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

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

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

"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.

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"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.

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"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.