Sign Up for the Fourth Annual Spelling Bee

The Friends of the Scarsdale Library are gearing up for the fourth annual Adult and Teen Spelling Bee, to be held on Friday, January 31, 2014 at 7:30 PM in the Scarsdale High School Auditorium.

The Spelling Bee, a Scarsdale institution in the making, is an important fund raising event for the Scarsdale Library. Over the past three years, monies raised through the Spelling Bee have been used to make significant technology upgrades to the Library's community room, to enhance the children's room with improved lighting and carpeting, and to plan a business center for the community. Proceeds from this year's Bee will be earmarked for entrance and lobby upgrades, among other enhancements.

The event provides a great evening of entertainment to the community during the winter doldrums. Trivia games, music, a silent auction, and emcee Ed Coleman, the radio voice of the New York Mets, will keep audience members regaled between rounds of the Spelling Bee. Audience members can play along silently with the contestants and cheer for their friends and neighbors participating as contestants.

Participants in the Spelling Bee compete as teams of up to three people. Anyone of high-school age and above may participate, and the entrance fee is $150 per team. Two rounds, the first written, and the second oral, winnow the field of teams down to the finalists and ultimate champions. As three-time contestant Janice Starr notes, "My team-mates and I will be back because this is such a fun event, and there is so much community spirit that evening. Besides, we want a crack at the grand prize and some bragging rights, too."

Besides participating on a spelling team, sponsorship opportunities are available to businesses and individuals. Contact Spelling Bee co-chair Sara Werder at 472-6264 or sarawerder@gmail.com to discuss sponsorship levels.

The deadline to enter as a team is December 31, 2013. Only 20 teams will be accepted, so get your application in soon in order to avoid being shut out of this fun event. Application forms are available at the Library or online at http://www.scarsdalelibrary.org/friends. For more information, contact Sara Werder or her co-chair Renu Lalwani at 917-584-8834 or renublalwani@gmail.com.