The AARP National Spelling Bee Hits Cheyenne Saturday

How well can you spell?

The AARP National Spelling Bee takes place Saturday, June 18, at the Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne. Anyone age 50 or older may register to compete for more than $5,000 in gifts and prizes.

Walk-in registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the cost is $50, the spelling bee begins at 8:30 on Saturday morning.

The competition consists of two rounds, beginning with a 100-word written spelling test in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 15 spellers who will compete in the oral spelling rounds. Spellers can miss two words in the oral rounds before being knocked out of the competition.

The first place speller will receive $5,000, second place gets $500 and third place will receive $250. The top three finishers will also receive free AARP memberships.

On Friday, June 17, a free workshop is being offered to all contestants and the general public called "Gray Matters: Training the Grownup Brain." The workshop will feature interactive sessions explaining the impact of diet, fitness and relationships on brain health.

For the first time, the AARP National Spelling Bee will stream online at aarp.org/spellingbee starting at 1:30 Saturday afternoon.

The AARP National Spelling Bee was created in 1996 by a group of members in Cheyenne and the competition has been held here every year since.