On March 7 at 7 p.m., the biggest fundraiser of the year for the St. Clair County Chapter of The Literacy Council of Central Alabama returns to CEPA. It’s time again for the Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee.

Members of the Council are excited to announce this year’s event will be moderated by special guest, meteorologist JP Dice.

Last year, The Spell Casters, a team of Donna Hogan, Ann Hamilton and Joan Wright, took home first prize. Second place went to The Blue Dot Buzz trio (Carol Fesser and Sherry and Herb Kuntz), and third place was awarded to The Legal Beegals (Jennifer Sellers, Tiffany Holder and Landon King).

The event raised more than $3,200 for the Literacy Council, which uses the funds in its mission to end illiteracy in St. Clair County by offering one-on-one tutoring and provides reading materials. Currently, there are approximately 9,000 adults in St. Clair County and about 15 percent of Alabamians who are functionally illiterate.

The free event annually draws a large crowd at CEPA, there to witness the grand successes of the winning team. Or maybe it’s to see their friends and neighbors fail miserably at a child’s game. Who knows!

If you’d like to participate, register your three-person team online now at pellcitycepa.com/spell. Cost is $100, which can also be paid online. Or you can mail your registration payment to:

St. Clair County Literacy, P.O. Box 284, Pell City, AL 35125