FARMINGTON – Seventeen contestants vied for glory in the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day at the first annual Growin’ A Beard Contest held Thursday night.
Their beards were all different shapes, sizes and colors, but the bearded men – along with their friends and families gathered at the Granary Brew Pub and Restaurant – showed up for a good cause.
All proceeds from the event will go to the Ferrari family,which recently lost its house to fire. According to Todd Richards, co-owner of Northern Lights Hearth and Sports, the family will be receiving about $500 from the fund-raiser.
The Irish beard judging contest was modeled after a similar event that took place in Shamrock, Texas, in 1938, according to Richards
“This is a great thing for the community of Farmington,” he said.
Judges for the event were Jackie Tardif of Dick’s Barber Shop, Junior Turner of Turner’s Tender Cuts, and Mike Flanagan. Both Tardif and Turner were chosen as judges for their experience as professional barbers, while Flanagan was selected for his knowledge of and experience in Ireland.
To start off the competition, all 17 contestants lined up in front of the crowd as judges poked and prodded their beards. After much deliberation, the judges then scored each contestant on length, color, fullness, unique characteristics and overall appearance. Each judge gave a score of one to four for each category, then averaged up the totals to see who would make it to the next round.
“If there’s a tie, we’ll be judging them on spirituality,” said Flanagan jokingly.
The 10 remaining finalists then underwent thorough examinations in the barber chair as the judges inspected their beards one more time.
After all was said and done, Tom Taylor, the former principal of Cascade Brook School, was deemed winner of the fund-raising event. Scott Andrews of Temple received second place honors, while Mark Simpson of Farmington took third.
“I’d love to see this event go farther and farther,” said Richards.
For an additional $20, contestants could receive a clean shave from Tardif and Turner. Richards was among the first to receive a clean shave and couldn’t be more eager to get rid of the thing.
“It’s been rough, but it’s been worth it” he said.
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