Long Live the Bee

All right, spelling stars, your moment has come. Starting next Monday, the Warehouse hosts a biweekly spelling bee with music, prizes and -- most importantly -- no shortage of words like "perestroika" or "catastasis."

At this point, pretty much everyone should know how the game is played. You come, you spell, you conquer. The preliminary rounds will be held March 27, April 10, April 24, May 8 and May 22, and the top three finishers from each of those competitions will go on to the final on June 5, (which is just four days after the Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place downtown). The first-, second- and third-place finishers in the early rounds will also respectively receive a $15, $10 and $5 bar tab from the Warehouse. The winner of the final, though, takes home a cash prize, freebies from local bars, restaurants and boutiques and a rockin' trophy.

For the spelling challenged, the bees will be about more than just Ps and Qs. The organizers have lined up a bunch of local bands -- like Benjy Ferree and Shortstack -- to play during the contest. As of now, there is no cover for the preliminary rounds, but the final may cost you $5 or $10.

So study up, spelling fans. Victory is only a few letters away.

--Julia