Alberta's bearded men battle it out for facial hair glory - Action News
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Alberta's bearded men battle it out for facial hair glory

Alberta's first beard and moustache championships is happening in Calgary this weekend.

1st provincial beard and moustache championship to be held in Calgary this weekend

Lee Palichuk will be judging facial hair on May 23 at the Palomino Smokehouse in Calgary. (Lee Palichuk)

Hairy men across Alberta areflocking to Calgary this weekend for the province's first-annual beard and moustache championships.

Similar competitions have been going on for years in the United States and Europe, but they'rea growing phenomenon inCanada.

Wrestling legend Mick Foley, left, and beard aficionado Lee Palichuk pose for a picture. Palichuk is organizing Alberta's first annual facial hair competition this weekend. (Lee Palichuk )

"Ithink it's a good show of man's identity. It's a pretty manly thing to have a big beard," said LeePalichuk, who is organizing Saturday's event.

Palichuk is also one of the judges, along with the founders of the Calgary Facial Hair Club and the Saskatchewan Beard & Moustache Club.

He says in the"natural beard" category, he'll be critiquinglength, mass, thickness, presentation and "epicness."

Then there's the"freestyle beard" category where dudes can really let their hair down.

"It's the same as your hair. If you take good care of it, it's going to growbetter and you can end up with a really full, healthy beard," saidPalichuk, who also owns a company that makesoils and balms for men's facial hair.

Palichuk groomshis long beard daily with aboar'shair brush, but saysa wood comb also does the job.

"There are definitely people that don't like beards. Anti-beard people. We try to brush them off," said Palichuk, who has had facial hair since hewas 20-years-old.

He says there is really no rivalry between guys,like himself, who'vehad beards for years and the hipsters.

"We don't want to shame people because they're new to the beard community," said Palichuk.

The beard and moustache competition startsaround 6 p.m. on May 23 at the Palomino Smokehouse in downtown Calgary.

But if you want to enter the contest,you need to be there by 3 p.m.