Lackawanna County will host the 2021 National Beard & Moustache Championships this fall.
Presented by Honest Amish and hosted by Beard Team USA, the event will take place Sept. 10-11 at Montage Mountain Resorts. It features more than 50 divisions of competition, including natural goatees, handlebar moustaches, creative beards and more.
“We all have been waiting for the safe return to in-person events for so long now,” Jason Kiley, national full beard freestyle champion, said in a statement. “Getting to compete with, and hug your competitors/friends, will be something we do not take for granted for a long time.”
Guy’s Barber Shop, Scranton, and Three Saints Barber Shop & Shave Parlor, Jessup, are the event’s exclusive barbershops, and their respective owners, Damian Biancarelli and Mike McAndrew, will serves as judges.
Spectators as well as participants can get haircuts, beard trims and shaves during the event, which also will feature a marketplace of vendors ranging from breweries and wineries to tattoo artists and other artisans. The resort’s restaurant, bar and outdoor decks also will be open, and there will be live music.
An early bird meet-and-greet and pub crawl around Scranton on Thursday, Sept. 9, will precede the competition. The next day will include the exhibition show and opening ceremonies, with the championships set for Saturday. All the action will wrap up on Sunday, Sept. 12, with a celebration brunch and Scranton walking tour.
Curt Camoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, called the event “an amazing and unique event that will bring national attention along with economic impact.”
Find a full list of categories at nationalbeardchampionships.com/nbmc-categories and register to compete at nationalbeardchampionships.com. Spectator tickets also are on sale at the event website.
Beard Team USA will donate part of the proceeds to several charities: Camp Freedom, Carbondale; the Women’s Resource Center, Scranton; and the national organization Direct Relief.
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest
