Winter Carnival’s beard-growing contest and fundraiser kicked off Friday on the Pillbox Tavern
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 a vital 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 by means of 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 by means of the front-facing digicam. A prize raffle had been paused so the gang of about 30 individuals might 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. Vital assist for this yr’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 particularly useful towards footing the practically $50,000 invoice for safety and police in the course of the 10-day competition.
Contributors can enter in considered one of three classes: Clear-shaven, during 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. Rivals then must submit a last picture of their facial hair, with an official Winter Carnival button seen, on Jan. 26 or 27 for judging.
Prizes within the clean-shaven class embody 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 yr, the couple are two of 4 competition co-chairs, a gaggle that began planning for the 2023 carnival proper after final yr’s ended.
A minimum of eight different individuals, together with Pillbox proprietor Matt Bakke, took a flip within the barber’s chair in the course of the occasion on Jan. 6, and the gang introduced loads of good-natured sarcasm.
“I’ll provide you with an additional $20 to take an eyebrow off!” somebody from the gang 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 gang 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 recent begin within the new yr, 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 yr and a half clean-shaven for the primary time: “I’m pondering you weren’t correct within the, uh, hairless cat analogy,” she informed him sweetly.
Dotseth sometimes will get beard trims at Heimie’s Haberdashery, Roberts mentioned. Subsequent time he stops in — nicely, he’ll must reply to his personal barber.
“Mario goes to be crying,” she joked. “My work, my lovely work!”
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