Got a Bee In Your Bonnet?

The Claremont Sunrise Rotary Club's "Phun Club" was the winner of the Fourth Annual Friends of the Claremont Library Spelling Bee. They reclaimed the title that they last won in 2007 and lost to the House of Ruth team in 2008.

The Phun Club won the grueling third round by correctly spelling "rubefacient." They faced strong competition, however, from the likes of the Jane Austen Book Club (don't let their bluestocking name fool you! Real Janeites are tough competitors!), the Ruthless Spellbinders (from the House of Ruth), and the widows'-weeds-bedecked trio, the Tombstone Terminators (Friends of Oak Park Cemetery).

The Claremont Courier also had a team this year...which is interesting, as the Courier has had an ongoing run of mispelled words in its issues.

The El Roble cheer squad performed "YMCA" for the crowd and "The Flight of the Bumblebee" accompanied the spellers as they took their seats (which were decorated with bee-shaped containers of honey).

A great time was had by all, and the emcees entertained the crowd with many a pun and poked fun at several city staples, such as the infamous Claremont trolley (how do you spell "bus"?).


Think you have what it takes to spell in the bee next year? Here are some of the words from today's bee:

stridulated (which, when read to the competitors, really sounded like "strigulated")
palladium
plenilune
speleology (this one elicited a collective gasp from the audience when it came up!)
lackadaisical
cinematheque
teratology
habiliments
brunneous
ormolu
gammelost
ghurry (don't feel so bad about missing this one...read here about a speller in Hawaii that struggled with it in 2005)
seicento
sederunt
rapprochement
Pentateuchal

CHS and El Roble Jazz Fundraiser - Jan. 24th

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We received a press release announcing a January 24th fundraiser at Bridges Auditorium for the El Roble and Claremont High School Jazz Bands. Come on out and support a good cause if you have the time. Two professional jazz groups, NUTTY and Night Blooming Jazzmen, will also perform.

The show starts at 6:30pm. Tickets are $12 at the door, or $10 pre-sale through the Claremont Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is located at 205 Yale Ave., next to the Wells Fargo Bank in the Claremont Village.

Here's all the info:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeanne Berrong
Tel: (909) 451–3726
Email: jkberrongatverizon.net

THE EL ROBLE AND CLAREMONT HIGH SCHOOL
MUSIC BOOSTERS PRESENT
CONCERT WITH THE PROS AT BRIDGES AUDITORIUM

Claremont, California—December 30, 2009— The El Roble Intermediate School and Claremont High School Music Boosters will present their annual Concert with the Pros event at the historic Bridges Auditorium, on Saturday, January 24, 2009, from 6:30 – 10:00 pm. In addition to the two headlining professional jazz acts, NUTTY and The Night Blooming Jazzmen, the El Roble and Claremont High School Jazz Bands, under the direction of Rick Melanson, will perform. $10 tickets will be available for presale at the Claremont Chamber of Commerce at 205 Yale Avenue in the Claremont Village; tickets may also be purchased at the door for $12.

This annual concert showcases the talent of Claremont’s young jazz musicians and aims to raise essential funding for the El Roble Intermediate School and Claremont High School Jazz Band programs.

The El Roble Jazz Band takes the stage first, followed by the seven-piece, Los Angeles-based NUTTY (www.nuttyjazz.com). NUTTY turns classic rock tunes inside-out, as Monk, Mingus, Brubeck and Miles stand side by side with The Beatles, Hendrix, AC/DC and The Police. Jazz, swing, bop, lounge, and TV/movie themes are woven throughout their set. Led by singer Sonny Moon, NUTTY delivers a musical concoction served up Rat Pack style, right down to the dark suits and skinny ties.

Following the Claremont High School Jazz Band is Claremont’s own native sons of Dixieland, The Night Blooming Jazzmen (www.nightbloomingjazzmen.com). Formed in 1975, The Night Blooming Jazzmen have played thousands of concerts, both nationally and internationally. Frontman Chet Jaeger is always sure to entertain the crowd with his sharp wit and even sharper cornet playing as he leads the seven-piece band through their repertoire of traditional jazz offerings.

The line-up for the evening is as follows: El Roble Jazz Band, 6:30 pm; NUTTY, 7:05 pm; Claremont High School Jazz Band, 8:05 pm; and The Night Blooming Jazzmen, 8:45 pm.

Bridges Auditorium
4th St. and College Way
Claremont, CA 91711