Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 21, 2009
I Swear...
Clinton School, Peabody Hotel to host puzzle festival
Vic Fleming
The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service will welcome crossword and Sudoku puzzle enthusiasts for the third annual Arkansas Puzzle Day on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Sturgis Hall, at 1 p.m.
Little Rock’s Peabody Hotel will join the Clinton School as a sponsor this year, hosting a reception and autograph party Friday, Aug. 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. and offering a special weekend rate for those staying at the hotel.
A free tour of the Clinton Presidential Library is included in the Peabody’s package.
This year’s “main event” will be officiated by yours truly and Bonnie L. Gentry of Scottsdale, Ariz. What are our credentials, you might well ask. Well, we have become co-editors of “Random House Casual Crosswords,” an annual book of easy puzzles.
The Friday reception will serve as an “early release” of the 2009 edition of the Random House book, which is scheduled to go on sale nationwide the following week.
We became Random House’s co-editors with the retirement last year of Mel Rosen, who had served as editor for six years.
The Saturday afternoon event will feature crossword and Sudoku contests, as well as some preliminary fun and games and educational presentations.
One or both of the past two years’ crossword contest winners will speak briefly on their experiences at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Someone will speak briefly on numbers puzzles, such as Sudoku and Ken Ken.
A multi-puzzle problem solving competition will be held, with people competing in assigned teams of three.
This will be sort of an ice-breaker, starting a few minutes after 1 — and it is going to be really fun, so don’t be late getting there.
Bonnie and I have prepared an educational session that is full of laughter, fun and solving tips, including the “Real Story of Why the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Changed Crosswords.” This will probably start around 2:30 and run for an hour or so.
The crossword and Sudoku contests themselves should get started around 3:30. They will be more laid back and less-competitive that they have been the past two years. The emphasis will be on accuracy rather than speed.
I’m still working on the scoring system, but I’m thinking that a perfectly solved puzzle merits 100 points and that you lose 10 points for each wrong letter or number, with the minimum score being 50.
I’m also thinking that the top three scores plus ties get into the finals.
We won’t be using large white boards. Time will be a factor in the finals, but only as a tie-breaker. If two or more have the same score on the final puzzle, the one who finished first wins.
The Peabody will award a free night’s lodging at its Memphis hotel to the winners of the crossword and Sudoku contests.
Other prizes will be awarded the runners-up and the winners of the multi-puzzle problem-solving competition.
All puzzle day events are free and open to all puzzle enthusiasts. To RSVP, e-mail publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or call 501-683-5239.
Contact the Peabody to make reservations for the weekend at 501-905-4000.
I SWEAR
© 2009 Vic Fleming
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