Spelling for a Cause
The 36th annual Adult Spelling Bee, which raises funds and awareness for Brunswick Literacy Council, resulted in a tie.
All 11 teams in Brunswick County Literacy Council’s 36th annual Adult Spelling Bee on June 2 aced the word they spelled in Round One.
By Round Four only two teams remained, one of which consisted of 2025 defending champions Bernice Boucher and Pat Linell, who chose Bee-utiful Minds as their team’s name. They spelled ziggurat correctly
Lynnette’s Lions, a.k.a Carol Kerry and Maria Flanagan, spelled tourniquet correctly.
Despite giving the definition of each word, the two teams swapped misspelling coryza, tergiversate, pterodactyl, primogeniture and terpsichorean before the officials declared a tie.
ASAP Realty in Ocean Isle Beach sponsored Bee-utiful Minds, and Boucher praised the Literacy Council for presenting the event. When asked if she would enter next year, she said, “Oh, yes, absolutely. It’s great.”
Linell agreed and laughed. “If I’m alive, I’ll do it next year.”
“I’d like to thank the literacy council for doing this,” Kerr of Lynnette’s Lions said. “It was a lot of fun. I was in it last year, too.” Lynette Lowrimore in Southport sponsored the team.
“It was really fun,” Flanagan said. “I haven’t been in a spelling bee since I was in eighth grade, and I misspelled accommodate then.” She added that she googled the most commonly misspelled words, and vacuum was one of them. Callie McCrery and Bill Chase, the team of Dot’s Dictionary Squad, spelled vacuum correctly in Round Two.
When Emcee Bill Homer welcomed the audience of more than 200, he explained that he’s been a tutor at the council since 2019. “What I like most about being a tutor is being able to make a difference,” he said.
Eileen Farrell, vice president of the Literacy Council board, told the audience that Brunswick County has a 70 percent literacy rate.
“What we do is important,” she said. “We’re working toward improving people’s lives all the time.”
Costumes became a major part of the Bee five years ago, and more than half of the teams wore attire related to the Adult Spelling Bee. Shallotte Rotary Club sponsored the winning Busy Bee’s team, Polly Farris of Ocean Isle Beach and Janet Foskett of Lockwood Folly, who dressed as cleaning ladies. “We’re cleaning up illiteracy in Brunswick County,” Farris said. She added humor by dusting the heads of judges Mike Hargreaves, Louis Washington and Chief Deputy Brian Sanders of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department.
The Bird Bams, Kevin O’Connell and Cameron Coker of McLeod Health in Little River and Florence, South Carolina, won the prize for most enthusiastic cheering section. Coker said they chose the theme because they are big mahjong fans. Bird bam is a term used in the game, and the 1bam tile is decorated with a picture of a bird.
“We both are big readers,” he added.
When asked if they are good spellers, O’Connell, who sponsored the team, said, “We’ll find out tonight.” They made it to Round Three but misspelled sagacious.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office sponsored animal protective services Officer Julianna Belliveau and Officer Monty Stanley, who dressed as Cookies and Cream. They chose the theme after discussing possible names with their coworkers.
The Buzz Babes of Brick Landing, Mary Leggett of Sunset Beach and Ellen Itzell of Carolina Shores were sponsored by Walt Maharay of The Links at Brick Landing. Leggett remembers her eighth-grade spelling bee. “I missed irritate. I started and stopped [spelling the word], and when I picked up, I started all over again and missed the second ‘i.’ I’ll never forget it.”
Bill Fritsch of Sunset Beach provided musical entertainment on his guitar. Three tutors spoke on how students and adults, no matter their country of origin, can learn to read or improve their reading with help from the council. Peggy Cremonese, president of the Literacy Council board, thanked everyone and told them, “Just enjoy the fun.”
Businesses, organizations and community members donated a wide selection of items including wine, artwork, jewelry and gift cards for the silent auction. Those who attended the event had the opportunity to bid on more than 200 items.
“This is one of our biggest fundraisers,” said Sue Railing, the council’s program coordinator. “Being a nonprofit, we depend on this fundraiser. The community is generous, and they show up and support us.”
Prizes for all winners were gift certificates to local restaurants.
More Information:
Brunswick County Literacy Council
282 Ocean Highway E., Supply
Mail donations: P.O. Box 6, Supply, NC 28462
(910) 754-7323
bcliteracy.org
facebook.com/BrunswickCoLiteracyCouncil
You must be logged in to post a comment.