus of the night, the questions were even more thoroughly vetted, and their creativity and range delighted the 14 teams. Even novice trivia participants felt like they could contribute something, and despite the occasionally madcap feel of events, it was an absolute blast. Questions ranged from ’80s films to ’90s bands to extinct animals, and it was amazing how the range made everybody feel welcomed. In addition, while the event was conducted in English, participants were (and always are) encouraged to write down answers in their native languages, which led to some neat intercultural conversations at tables with different countries present. Ever wonder what Siamese cats are called in Chinese, what band names have animals in them and how the names for animal breeds differ between the US and the United Kingdom? You could have found out that night!

The only downside was that the thrills, fun atmosphere and focus on the trivia meant less time to share detailed information about the organization. Julia Jin, a local professional, shared a startling and sweet story about Furry Tales and how they assisted in the rescue of a cat run over by a truck last year. “They pointed us to the right hospital and helped us get a good discount for Gato’s amputation surgery,” she said, and they also “helped us raise money” for the surgery. It’s right in line with the generosity displayed by Ellie herself, who cheerfully directed participants to the merch table and explained how to donate money to the organization. She is one of two tireless women who head the organization, and was the point person at this event; Sorcha Moore-Smith is the other partner, and has helped to rehome the more than 240 animals saved by the group.

Some cuties from that night

A raucous crowd may not be the easiest place to get in-depth information or donations, but around 1,000 RMB was raised. There is always room for more, of course, so scroll below to scan and donate!¹

There is SO much more you can do than give money, of course. As Ellie shared, “We like to say:

Adopt.
If you can’t adopt,
Foster. 
If you can’t foster,
Volunteer. 
If you can’t volunteer,
Donate. 
If you can’t donate,
Please share our poster! 

Abandoned animals are a heart-wrenching issue in most big cities, and Beijing is no exception. To assist, do any of the above! Donate via the QR codes below¹, find Furry Tales on Instagram at Furrytales_beijing, Tiktok/X at Furrytalesbeijing, and follow their channel on WeChat by typing “Furry Tales” in the Search field under Contacts.

Special thanks goes to the Local for hosting such a fun event. It isn’t just the free Fireball that people come for; it’s also the joy its staff brings, as well as the incredible talent slinging drinks behind the bar while a hyper crowd competes every week. There are several events each week, including trivia each Tuesday–to learn more or to sign up your team, scan Kenn’s WeChat QR code below, and go for it!

Speaking of Kenn: check back here soon for a profile on Mr. Bermel himself! To be notified about that and other future articles, go here.

1. Price of Tea in China is sharing the information because it’s a worthy cause, but is not a charity itself, nor does it handle money or contributions of any kind… just to be clear ;-). ↩︎