Adult teams and corporate sponsors may now register for the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Council’s annual Spelling Bee, which is set for 6 p.m. on May 8 at Texarkana College. The Spelling Bee, which was cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 shutdown, is a long-standing Texarkana tradition. Executive Director Jenny Walker said she plans for the event to be the Council’s best yet.
“Last year our Spelling Bee was cancelled since it was a non-essential event,” Walker said. “However, the Spelling Bee is our biggest fundraiser each year, so the money we lost was essential to our ability to serve our students. It was financially devastating for us, but we have made it thanks to the kindness of people and other organizations in our community who kept us afloat. Now, we are looking for this year’s Spelling Bee to be our biggest one yet to make up for what we lost and help us get back on track.”
This year’s competition will look a bit different than those in the past since only the teams will be gathering in-person on the day of the event. Audience members will be able to purchase tickets to watch the contest virtually. The Spelling Bee also includes a silent auction that will be managed virtually as well. Additionally, Walker said that other new contests have been added this year to make the competition even more engaging.
“We are really excited to be able to bring back our favorite event, so we wanted to make it even more fun for our teams and our audience,” Walker said. “We are planning ways for more people to walk away as winners. We even have a prize for the team that is eliminated first and door prizes for our virtual audience members watching from home. We are going to have a lot of fun!”
Teams include three people, and once registered, they will receive a study guide they can use to prepare for the contest. Corporate sponsorships are also available, and the Council is accepting items for silent auction donations. Registration for teams and for sponsorships is available on our website at www.literacytxk.org.
For more information about the Spelling Bee or the Literacy Council, please contact Walker at 903-255-7733 or via email to jenny@literacytxk.org.
