Winter Carnival’s beard-growing contest and fundraiser kicked off Friday on the Pillbox Tavern – Twin Cities

At about 7:34 p.m. final Friday, Holly Cocchiarella noticed her husband clean-shaven for the primary time.

Scot Cocchiarella, who mentioned he hadn’t been with out facial hair in perhaps 40 years, discovered himself in a barber’s chair on the Pillbox Tavern on Jan. 6 for an important trigger: the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Particularly, the carnival’s second annual beard-growing competitors, which kicked off Jan. 6 on the downtown pub.

Partway via Scot Cocchiarella’s shave on the kickoff occasion, Holly Cocchiarella got here as much as take a selfie with him. The look on her face: disbelief, with a splash of horror and a pinch of enchantment.

“Oh my God, that’s bizarre!” Scot Cocchiarella whispered audibly as he noticed himself via the front-facing digicam. A prize raffle had been paused so the group of about 30 folks may cheer on the barber shearing Scot Cocchiarella’s face.

The practically monthlong competitors features primarily as a fundraiser for the Winter Carnival, and opponents are inspired to solicit sponsors for his or her beards. Important assist for this 12 months’s Winter Carnival is being supplied by Vadnais Heights-based Precedence Courier Specialists, Winter Carnival president Lisa Jacobson mentioned, and the beard-growing competitors is very useful towards footing the practically $50,000 invoice for safety and police through the 10-day pageant.

Contributors can enter in one in every of three classes: Clear-shaven, through which contenders like Scot Cocchiarella had faces shorn by Mike Haeg of Good Neighbor Barber Store on the kickoff occasion; lumberjack, which rewards essentially the most spectacular pre-existing beards; and freestyle, the place opponents of any age or gender can both develop or take advantage of artistic facial hair. Opponents then need to submit a ultimate photograph of their facial hair, with an official Winter Carnival button seen, on Jan. 26 or 27 for judging.

Prizes within the clean-shaven class embrace Minnesota Wild tickets and present baskets from companies like Elevating Cane’s and Candyland. Lumberjack division champs can win beard-care merchandise from Wisconsin-based Beardy Goodness, and the highest freestylers can earn tickets to Mall of America sights or much more popcorn from Candyland.

For the Cocchiarellas, the Winter Carnival is a longstanding ardour. Scot Cocchiarella was a member of the Vulcan Krewe in 2001, and Holly Cocchiarella was a bouncing lady on the St. Paul Bouncing Workforce in 1996. This 12 months, the couple are two of 4 pageant co-chairs, a bunch that began planning for the 2023 carnival proper after final 12 months’s ended.

Not less than eight different folks, together with Pillbox proprietor Matt Bakke, took a flip within the barber’s chair through the occasion on Jan. 6, and the group introduced loads of good-natured sarcasm.

“I’ll provide you with an additional $20 to take an eyebrow off!” somebody from the group shouted throughout one of many shaves. No such luck.

When John Dotseth’s girlfriend handed him a pint of darkish beer as he sat down within the chair, somebody from the group jeered at him: “You’re having a drink earlier than you do it?”

“I did!” the barber fired again, then he switched on his razor.

Dotseth had sported his personal well-coiffed beard for the previous seven or eight years earlier than it fell to the ground Friday. He signed up for the competitors to assist assist the carnival and for a contemporary begin within the new 12 months, he mentioned. Like Holly Cocchiarella, Dotseth’s girlfriend, Erika Roberts, had solely identified her associate as a bearded man.

Upon seeing her boyfriend of a 12 months and a half clean-shaven for the primary time: “I’m considering you weren’t correct within the, uh, hairless cat analogy,” she advised him sweetly.

Dotseth usually will get beard trims at Heimie’s Haberdashery, Roberts mentioned. Subsequent time he stops in — properly, he’ll need to reply to his personal barber.

“Mario goes to be crying,” she joked. “My work, my stunning work!”