Beard aficionados from across Canada let their hair down for a great cause
It’s the one night of the year you can’t complain about hair in your food.
Filled with intricate braids, odd shaves and beards that defy gravity, men (and women) from all over Canada congregated at The Palomino Smokehouse on Saturday evening to compete in the third-annual Alberta Beard and Moustache Championships.
With a dedication to facial hair, Lee Palichuk of Mammoth Beard Co. partnered with The Palomino three years ago to see if there was any interest in a beard and moustache competition in Calgary. When numbers doubled in their second year with more than 50 registrants, Palichuk said the consensus was clear: facial hair is definitely in.
“We have people coming in from all over Canada for it,” Palichuk said. “Three years ago beards were pretty popular, and now it’s become this huge thing. It’s a lot of fun, we look forward to it every year.”
Free to the public, a portion of the proceeds raised from competitor entry fees is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta.
A lineup of the biggest beard critics judge contestants on style, upkeep, flow and creativity. From styled moustaches and natural beards to the hilarious antics in the LadyBeard category, it’s hard to tell if the crowd watching is choking on laughter or hairballs.
Garrett Resler travelled from Vancouver for the competition. A member of the Vancouver Facial Hair Club, Resler with his neat, straight beard (a promising candidate in the Natural Beard — six inches and under category) said it’s the first time he’s come to Calgary for a competition very similar to the one he helps host on the West Coast.
“We’ve had Lee come out every year to ours. We’ve never made it down, so we wanted to make the trip to come out and support the competition,” Resler said.
“We’ve been to Portland, Spokane ... they even had the world competition in Austria a few years ago. It’s become an international thing.”
It was Gurmit Bhachu’s first time in the competition, and not only did he stand out, with his colourful, orange-braided beard, he was also using the event as a way to raise funds for the Fish Creek NDP Constituency Association.
“I get bored with my looks, so I grow a beard every once in a while,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a little nervous, I chickened out last year, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a fundraiser for our association as well.”
With The Palomino packed with beards and perfectly curled moustaches, the last words of advice exchanged between competitors were: Let the best beard win.