In the pavilion area, spellers and their families enjoyed delicious food and interesting conversation.

My sister loved the arts and crafts area the most.

Forming a “spelling circle” is an efficient way to get your Bee Keeper signed. Simply pass your Bee Keeper around and wait for it to get back to you.

Many spellers enjoyed dancing at the barbecue.

Spellers engaged in sports like volleyball and softball.

Creating sand art was a popular activity among spellers.

It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy the Memorial Day Barbecue with the other spellers and their families. There were plenty of activities to keep us occupied for several hours today. People entered dance contests, played volleyball, or engaged in arts and crafts activities. Face painters and caricature artists were also on hand to paint faces and draw humorous portraits. I entered the hula hooping contest and was not the first person out!

This was also a great opportunity to socialize with the other spellers and, of course, collect more autographs in my Bee Keeper. Tomorrow is the first official day of competition; it begins in the morning with the preliminary written exam (Round 1). On Wednesday, Round 2 and Round 3 will occur on stage and will be live streamed on ESPN3. If you are interested in watching these rounds, please go to spellingbee.com for the broadcasting schedule!