Published: April 02, 2008 08:07 am      

Senior Spelling Bell set for April 11

The Area Agency on Aging would like to remind area seniors that spelling can be F-U-N.

The agency is currently looking for a few more contestants for its annual “Let’s Spell It” Senior Spelling Bee, which has been set for April 11, Director Leona Perry said.

For more than 15 years, the senior spelling bee has been “a real crowd pleaser,” Perry said.

For many seniors it takes them back to their childhoods when they participated in spelling bees at school, Perry said.

The senior spelling bee also provides “one way to show how much they (senior citizens) have to share with us,” she said.

“I feel like that it’s an awareness tool of the knowledge and wisdom that our seniors have,” Perry said.

The senior spelling bee also provides a great fellowship opportunity, Perry said, noting that it brings senior citizens together from across the agency’s eight county area, which is comprised of Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Texas, Woods and Woodward Counties.

“It’s a fun time,” she said.

However, Perry noted that “we can’t have a lot of fun if we don’t have contestants.”

“We need more people to come spell and have fun,” she said.

“It’s not too late,” Perry said, noting that registration is open until April 4.

To register, contestants must be 60-years-old or older by May 21, she said, explaining that the Area Agency on Aging falls under the Older Americans Act.

Interested seniors can contact Perry at (580) 625-4531 or (800) 658-284 for more information

The first and second place winners from the local competition will go on to the state championship, which is held during the Oklahoma Conference on Aging, Perry said. This year’s conference is scheduled for May 21 and will be held at the Reed Center in Midwest City, she said.

Ray Cummins, of Forgan, who was one of the winners from last year’s “Let’s Spell It,” actually went on to win the state championship, Perry said.

Friends, family members and other spectators are “invite(d) and encourage(d)” to attend, Perry said, noting that their support is always appreciated by the contestants.

She said the audience will have just as much as fun as the contestants.

“They all enjoy it immensely,” she said.