By David Klassen
Participants in the Festival du Voyageur's 2010 Beard Growing Contest take part in the final round of judging at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre. (JENNAMIDGET / FLICKR)
The Festival du Voyageur is a couple months away, but it’s time to start thinking about growing a beard for the occasion.
The 2011 Beard Growing Contest encourages participants to grow facial hair and raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba at the same time. Similar to the Movember initiative for prostate cancer research, this is a full-blown beard.
Those who register will have to be clean shaven and then grow a beard until the end of the contest on February 25, 2011.
A minimum of $100 in donations will be required, with all proceeds going to the Foundation. Each participant will receive a souvenir package, including the official event T-shirt and 10-day pass to this year’s Festival, taking place February 18-27, 2011.
The official shaving drop-in event will take place at Le Garage Café, 166 Provencher Boulevard, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 9. Kitty from Berns & Black Salon will shave the participants.
Two categories of beard growing are open to the public: the Voyageur Beard (wild and woolly) and the Novelty category (groomed mustache or beard).
Registration is $35. For more information or to register, call Dave Parenteau at (204) 237-7692 or e-mail dparenteau@festivalvoyageur.mb.ca.
