By Marianne Minton
Feb. 13, 2015. Do you remember that rush of excitement while participating in the school spelling bee as a child? Here in the High Country, adults of all ages are welcome to experience that thrill again.
On Tuesday, March 24, The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce will hold the annual Grown-Up Spelling Bee at the Watauga High School Gymnasium. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and is free to spectators. Donations are always appreciated and any and all community participation is encouraged.
Wysteria White, manager of member services for the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce is excited for this annual spelling bee to return.
“It’s a part of our education Committee Programs as a fundraiser to give back to a nonprofit organization in the education realm,” said White.
Teams will compete in three levels of the competition: easy, intermediate and difficult. Each team member will be given a pad of paper and a pencil to write down their own spelling of the given word challenge, and then have a chance to deliberate with their group to decide on a final answer to submit to the judges. Any team that misspells a word will have the option to continue to the next round by purchasing “Bee Bucks” for $10 each.
To join in on the fun, all you have to do is gather a group of four of your best spellers and come up with your own unique team name. The registration fee for each team is $100, which includes four free “Bee Bucks.”
Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the competition, as well as to the teams with the best costumes and table decor, so make sure your group goes all out to show off their unique style.
Participating in this event is not only fun, but also benefits children of the High Country. Standing behind its message to GiveLOCAL and ShopLOCAL, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce has pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event to KAMPN (Kids with Autism Making Progress in Nature).
KAMPN is a local nonprofit organization that addresses the many challenges of autism by bringing both information and programming to the community. The organization holds a free, overnight summer camp program each year for children with autism and their families made possible through generous donations and sponsorships.
“It’s important to support each other and the education of all our children in the community,” said White. “That’s why we hold this event every year.”
The suggested registration deadline for teams is March 16 with spaces filling up fast.
Your team can register by filling out the online application found here, by calling the Boone Chamber of Commerce at 828-264-2225 or by emailing Barbara Armstrong at Barbara.armstrong@boonechamber.com.
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