We literally danced into these two darling beards at El Chapultepec in downtown Denver recently. Chris and Rob may just be beginning to grow out their beards for Beard Season, but we have no doubt they’ll be appropriately burly and brusque in no time! Keep a look out for these two at El Chapultepec and generally around Denver to scout their progress.
Joel Garland Bekken. Real name, real beard. Our endless reasearch has so far proved that you can find amazing beards in Denver pretty much anywhere. We found him at an art exhibit on Santa Fe. When he’s not appreciating fine photography, this man lives the life of a stereotypical beard–he lives up in the hills and works at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. He said he loves his beard because it keeps him warm during those cold winter nights and that it’s just “too un-manly not to have a beard”. We agree.
This isn’t the only time you’ll see Mark, he’s promised a burlier beard in the near future and we want to see the transformation! You may be as suprised as we were to learn that these lovely locks take some TLC. Mark says he won’t dare use any other product but Kiss My Face on his manly mug. You can typically find this bearded bear either saving lives, dear hunting, roller skating or taking his adorable family with him on a bluegrass advernture.
We present to you Mr. Ryan King. This Denver native loves three things about his facial hair: it provides cranial balance when he’s jamming in his band ‘Champagne Charlie’, the ladies love it and he can braid it. We seem to be finding some common themes here…
What’s there to say about this beard but WOW. Tyler Shannon from Seattle earned major props for his well-maintained verdi beard at the national competition, coming in second in a very competitive category. Apparently there’s a lot of time to keep a beard looking great while staying out of all that Seattle rain. One fan’s reaction to Tyler’s amazing beard sums it up perfectly: STELLAR, she said of his amazing man. Just STELLAR.
Neil Moherman (left) from Ashland, Ohio and Bryan Fulk (right) from Los Angeles, California have been best friends far longer than they’ve been able to grow beards–their moms were girl scout troop leaders together in Ohio when they were kids. Neil, who entered the Full Beard, Natural competition, came out with top honors–earning the prestigious Gold Medal–and has been growing his long, blonde, beardlocks for five years. Both Neil and Bryan went to the World Championships in Anchorage, Alaska a few years ago, and got hooked on bearding. While Bryan competed in the Verdi Beard category in Anchorage, he was in Vegas solely for moral support this time around. All we know is that we’d hang out with this dashing bearded duo anytime they’re around.
MJ Johnson from the Minneapolis Beard & Moustache Club does not mess around. Those sideburns were the most serious we had ever seen, and for his amazing efforts he was awarded third place in his category. Well earned, Mr. Johnson. Well earned.
Don’t worry, Beards of Denver fans. We didn’t forget our Colorado love when we were in Vegas. Chris Olsen hails from outside of Boulder and was rockin’ this beard in the Sideburns Category at nationals. We loved his cooky Dr. Seuss-esque persona, and of course, his awesome beard. If you want to catch Chris and his sideburn beard out on the town, check out TIM the Band–which is Time in Motion music, a jazz fusion band. With a beard like that, they are sure not to disappoint. Check out the tunes here.
Allen Haumann from Boise, Idaho was one of our favorite characters of the entire competition. He started growing his beard, modeled here with curlers that were sure to show off his beard’s full beauty, because he and his friend Rebecca saw coverage of the international competition in Anchorage, Alaska a few years back, and she challenged him to grow a beard. Three years later, Allen did just that, and won the state competition in Idaho in August. “Shaving is evil” is his motto. We’re right on board with you there, Allen.
Beards of Denver 