Angst was palpable in the halls of Watauga High yesterday as 30 teams from local businesses and schools--120 spellers--gathered for the Boone Chamber Adult Spelling Bee.  Colorful costumes, props, and creative team names made the event even more fun, as team members struggled with increasingly difficult words.

In the end, it was the Wiki-wanis Word Leakers from the Boone Kiwanis Club that took the title--their second in three years. They also won for their team name. Winning word? Atrabilious, meaning Melancholy or ill-tempered.