The San Marco Spelling Bee Is Back at Jack Rabbits, and Five Bucks Gets You In
Five dollars gets you a drink and a shot at a hundred in cash. That’s the whole pitch!
The unofficial San Marco Spelling Bee is landing at Jack Rabbits, presented by Buzzin’ Bee, and it’s exactly the kind of thing Jacksonville does well. Adults. A microphone. Words nobody has typed since college. Put it in your phone now: Thursday, August 20th. Doors 6PM, show 6PM.
What it actually costs
Here’s the part that got me. It’s $5 to compete, and every participant gets a drink included: water, a soda, or a Buzzin’ Bee beer if you’re 21 or up.
Five dollars. For a beer and a shot at cash. That math is absurd in the best way.
First place walks with $100 in cash. Second and third get prizes too, still listed as TBD. So even a decent showing might get you something.
And if you have zero interest in standing up there? Watching is completely free. The listing straight up invites you to come out even if you’re a terrible speller. Love that.
The vibe
This isn’t a fourth grade auditorium with a nervous kid in a polo. It’s a rock venue in San Marco, and Buzzin’ Bee is presenting, which explains the honey ale showing up all over the flyer.
If you’ve caught a band at Jack Rabbits, you know the room. Small stage, tight crowd, sound that hits harder than a room that size should. Now picture that same room going dead quiet while someone tries to spell “bureaucracy” out loud holding a beer. That’s the night you’re signing up for.
How to get in
Two ways, both refreshingly low tech:
Email: unofficialspellingbee@yahoo.com
In person: show up and put your name down
No Eventbrite. No QR code. No app asking for your phone number. A Yahoo address in 2026 is a choice and I respect it.
Send the email early. Word moves fast in San Marco and these things fill once people start posting. On the fence? Just sign up. Worst case you go out in round two and spend the rest of the night watching strangers unravel over silent letters.
Actually preparing
You don’t need to study. But if you want the hundred, a few things help.
Ask for definition and origin. Every real bee lets you. Knowing a word came from French versus German tells you what the vowels are doing. This alone wins rounds.
Say it out loud first. People rush and drop letters they already know. Slow down.
Watch the doubles. Occurrence. Accommodate. Embarrass. Doubled consonants are where confident people go to die.
Greek roots and silent letters. Rhythm. Pneumonia. Psychology. If it looks strange, it’s probably Greek, and there’s usually a rule.
Pace the free drink. One is fine. Three and you’re spelling restaurant with a Z.
Why I’m into this
Jacksonville has a real knack for events that shouldn’t work but do. Trivia nights that turn into blood feuds. Bar leagues with actual standings. This fits right into that lineage.
There’s also something great about a venue built for loud guitars handing the mic to someone spelling “conscientious.” San Marco keeps quietly stacking up weird little traditions like this, and that’s a big part of why it feels like a neighborhood instead of a row of storefronts.
Bring people. It’s way better with a table heckling you.
Quick win before you go
Screenshot this: Thursday, August 20th. 6PM. Jack Rabbits. $5 to compete, free to watch. Then fire off that email. Forty seconds of effort and you get a story either way.
And if you’re stacking up a summer of Jacksonville stuff, the Jacksonville Coloring Book is a fun way to keep the city theme going at home. Bridges, landmarks, neighborhood spots, all drawn out and waiting for a quiet night after a loud one. It’s on Amazon.
See you at the bee. Bring your consonants.