The American Beard Report Issue #2
Greetings!
September has been an exciting month in American Bearding. On 9/8, The RiverCity Beardsmen were able to raise $2,100.00 for The University of Missouri Veterans Clinic by way of their Beards 4 Vets competition. Best in Show went to Marie Hulvey. “KC Beardcon was fun and great beard comp. It’s always fun to dress up as a superhero.”, says Bill Petersen, Queen City Beard and Moustache Federation (Springfield, MO).
Also held on that same weekend was one of the longest-running beard competitions in America, The 11th Annual Coney Island Beard and Moustache Competition, held in Coney Island, NY. This fun, carnival-esque competition features unique, Coney-centric categories that include: Coney Island Curl (Best Moustache Styled), Dog and Pony (Best Partial Beard/Chops), Hokum and Hoodwinked (Best Craft Beard or Moustache), Come Out To Play (Strongest Team Participation), and the coveted Carny Trash (Worst in Show).
Unfortunately due to Hurricane Florence, on Sept 11th the South Carolina Beard Club had to cancel and subsequently postpone their South Carolina Beard Club’s 5th annual Beard and Moustache Competition. If you had already registered or are still interested in joining, be sure to check out their facebook page for details on the rescheduled date.
On Saturday, Sep 15, the Central Oregon Mustache & Beard Society held the C.O.M.B.S.' 3rd Annual Mustache & Beard Competition "Beard Mayhem” in Bend, OR. Many facial hair clubs made the trek to this small, beautiful town for a great competition to help raise $1750 and additional awareness for F.A.N. ~ Family Access Network.
Bend OR was incidentally the host city for the very first National Beard and Moustache Championship in 2010, and we are glad that their community is still beard friendly and thriving.
We look forward to reaching out to you next month for our recap of the 2018 GABMC and other notable facial hair events in October.
Thanks for reading, and keep Growing for America!
Club Of The Month
The Orlando Facial Hair Club
When were you established? October 2013 (side note: our 5 year anniversary is next month!)
How many members do you have? A little over 100
Do you hold an annual competition? We hosted a few small competitions in the early days, before any of us really knew what we were doing. In 2016 we started hosting Mister Whisker, our annual fundraiser and in 2017 we raised over $4,200 for charity.
What inspired you to form a club? At first, it was completely for fun. 3 of the “4 Fathers” of the club were having a beer and talking about the idea since we all had our own versions of facial hair. After a little homework we learned there wasn’t another club of its kind anywhere near Orlando so we decided to start our own.
Do you have a charity/charities to benefit? In addition to us recently becoming a non-profit ourselves, we point most of our fundraising to One Heart for Women and Children which is a rad organization here in Orlando that assists women and their kids in times of need. They’ve become like family to us and their President Stephanie even competes in Whiskerina at our competition every year.
Please list your proudest moment as a club: There are a few that come to mind, but the most memorable is the night we took “Best Club” at the 2016 Holy City Beard and Moustache competition (SEBMC). That was a really fun night…
If you have a club or know of a club that would be perfect for this feature, please click here for more information.
October Competitions
If you have a favorite competition that would be perfect for this feature, please click here for more information
Meet The American Facial Hair Community
Garrett “stump” Guadiana
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Club Affiliation: Grit City Society of Beards
How long have you been bearding? Since 2011
Have you won any awards? Lots of firsts seconds and thirds.
Why do you do it? I love being a part of a community that does fun things to help others.
Jocelyn Quiding
Hometown: Portland, OR
Club Affiliation: The Portland Beardsmen
How long have you been Bearding? I have been involved in the bearding community for 5 years and have been competing for 4 years.
Have you won any awards? Let’s see, I have a first place in Spokane 2017, second in Bend 2017 and third 2016, third in Sacramento 2017... those are the main ones.
Why do you do it? I do this because not only do I get to help raise money for so many amazing charities, I also get to meet the most amazing kind hearted people. I make new friends every time I go to a competition.
Daniel “Handsome DC” Cunningham
Hometown: Loudon, TN by way of Knoxville, TN
Club Affiliation: Founder & President of Marble City Whisker Society
How long have you been bearding? Six and a half years. I competed in my first beard competition in Charleston May 2012.
Have you won any awards? I have been honored with many 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes in various categories. Most notable being 1st Natural Full Beard with Styled Moustache at GABMC in Denver, CO 2016 and American Bearder of the Year 2017 in Charleston, SC.
Why do you do it? I started bearded because I was called out by the AFHC’s Twitter page many years ago. What I didn’t know would happen is that I would gain a huge extended family that would give the shirts off their backs if someone needed it. I do it now to spend time with this family. The best thing about it are all these folks coming together for one goal, charity. I was fortunate enough that this community, this family stood up behind me when I was in need. I was the charity. Now my wife and I try to donate to clubs and competitions as often as possible to help them raise money for the different charities they support.
Darin Hanson
Hometown: West Valley City, Utah
Club Affiliation: Co-founder and Co- VP of the Salty Saints Social Club & Facial Hair Society
How long have you been bearding? Been bearding since 2013
Awards?
2014- 1st place Business Beard Whisker Bent and Hell Bound II, Mesa, AZ
2015-3rd place Showstopper, Whisker Bent and Hell Bound III, Mesa, AZ
2016-3rd place Showstopper, Whisker Bent and Hell Bound IV, Mesa, AZ
2016-3rd place Groomed Beard, Rose City Beard & Moustache II, Portland, OR
2016-3rd place Small Beard, Boulder Beard and Moustache Competition IV, Boulder, CO
2017-1st place Groomed Beard, Boulder Beard and Moustache Competition V, Boulder, CO
Why do you do it? I got involved in 2013 with a local club out of pure curiosity. I continue to do it as I am part of something big that does a lot of good on a local and national scale. Along the way, I have had made many memories with so many incredible people. Without being part of this community, I know I would not have had these life experiences.
If you or someone you know would be perfect for the AFHC feature, please click here for more information.
