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Community Corner

The Friends of the Scarsdale Public Library 4th Annual Spelling Bee Fundraiser Is Accepting Applications

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.

About The Friends of the Scarsdale
 Library The Friends of the Scarsdale Library was formed in 1968, with the primary goal of supporting the Library as it serves our community. We strive to focus public attention on the Library's services, facilities, and needs. Check out our Membership page to see how you can be a part of all we do for our library. 

About The Scarsdale Public Library
The Scarsdale Public Library serves a central role in the cultural and intellectual life of the Scarsdale community and encourages the joy of reading, the exploration of ideas and the pursuit of lifelong learning for children and adults. The Library offers print and electronic books, magazine, music, films, audio books and online resources; provides accurate and timely information in person, by telephone and email; and in collaboration with other local organizations, gathers and preserves local history information; presents programs that appeal to all ages and interests; and sponsors a wide variety of cultural events. The sixth busiest library in Westchester County, circulating nearly 133 items per hour, it is also a destination for computer use. In 2011, the public access computers were used more than 32,000 times, and its WiFi network supported almost 20,000 sessions from users of laptops and other wireless devices. During the first half of the 2011-2012 fiscal year, Scarsdale residents downloaded over 2,500 e-books. 

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