It's Bee Season at the Scarsdale Library - Sign up today!

There is still time for your team to sign up and join in the fun at the Second Annual Scarsdale Public Library Adult and Teen Spelling Bee on Friday, January 27 at 7:30pm, at the Scarsdale High School auditorium.

Proceeds from this year’s Spelling Bee, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Scarsdale Library, are slated toward enlivening the Library’s Children's Room with brighter lighting and colorful, durable carpeting that will help to create a warmer, more comfortable environment for both children and their parents

The donations from last year’s Bee plus a grant from the Friends of the Library have enabled the Library to complete the technology upgrades to the community room. Library patrons are now enjoying wifi and by January they will benefit from a new projector, large screen, and surround sound. Adults and children who attend film programs at the Library will now enjoy amazingly vivid movies and wonderful sound. This upgrade will also greatly enhance the many programs held in the room by community organizations, the Scarsdale Adult School, as well as the Library itself. The new equipment includes wireless microphones so presenters can move freely around the stage and the room, and a remote control so Power Point presentations and video clips can be controlled from the podium.

The current roster of teams includes teens from the Library's Teen Advisory Board and from the Scarsdale Teen Center board as well as both new and returning adult teams. Library Board President Barbara Josselsohn will compete against her daughter Rachel, while three generations of Guggenheimers (Randy, Randy Jr. and Brian) will once again compete as a team. However, there is still time for your team to sign up and join in the fun.

The deadline for teams to sign up is December 31, 2011. Each team may consist of up to three members, high-school age or above, and pays an entry fee of $150. Throughout the Spelling Bee, the members of each team can collaborate among themselves on how to spell the words. Each team will write its answer on a dry erase board until the final round, when the top teams will spell their words verbally.

Businesses and individuals who are interested in sponsoring the Bee by making a donation of $250 or more should contact Sara Werder at 472-6264. In addition, this year we are also offering the opportunity to become a “Friend of a Bee” by sending in a donation of any amount. You can go to the Library website (www.scarsdalelibrary.org) to print out a donation form.

Application forms for Spelling Bee teams are available at the Library or online at www.scarsdalelibrary.org/friends. For more information, contact Spelling Bee Chairs Renu Lalwani at 917-584-8834 (renublalwani@gmail.com) or Sara Werder at 472-6264 (sarawerder@gmail.com).