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| Dear fellow American, It�s that time of the year again...Beard Season is here! For those of you unfamiliar with this legendary part of American tradition, Beard Season is a 2 month event sponsored by the American Beard Entrepreneurs (ABE.) From October 1st until Thanksgiving every year, men all over the country pay homage to their bearded forefathers. During this time, participants take a hiatus from the everyday hassle of shaving and grow beards (the most manly of all facial hairs.) This event is more about unity then performance, convenience more than comfort. Since it�s inception in 1864, Beard Season has been a favorite past-time of many grizzly individuals. The long growing tradition of Beard Season features a rich and colorful history. It ALL began on October 1st 1864 during the height of the Civil War. The Union army, under the direction of Ulysses S. Grant, were battling Confederate forces led by Colonel Robert E. Lee. The autumn weather was ushering in cold winds, paving the way for what was to be one of the coldest winters in recorded history. Worried about the well-being of his soldiers, Grant instructed his troops to grow beards in order to combat the cold winter ahead. Grant named his infantry the American Beard Entrepreneurs or "ABE" for short. He knew that with a face of fur, his army could battle more efficiently and, in turn, abolish slavery. President Abraham Lincoln was so intrigued by the notion of Grant�s proposed "Beard Season" that he grew a beard himself. Lincoln was, in fact, such a supporter of the American Beard Entrepreneurs that people close to the president began referring to him as "Abe." Well, as we all know, the Union soldiers defeated Lee�s clean-shaven troops a few months later and brought an end to the Civil War. Grant was a much celebrated American hero after the war. Millions of men across the country grew beards in honor of their great military leader. Grants� overwhelming popularity (and H U G E beard) eventually led him to win the Presidential election in 1868. After 8 dominating years in the White House, Grant passed the grizzled torch onto Rutherford B. Hayes. Running on Grants political "Beard Platform," Hayes won the 1876 election by a landslide. Looking back over the past 142 years, many of Americas finest humanitarians have donned beards, including former Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, Martial arts guru Chuck Norris, lengthy lumberjack Paul Bunyan, Star Wars creator George Lucas and many others. So support your country, pay homage to the past and set trends for the future... take part in BEARD SEASON! |
| 1995 Beard Banquet |
| ...waiting for my friends to be able to grow facial hair |
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| 2004 |
| The Essence of Beard by J.D. Kingston Chairman of the Beard As we approach the comforting eve of Beard Season, it is a most provident time to reflect on the social contract forged between a beard and its owner. Certainly a beard can be rather superficially defined as a collective of facial hairs, but at its more nuanced core it is a symbol. Symbols are the physical representations of ideals, and as such the beard is a vessel of principle, albeit one with a debatable cargo and crew. Is it helmed by a gaggle of bloodthirsty, hedonistic pirates or stuffy yacht rockers with Michael MacDonald soldered into the CD stereo? That is our fundamental question� Centuries ago, William Shakespeare wrote in Much Ado about Nothing, �He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man,� thereby unequivocally - and likely unintentionally - capturing what can be referred to as the �contextuality of beard.� That is to say that unlike other forms of facial styling, the beard forms a symbiosis with its owner, in each instance emphasizing a distinct attribute or ideal. By contrast, the mustache�s monolithic message to the world is �if you scream, I�ll kill you,� regardless of the wearer. It doesn�t adapt to you, you adapt to it, or else� At the risk of reductionism, a beard brings out your best, while a mustache brings an Amber Alert and federal charges. The beard�s amorphous nature helps explain how it has been the only facial hair publicly banned (most recently in post-Ottoman Turkey under Ataturk) and required (during one of imperial Russia�s chronic identity crises) in the history of the world; how it is simultaneously associated with reactionary religious fundamentalism and �progressive� academia; and how it is perceived both as a symbol of venerability and virility (often directly proportionate to cocktail intake on a given evening, or morning as the case may be). Yes, the beard is truly the jack of all trades, the �El Camino� of facial hair. However, it is this ideological dexterity that allows us to determine our own meaning, liberate ourselves from the esoteric yoke of contentious issues - like the Theus v. Butkis debate, whether to take the express or local train to Blackoutville, or whether to tell a friend that you took a shit in the lake, threw it, and accidentally hit him in the back many years ago - and focus on Honesty, Unity and Warmth; the founding principles of Beard Season. |
| Event: Beard Season 2006 When: Oct. 1 thru Nov. 23 Culmination: Beard Banquet Wed. Nov. 22 (turkey day eve) Forward Hall - Erie, PA 7:00pm to 12:00am $10 admission includes bands, food & beer |