The 63rd annual Mike's Bowling Lanes beard growing contest is underway.
“The contest started as part of the original Stratford Winterfest,” said Len Barber, who sold Mike’s Lanes earlier this year. “It started with two buddies including one who worked at city hall named Warren Hastings, and they wanted something to do over the winter, so they decided to have a beard growing contest.”
The idea was a massive success and led to a group affectionately referred to as the Beards participating in many community events including parades, road trips and even a bowling tournament.
“Warren was friends with Mike Gornyiczki, the owner before me,” said Barber. “The two decided to hold a bowling tournament that lasted a number of years.”
Despite growing amazing beards of all lengths, and styles, participating and belonging to something was always the purpose of the contest. At the height of the contest there would be huge grand prizes given out, everything from a large television, to a hot-tub, snowmobile and everything in between. Flocks of people from all walks of life would enter the contest, and come to see who the winners would be each year.
“We’d have 1200 fill up the old Stratford Coliseum, for the last dance and the beard winners being announced,” said Barber. “We’d have a waiting list of 50-100 people, with people constantly adding their names to the list trying to get tickets. Our largest number of sign-ups was 299, it was a heck of an event.”
After selling out the old arena with people, the attendance for the big winners, unveiling have dwindled down to around 30 people.
“I would say our numbers started dwindling around 15 years ago,” said Barber. “Before we’d get 100-150 or more sign-ups, but now it's just around 20. You walk around the city and you can see 20 beards in one day, but people haven’t been signing up, it’s like pulling teeth.”
Mike’s Lanes has tried different methods to get more and more people involved, even inviting partners to the fun.
“We introduced a mixed couples bowling tournament,” said Barber. “Times change and we noticed that wives and girlfriends also wanted to be involved, we even joked that they could have their own contest, but everyone stuck to bowling.”
The rules of the contest are simple, if you signed up, you had to be clean shaven, unless you were competing for the beard of life award which is given to someone who has grown out their beard for a number of years. There is an award for most colourful, best mustache with a beard, bushiest, best trimmed, and the grand champion.
“The Beards also help the community by giving back,” said Barber. "We have given back to various charities including Christmas baskets, heart and stroke, cancer, and we even raised money to build three wheelchair bowling ramps to help people with disabilities come in and bowl.”
Judging is done by the winners of last year's contest, to make it fair, and makes for new winners each time. Winners will still get their name on the trophy, and a prize of some sort from a local business. The big unveiling of winners will take place on February 22 at Mike’s Lanes.
