Local residents, from sixth-graders to adults, are asked to write essays on the topic of “How Does the U.S. Constitution Affect My Life?” as part of a contest this fall recognizing the 226th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.

The contest is sponsored by We the People of Davis, a group of women interested in promoting knowledge about the facts and understanding of the history of the Constitution; The Avid Reader; and The Davis Enterprise. Contributors include Davis Awards and Konditorei.

Essays should be up to 500 words in length. There are four categories of eligibility: sixth-graders enrolled in Davis elementary schools, ninth-graders enrolled in Davis junior high schools, 12th-graders enrolled in Davis high schools and adults age 19 and older who live in Davis. The first-prize winner in each category will receive $100.

The winners will be notified Monday, Sept. 16. They will be recognized by and their essays published in The Enterprise.

The winners also will be introduced at the Davis City Council’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, and honored at a reception at 7:30 p.m. that evening at The Avid Reader, 617 Second St. downtown. The winners also will be invited to read their essays at the reception; the public is invited.

The contest begins Monday, and completed essays must be delivered by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, to The Avid Reader. Fliers detailing the rules and format for entering are available at the bookstore and online at www.avidreaderbooks.com.

In addition, throughout Constitution Week, other events are taking place in Davis to recognize the Constitution’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787:

* A discussion of the newly released book “The Roberts Court” by Marcia Coyle, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at The Avid Reader. Subtitled “The Struggle for the Constitution,” this book covers four landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning health care, money in elections, guns at home and race in schools, and captures how those cases began and how they ultimately exposed the great divides among the justices.

Coyle is the chief Washington correspondent for The National Law Journal and has covered the Supreme Court for 25 years.

Journalist Bob Woodward has referred to “The Roberts Court” as “one of the best Supreme Court books in years.” Kenneth W. Starr, former solicitor general of the United States, terms the book “a wonderful addition to the literature about the court.”

The Avid Reader is selling “The Roberts Court” at a 30 percent discount.

Leading the discussion of the book will be Stan Forbes. Chairman of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, Forbes served on the Davis Board of Education from 1987 to 1996 and on the Davis City Council from 1996 to 2000. He is the owner of The Avid Reader at The Tower in Sacramento.

* A table at the Davis Farmers Market on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 14, hosted by representatives from the group We the People of Davis. Visitors to the table will be invited to spin the wheel and answer questions about this country’s founding document.

* A talk by John Cary Sims, a professor at McGeorge Law School, on the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at The Avid Reader. As attorney for the Public Citizen Litigation Group — a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C., founded by consumer advocate Ralph Nader — Sims handled a wide range of complex cases at all levels of the state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

For more information, contact The Avid Reader at 530-758-4040 or [email protected].

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