This Saturday everyone is invited to come see if four politicians can independently tackle a series of questions or if they must rely on the counsel of 10- and 11-year-old students at the Haralson County FERST Foundation for Literacy’s “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” competition that will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Bremen. The FERST Foundation is coordinating the event that is designed to be a light-hearted, yet educational fundraising effort for the organization’s ongoing goal to purchase high-quality children’s books for free every month to more than 1,000 children.

FERST volunteers say the upcoming event will be a great tool to fund hardback books, which are purchased in bulk through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and then addressed to children aged 0 to 5 years who are registered for the service. Showtime kicks off at 6 p.m. at the church’s Branham Hall, where a blend of 12 fifth-grade students from Bremen City and Haralson County Schools systems will stand by in case adult contestants need help answering the 10 questions pulled from first- though fifth-grade content areas set by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Like the actual TV show, host and moderator, Rodney Brown, will issue questions while spectators listen to responses from a group of contestants, including Buchanan Mayor Benjamin Biggers, State Representatives Mark Butler and Howard Maxwell, as well as former Carrollton Mayor and state representative candidate Gerald Pilgrim. Past winner of the actual show, State Superintendent Kathy Cox, will also offer up words of encouragement to the participants before Brown begins firing off his list of questions.

“The contestants choose a question, and then they’ll be presented with the question before they determine which of the options they want to choose: they can answer it (on their own), copy a fifth-grader’s answer, or peek at a fifth-graders answer,” explained FERST volunteer Vanessa Brown. “We’ve also added another feature to the options called a “buy,” which allows contestants to make a $25 donation. Then, they go on to the next (question) until they answer all 10, plus the bonus (question) in order to be the FERST’s “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth-Grader” winner. If they give up, they’re not smarter than a fifth-grader.”

In addition to bragging rights, contestants who cover each question will receive a special trophy. Contestants who fell short of the goal will also receive a trophy for their efforts, while students will get metals and gift bags for their participation. Meanwhile, participants aren’t the only ones in for a treat. Every person who purchases a ticket is automatically entered into a giveaway for autographed items from “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader” TV show host Jeff Foxworthy.

Brown emphasized the importance of the community’s support of this event, which calls for $5 ticket purchases for adults and $2 ticket purchases for children who attend the event this weekend. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at Haralson County library branches. Tickets are also available at participating local pharmacies.

“Parents can go online and register their child at the Web site if they would like their child to get the free books we provide. It costs about $36 or $37 a year if anyone wants to sponsor a child, and the organization also has FERST 111, wherein participants pay $111 to sponsor three children for a year. We currently have about 25 members doing that,” she added.

According to data compiled by the National Research Council, most of the reading problems faced by today’s adolescents and adults are the result of problems that might have been avoided or resolved in their early childhood years. Therefore, another FERST volunteer, Anne Chaffin, encourages everyone to participate in what she deems a vital literacy initiative that has long-term effects for everyone in the community.

“We started off with seven books when we began the organization four years ago, and we just see this (event) as really preparing younger children for their school career,” she said. “One of the proven ways to increase 90 percent of a child’s readiness is to start reading early on, which builds kids’ writing and vocabulary skills, and ultimately enables a better (educated) workforce in the community.”

Before the event kicks off, everyone can get acquainted with contestants during a Meet and Greet scheduled for 5 p.m., and concessions will also be available for guests to enjoy. For more information about the Haralson County FERST Foundation for Literacy, visit www.ferstfoundation.org.