The Silver Lake Library was the site of perhaps the largest public display of facial hair ever in our fair city—and certainly in our neighborhood.
70 Entries From as Far Away as Victorville
According to Young Adult librarian Johathan Pitre, organizer and MC, an estimated 250 crowded the library for the first annual Beard and Moustache contest judging Tuesday night.
A panel of celebrity judges, including Silver Lake resident and writer Joel Stein, did the honors, sorting their way through a variety of somewhat improvisational categories including “Most Scholarly,” “Most Outrageous” and “Go Big or Go Home.”
Gary Leonard was on hand to take pictures, which are in the attached gallery.
Picking Just One Category to Enter Was Tough
There were 70 entries, from as far away as Temecula and Victorville.
Contestants were limited to one category, and, according to Branch Manager Lisa Palombi, “that was a sociological exercise in itself.”
Palombi said the “fake” category was added at the last minute, to give women and children a way to participate.
Another newly minted Silver Lake resident, Jack Passion—host of the IFC show Whisker Wars—was also on hand.
An eventual winner in the "Go Big" category, he was taping the contest for an episode of the program that should air next spring.
“The goal was to get people inside the library who’d never been there before,” said Palombi. “And by that measure, it was definitely a success.”
Beer glasses from co-sponsor Cha Cha Lounge and library tote bags were also on sale.
You can still pick up a beer glass at the library.
Local sponsors included the Red Lion Tavern, Cha Cha Lounge, Relapse Records and Silver Lake Wine.
Here is a full list of contest winners, with children identified only by first name:
Fake Beard Children
3-Anthony
2-Kai
1-Ricardo
Fake Beard Women
3- Jessica Alexander
2- Savannah Scarpa
1- Rika Ohara
Santa
3- Michael Dunn/ And Some dude named Tex
2- Jaxson
1- JamesThorton
Freestyle
3- Nathan Johnson
2- Jeff Moustache
1- Scott Casey
Moustache
3- John English
2- Aleksey Shchurov
1- Steve Scarpa
Scholarly
3- Dane Lenton
2- Josh Rumsey
1- Thomas Hewes
Go Big
3- Ryan Dreyer
2- Isaiah Salazar
1- Jack Passion
