Jan. 24, 2009 — Show support for the St. Croix Animal Shelter? An excuse to spend Saturday afternoon on the Christiansted boardwalk? A chance to dress up and be someone else for a change? Be in serious competition for Beard Team USA?
Whatever the stated motivation for being at St. Croix's first ever Beard & Mustache contest Saturday, the ultimate goal of the 20 participants and couple dozen spectators seemed obvious — have fun.
John Macy (a/k/a Captain Big Beard), who with Dennis Dickerson has founded a St. Croix chapter of Beard Team USA, said that after the contestants paraded through town "signing autographs and posing for pictures with their fans" there would be "merriment and revelry."
The beard contest was open to all ages and sexes with fake beards allowed. There were prizes for best beard and best moustache in both male and female categories.
One contestant who did not get to come dressed as he wanted to was Marty Merrick, former TV weatherman, who wears a signature handlebar moustache. He said he planned to come dressed in drag, but, "I could not find shoes to match the dress I wanted to wear."
So instead he came dressed as a piano man from the early 1900s.
He said his beard had theatrical roots. About 20 years ago he played a Russian in "Fiddler on the Roof" and had to grow a beard. Since then he shaved the beard but the mustache has always remained as has the theatre bug. He is appearing in the upcoming Caribbean Community Theater production of "Evita."
Also taking part in the competition were two retired brothers, former dentists and ZZ Top look-alikes Kirk and Brent Williams. Asked for his take on the event, Kirk Williams declined.
"No," he said. "Every time we make a comment to the newspaper it sounds stupid."
St. Croix resident and spectator Jim Burns, however, was willing to comment.
"I never come to town anymore, but I would not have missed this for the world," Burns said.
Krewe de Croix, a social organization mostly known for its Mardi Croix Parade on the North Shore at Cane Bay, co-sponsored the parade with Beard Team USA.
The Krewe plans a Mardi Croix Season Kick-Off Party at Off the Wall next Saturday at 7 p.m. It will also sponsor the Krewe de Barkus Dog Parade, again on the Christiansted Boardwalk on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m.
Dickerson, a part-time resident of St. Croix and Virginia, has been a Beard Team USA member for a couple of years. He said the St. Croix competition was just a warm-up for the national competition in Anchorage, Alaska, in late May. The winners on St. Croix will be eligible to participate in the Alaska competition. Of course, anyone who can pay the entrance fee is eligible to participate in Alaska.
The entrance fee on St. Croix was $10 in advance and $20 on Saturday, and the St. Croix shelter didn't make a lot of money. One of the organizers said, "We will probably take in enough to pay for the newspaper ad, but that's OK, everyone is having fun."
Mariam Rocek, a crew member on the Roseway in Christiansted harbor, was one of the two female participants in the competition. She said her beard was made out of rope from aboard the ship.
"On my face, it makes me look awesome," said Rocek.
Macy said that they would like to make the contest an annual event.
"This is a fun thing – even for families," said Tom Tiblier, captain of Krewe De Croix. "And we certainly hope to do this again next year."
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