Gather your best grammarian friends and form a team for the Tioga United Way\u2019s first annual Adult Spelling Bee, which will be held April 9 at the Owego ELKS Lodge.<\/p>\n
Announcer for the event will be former Navy helicopter test pilot and past District Governor of Rotary District 7170, Orville Wright, who will be joined by Paula Smith, former St. Patrick\u2019s School Principal; Karen Vinti, Owego Police Department Chief; and Renovus Solar General Manager, Jon McNamara, who will serve as judges.<\/p>\n
The Spelling Bee will highlight the importance of literacy and education, as well as the importance of bees to our ecological system and our food supply. On hand will be the Literacy Volunteers of Broome \/ Tioga Counties, Inc., along with TCCE Master Gardeners, the H&J Bee Farm (Thomas Babcock\u2019s honey), and the Old Orchard Farm.<\/p>\n
A silent auction will feature seven \u201cCelebrity Lunches,\u201d including New York State Senator Fred Akshar; Riverow Bookshop Owner Laura Spencer Eberly; President and CEO of Tioga State Bank Robert Fisher; Tioga County Sheriff Gary Howard; Owego Police Department Chief Karen Vinti; and celebrities from WEBO. Most celebrity lunches will take place at a local Tioga County restaurant and Tioga United Way will foot the bill. Sheriff Howard\u2019s highest bidder, however, will dine in the County jailhouse with a meal served to prisoners.<\/p>\n
For those of you wanting to enjoy lunch outside<\/i> of Tioga County, Adam Weitsman, owner of Upstate Shredding, will fly the highest bidder and their guest on the company\u2019s private jet, a Gulfstream G200, to New York City for lunch at a restaurant of the winning bidder\u2019s choosing.<\/p>\n
Online bidding for the Silent Auction is available March 1 through April 8 at tiogaunitedway.com. Bidding will then continue at the Spelling Bee.\u00a0Bidding is open to the public and the winner will be announced at the closing ceremony (winner need not be present).<\/p>\n