Adult teams gathered with their thinking caps on to compete in the Second Annual Ferst Adult Spelling Bee April 10 at Ringgold United Methodist Church.

Monies raised from the event assist Ferst Books of Catoosa County which provides free books every month to more than 1,823 registered youth in the county, up to age five.

“It was a great event,” said Melissa Holcombe, chairperson of Ferst Books of Catoosa County.

Three-person teams from area businesses and schools participated in this fun-filled evening of spirited competition.

Battlefield Elementary School, Catoosa County Schools Office, Gateway Bank and Trust, Northwest Georgia Bank, Heritage Middle School, Performance Learning Center, Ringgold High School, and Westside Elementary School competed over words such as zaibatsu and monadnock to win bragging rights.

Other businesses, schools and organizations donated a team fee to help the event but did not compete.

Youth Spelling Bee winners Alex Haralson, Kevin Rumphel, Novella Lang, Dakota Booth and Grayson King served as judges for the event as Stan Guess provided each word for teams.

Emcee Phil Ledbetter brought Elvis to life singing the contestants on and off stage with his self penned songs of letters.

The final round came down to a competition between Ringgold High School and Catoosa County Schools Office.

The RHS team Sam Plottel, Robyn Odom and Ruth Jackson went out in the ninth round of competition on the word pelisse. The county office team, Coleman Burroughs, Damon Raines and Marlene Haralson solidified its win by spelling perambulate.

Gateway Bank and Trust team Mary Carpenter Melissa Presley, and Jeff Bridgman mustered a third place standing in the event.

Winning participants took special prize gifts with the winners each getting the King and Queen Bee spellers yard trophy created by the Performance Learning Center.

The spelling bee committee includes Mary Carpenter, Gateway Bank; Marcy Cirlot, Ringgold Telephone Co.; Randall Franks, The Catoosa County News; Stan Guess, Northwest Georgia Bank; Robert Hitchcox, Chattanooga Coca Cola Co.; Melissa Holcombe, Catoosa County Schools; and Sue Mason, Catoosa County Schools

To support send donations to Ferst Books of Catoosa, P.O. Box 1175, Ringgold, GA 30736.

Photos by Randall Franks.