Penticton’s Okanagan beard festival is back

PENTICTON – It’s time to put away the razor and scissors as the Third Annual Okanagan Beard Festival gets underway next week.

Registration for this year’s event happens Monday, Jan. 29, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Cannery Brewing Co., 198 Ellis St. in Penticton.

Judging of the chin spinach is based on 12 categories, including best beard, longest, thickest, most original, best sculptured and best effort.

There’s also judging in beard-moustache and straight moustache categories.

A best barber category will ensure the person responsible for trimming the most popular crumb catchers get the recognition he-she deserves, as all competitors will be representing their respective barbers in the competition.

The barber with the most award-winning cookie-dusters under his scissors will get the nod as top barber.

Five rounds of chin curtain judging is scheduled to take place at various breweries, pubs and restaurants in the city, including Cannery Brewing Co., Craft Corner Kitchen, Nest & Nectar and the Barking Parrot bar.

Winner announcements are scheduled for April 30.

Registration is $25 and limited to 100 entrants.

Proceeds from the event go to Penticton’s Discovery House, which has benefitted from over $5,000 raised by previous events so far.

For more information, visit the Okanagan Beard Festival website.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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