It’s a book many students have kept into their adult lives.  For the 27th year,  Hays Optimist Club members is distributing free paperback dictionaries to Ellis County sixth graders and their teachers.

Project chairman Gary Wentling says 318 Webster New World dictionaries will be handed out Tuesday and Wednesday to sixth graders at Felten, Kennedy, Holy Family, and Victoria schools.  More than 10,000 dictionaries have been given out over the years.

The project is funded by the annual sales of natural Christmas trees by the Optimist Club.  This year, the lot will open the day after Thanksgiving in the Hays Wal-Mart parking lot.