There was a boy in my fourth grade class who was like the Stephen Hawking of spelling. His name was Brian. I don’t remember his last name. I texted my mom today at 10:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. PST, her time. Sorry, mom) to ask if she remembered. She didn’t. That’s OK.
I recall being blown away by this kid’s ability to spell literally anything. My teacher Mrs. Zonder—maybe it was Zander, actually—would open a dictionary, point to a word, and Brian—with his disheveled chestnut hair and Coke-bottle glasses—would calmly deliver the letters. I was not as gifted as Brian. In fact, to this day, the thought of a spelling test makes me feel anxious and squirmy. So. Much. P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E.
Why then, does a tipsy adult spelling bee sound like so much fun? I don’t know. Maybe because my grades and college acceptance and whole entire future isn’t riding on whether there’s a silent vowel covertly hiding between some other letters? And plus, drinking is fun.
So, yeah. During the month of May, you can sip alcoholic beverages and spell things at Wheelhouse. The five-week, adults-only spelling bee will take place every Friday from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. The winner of each competition will receive a $100 gift card toward a bar tab. And then, the three finalists of each week will advance to the finals on May 31 for the chance to win a $500 private dinner for six at Wheelhouse.
Sounds like a good opportunity to flex those word skills. So long as Brian doesn’t show up.
