MARCH 11, 2010 ISSUE
Annual Spelling Bee for Grown-Ups at Broyhill Inn March 23
The annual Spelling Bee for Grown-Ups, sponsored by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, takes place on Tuesday, March 23, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.
“Businesses or anyone is encouraged to put together a team of four people,” said Dan Meyer, chamber president/CEO.
The registration fee is $60 per team and $10 per “bee buck,” which must be purchased in advanced and can be used for a team to remain in the competition after missing a word. The public is also invited to watch the bee. Teams are encouraged to register by March 17 or 18, Meyer said.
Each team chooses a team name, and team members can wear costumes and decorate their table, Meyer added.
“It’s a very fun event,” he said, and added that member businesses usually donate gift certificates to the winners.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Imagination Library, a program that provides one book each month to children, from birth to 5 years of age, Meyer said.
The Watauga Education Foundation will administer the program, which to date, has never before existed locally, he said.
“Our focus here at the chamber is supporting education,” Meyer said, adding that a portion of the proceeds will also cover administrative costs and benefit other programs of the chamber.
Last year, a team from Cove Creek School won the spelling bee with “whippoorwill” as the winning word, and the year before, the Kiwanis Club of Boone came in first place, Meyer said.
The “traveling trophy” spends a year with the winning team, Meyer added.
Tim Baxter will serve as Bee Master this year, and the judges will be Tom Hearon of Caldwell Community College, Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson, Watauga County Board of Education Chair Lowell Younce and Deborah Miller, a member of the board of education.
“All eight winners of the county school spelling bees will be invited,” Meyer said, adding that their services will be auctioned off to teams needing the most help, “until we get to elimination rounds.”
For more information or to register a team, call 828-264-2225.
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