BeardFest 2014 held at The Center for Arts at the Armory
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Some of Somerville’s fuzziest fun seekers got to let their hair down at SAC’s 2014 Beard & Moustache Contest on Sunday at The Center for the Arts at the Armory. – Photo by Claudia Ferro

By Erica Scharn

The 2014 Beard & Moustache Contest celebrated facial hair of all shapes and sizes this past Sunday. The facial hair artistry on display included a button beard, a glowing beard, braided beards and curly moustaches.

The Somerville Arts Council’s (SAC) fourth BeardFest took place from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 2 at The Center for Arts at the Armory on Highland Avenue. The public, family-friendly event bestowed playful prizes in five categories: Natural Full Beard, Free-style Full Beard, Free-style Moustache, Free-style Partial Beard (such as goatees and/or sideburns), and Fake Beard. The afternoon also featured a make-your-own beard table, music by DJ Pace and food and drink.

“It’s just silly and fun,” SAC Executive Director Gregory Jenkins said.

BeardFest is the brainchild of SAC volunteer Todd Easton, who also co-produces the event. He pitched the idea of a beard contest to Jenkins several years ago as a way to increase foot traffic in Union Square during the winter. The first two contests were held at Precinct Bar, but the event subsequently moved to Arts at the Armory for more space.

“This seems to have some traction, some legs, and the community seems excited about it,” Easton said. “It’s our second year here, and the house is full.”

Attendees had ample time to mingle, snack and design beards before the contest. They could also peruse the T-shirts on sale at the Boston Beard Bureau table.

With Stu Siegel as emcee, the contestants paraded across the stage before being called up one by one to answer questions and to show the three judges their handiwork up close. The questions, which often elicited laughs from the audience, included “Who is your favorite celebrity with a beard or moustache?” “Have you ever poked yourself or a loved one in the eye with your moustache spikes?” and “Would you shave for love?”

The judges chose three finalists in each category. Audience applause – supplemented by whistling and stomping at times – determined the winners, who received medals. Any non-finalist could compete for consolation prizes in the cottage-cheese-eating contest (last time, it was clam chowder). The catch was that the cottage cheese had to be eaten with whatever utensil the contestants pulled from a bag, which ended up being a spatula, a ladle and a whisk.

More than 40 contestants vied for prizes. While many were from Somerville and surrounding areas, contestants also hailed from New Hampshire, Vermont and Cape Cod. “Natural Full Beard” was the most popular category, with nearly half of the contestants. The winner, Brian Roy from Waltham, was the returning champion from the last BeardFest in November 2012.

“I was the champion, so I felt the need – I should return. If not to win, to pass on the torch,” Roy, who resembles Santa Claus with his big white beard, said.  “My beard is me. I love having a beard; I’ve always had one.” A veteran of the beard competition scene, Roy said that there are “so many nice people, great people, who do this for fun.”

Six women and three children had the opportunity to participate in the friendly rivalry thanks to the “Fake Beard” category. Winner Nicole Nordeste from Malden sported a long beard made entirely of colorful buttons and a moustache composed of smaller buttons. She told the audience that it took 142 buttons, 48 yards of wire and many hours to create.

“I just have always had an appreciation for facial hair,” Nordeste, who started the beard at the end of August for two competitions in the fall, said. “This is the first beard I’ve ever made.”

Other Fake Beard contestants created their facial decorations at the make-your-own beard table, which provided tinsel, glitter, paper plates, yarn, pom-poms and more. Easton’s 11-year-old son, Simon, decided to make an owl beard at the last minute and won second place.

“The difference between some beard contests is that the Arts Council does this as a community event,” Easton said. “So the Fake Beard allows people to participate that can’t grow a beard. It gets kids involved, it draws families out, which is nice.”

 – Photos by Claudia Ferro