The Minnesota Beard-Off is a one-night competition between the best beards in Minnesota.

When: 8pm, March 31, 2010.

Where: Sauce, at Lyndale and Lake, Minneapolis.

Who: Men with beards and ladies with fake beards.

Why? Is this just because you’re a hipster? Beards are a fad. We’re no hipsters at the Minnesota Beard-Off. We wear unstylish pants and running shoes as our regular walking shoes! We just really love beards, that’s all.

It’s true that beards have seen a perceived rise in popularity over the past five to ten years. However, since humans have grown hair, men have worn facial hair in various shapes and styles. From Christ to Santa and Lincoln to Roosevelt (the good Roosevelt) facial hair has been the standard demonstration of manly kindness and warmth. The most recent popularity is a return to our roots as human men, not a frivolous demonstration against authority.

How? The 2010 Minnesota Beard-Off will consist of five rounds: one round for each category and a final round to determine the 2010 Minnesota’s Beardsman.

The categories are a modified version of the official categories for the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

Three judges will determine the top three contenders in each category and the four first place winners will compete for the grand prize: the title of 2010 Minnesota’s Beardsman.