#1 BY A WHISKER

A man who let his whiskers grow for two years in honor of his late daughter has won the first Vermont Beardies contest. Bryan Sturge (above) of Barre, Vt., entered the beard contest, benefiting Make-A-Wish Vermont, for daughter Zoey, 11, who died of cancer in 2013 before the charity could grant her wish. More than 100 entered, with 30 picked for Saturday’s final in Burlington. Each told a story about his beard. “It’s how she last saw me — with a beard,” Sturge explained. Nearly $30,000 was raised.