The Bearding Man Facial Hair Competition is one of many facial hair events around the world that are certain to make the Gillette company fear for future business.

The Thought Lot was overrun Saturday, Sept. 5, with beards and mustaches of all shapes, sizes and colors; from basic, everyday facial hair to a pink and purple beard full of curls and points.

With the proceeds going to benefit the Bless the Children Home (BTCH), a home for children in Guyana, South America, the night was equal parts charitable and facial.

Jason Stauffer, organizer of Bearding Man, said he wanted the proceeds to go to a family run organization such as BTCH, as opposed to a larger, more bureaucratic organization.

Raffles of musical and facial hair interest were on display as audience members could win a plethora of beard and mustache related products.

The event featured local music group Positronic Cats from Greencastle, Pennsylvania, as well as music groups from Wyoming and California, The Littlest Birds and The Gospel Whiskey Runners.

Each group had some affinity for facial hair and at least one musician, The Gospel Whiskey Runners’ vocalist, Jerrod Turner, was seen entering the competition to flaunt his beard.

Between sets from the various musical groups, men and women were paraded in front of a panel of judges to have their facial creations critiqued.

“One of the most important things is stage presence,” co-emcee Scott Hard, also known as “Dr. Donegal,” said. “You can’t come up here like a limp fish,” he continued, making both the competitors and the crowd roar with laughter.

The judges were a panel of facial hair royalty and a few local legends, including Chad Roberts, who was seen on the cover of The Slate last year sporting his “spider beard.”

Also in attendance was “Mister Ed” Gotwalt, the mastermind behind Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum.

Rounding out the judges were Bob Treat of Red Beard Ink, Meaghan Cool, a fake beard creator, Timothy Thorne of Reading Beard and Mustache Club, and Ryan Auxt, the Bearding Man 2014 “Lord of the Beards.”

The categories were numerous and creative, but a few caught the eyes of the crowd more than others.

The Wizard category, reserved for older gentlemen with gray or white beards, the Spicy Ginger category, reserved for only the men with the reddest of red hair, and the Freestyle category, for those who can craft incredible shapes with their facial hair, known as the “celebrities of the beard world.”

Some categories had the hosts in a joking mood, especially the Spicy Ginger category. Dr. Donegal introduced competitor Ben Nefflen as the “soulless bus driver” because of his rosy red beard.

Competitors were each asked questions as they passed in front of the judges, such as, “How long have you had your beard?” and “What do you do for a living other than grow a beard?”

Some competitors even dressed in costumes to match the extravagance of their beards, with Aldon Olson of the Wizard Category dressing in a full Gandalf the Grey costume.

Many laughs were shared because of a group from Pittsburgh’s Steel City Beard and Mustache Club, who all decided to wear “tactical kilts” for the night as a sign of solidarity.

At the end of the night, competitors who placed in the top five in their category were given a ballot so they could vote for “Lord of the Beards,” the man with the best facial creation of them all.

Josh Black was crowned “Lord of the Beards” after taking home first place in the over-ten-inch category.

Black will travel to Austria in two weeks to take on the competition at the World Beard and Mustache Championships in Leogang, Austria.

Black will be up against some of the world’s leading beard and mustache growers as he attempts to become the world bearding champion.

“[It feels] amazing, I’m floored, didn’t expect it at all,” Black said of his newfound title.

Black’s beard has reached an impressive 20 inches and, according to him, it will continue to grow into the foreseeable future, even if he returns as a judge for the third annual Bearding Man.

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