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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoyl
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| Fans cheer at the Third Annual Adult Community Spelling Bee Fundraising Event on Sunday at Taylor Hall. |
Spelling fun for everyone: Claremont spelling bee attracts community
There are plenty of things a person can do on a sunny afternoon. But for more than 200 Claremonters, having the chance to witness a spelling bee that brought together various facets of the Claremont community was just too good to pass up.
The seats in Taylor Hall were filled from front to back with spectators in anticipation of what has become an annual occasion for the community as the Friends of the Claremont Library hosted its 3rd Annual Adult Community Spelling Bee Fundraising Event.
“In 2006, we had the inaugural bee,” said Judith Tanenbaum, a member of the Spelling Bee committee and the person who created the event. “The idea came from when I lived in central New York and they had a fundraiser there that was a spelling bee. They also had it in my hometown in Ohio. So I thought that we should do the same thing in Claremont.”
A total of 21 teams participated in this year’s spelling bee that included the Village Marketing Group, Claremont Unified School District School principals, Claremont Community College, House of Ruth, Friends of Oak Park Cemetery, Claremont COURIER, St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Claremont Community Foundation, Claremont Colleges’ presidents, CUSD Board of Education, Claremont Education Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Claremont, Claremont Little League and Men’s Softball, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, Claremont Chamber of Commerce, Claremont City Council, League of Women Voters of the Claremont Area, Claremont Sunrise Rotary Club, Claremont Heritage, Pilgrim Place and the Rotary Club of Claremont. This year’s panel of pronouncers and judges consisted of Deena Benjamin, Jeffrey Auerbach, Don Slaven, Sue Keith and Butch Henderson.
Only 3 teams were eliminated within the first 3 rounds but the 4th round resulted in 12 teams having to leave the stage. The final round came down to 6 teams, with the CUSD Board of Education, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, Claremont Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of the Claremont Area and Pilgrim Place being eliminated in order for the House of Ruth to emerge as this year’s champion by correctly spelling the word “glissade.”
“I was nervous because the words were getting harder,” said Amy Taulbee Fass of House of Ruth. “I think it came down to the luck of the words we got. Overall, this is silly fun and having a spelling bee is so old fashioned while also being great for kids because there is no end to the words they can learn. Adults learn a lot, too.”
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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
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| Gordon Winsor, left, Pete Sabey and Peggy Wallace from team Mayflower Power of Pilgrim Place compete in second round action of the spelling bee. |
“It was very exciting,” Mr. Cooper reflected. “At first, I thought I was a little out of my league.”
CUSD Board of Education member Beth Bingham also competed in the community spelling bee for the first time this year and was likewise excited about being involved in what has become a Claremont spelling tradition.
“I had never been to one before and it was fun,” she pointed out. “I was amazed at how many people were there and it wasn’t just the participants that were enjoying themselves but I saw the people in attendance enjoying themselves as well.”
Following each round, prize baskets were raffled off containing items such as coffee and books. The CUSD Board of Education won “Best Costume” while Pilgrim Place and the House of Ruth tied for “Best Fan Club,” marking the first time the two awards had been given out in the spelling bee’s 3-year history.
Throughout the event, Masters of Ceremonies Tim Brayton and Charles Zetterberg entertained the audience with a plethora of one-liners. The duo has not only been a regular act at the spelling bee but also has entertained the Claremont Sunrise Rotary group on multiple occasions as well.
“I’ve been a part of this each year [it has existed],” Mr. Zetterberg said. “It’s a lot of fun and I love preparing for it.”
During one of the breaks, Naomi Howland of the Friends of the Claremont Library announced the new book for this year’s Claremont on the Same Page program entitled The Distant Land of My Father. The story, written by Bo Caldwell, follows the life of a woman named Anna as she grows up in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s with a special emphasis on the relationship between her and her father.
As Friends of Claremont Library President Bo Bollinger saw the 3rd year of the community spelling bee come to a close, he wore an expression of satisfaction and delight.
“It seems like each year we have an increment of 20 to 30 more people,” he said. “This always turns out to be such a great community event.”
—Landus Rigsby
