My mom is obviously a big fan of The Beard Coach, and she’s a lover of beards in general.  Thus I was not entirely surprised when she sent me this article clipped from my hometown newspaper, The Gleaner.

Isn’t sending newspaper clippings one of the best things moms do?  It lets you know that she’s thinking about you and also gives you the opportunity to learn a little something at the same time.  It makes me a bit sad to think that with the decline of the printed news, my wife may not be able to send our future children newspaper clippings.  A link in an email just isn’t the same, but I guess it’ll have to do.

Anyway, if you enjoy reading about the amazing beard contest that was held in my little hometown back in the 1960s, leave a thank you to my mom in the comment section.

(click for a super close-up view)

Name: Joey “Punjab” F.

First beard grown at age: Around 17

How long have you had your current beard? 2.5 months

Why do you wear a beard? Because the bearded look suits me.  And beards are awesome.

What do you like best about being bearded? I just like the look of it.  A guy with a beard looks better than a guy without.

Briefly tell your favorite beard-related story. In my younger days I can remember when I had my first really full beard I ventured out to a local store. There was an older man that approached me and proceeded to tell me one of the dirtiest/funniest jokes that I’d ever heard.  I can’t remember what the joke was now, but I remember wondering why he decided to tell me of all people. It must have been the beard.

What is your best advice for guys who are currently trying to grow their first beard? Don’t give up.  I know that sometimes it feels like it’s going nowhere, just hang in there.

A recent issue of Outside magazine contained an “Editors’ Choice Awards” article in which the editors listed all the greatest things they could think of.  Some examples of things listed are sledding, PBR, great survivial stories, and rope swings.  However, it was number two on the list that caught my attention – winter beards.

Now anyone who has read my Beard Manifesto knows what I think of the winter beard.  And now so do the subscribers of Outside.  Because I wrote the editors and told them what’s up.  And guess what?  They recognized the wisdom and knew that it was worth sharing with their readers.

You’ll notice they chose not to cite me as the source (probably because they saw through my obvious efforts to sneak in free promotion for the site).  However, you’ll notice a certain original phrase I also used in The Manifesto.

So now, I present you with the first words from the Beard Coach ever published in a mainstream magazine.