There were eight champions crowned at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation Banquet and Events Centre on Sunday, and almost every one of them had the facial hair to prove it.
Judges selected the best beards and moustaches in Prince Albert on what was normally the final day of judging at the newly renamed Original 16 Beerd Derby: Prince Albert Winter Festival Edition.
Beerd Derby chair Doug Erickson said he was elated at the turnout.
“(The) Beerd Derby continues to grow in popularity,” Erickson said. “Our numbers didn’t jump significantly this year. We gained some, we lost a few for whatever reason. But there were some big changes made to the Beard Derby when we launched in October.”
Ericksom explained that the Beerd Derby has separated financially from the Prince Albert Winter Festival going forward. It now goes by the name “Original 16 Beard Derby Prince Albert Winter Festival Edition”.
Erickson said they made the decision because the competition will be expanding gradually across the province.
“There’s going to be Original 16 Beerd Derby competitions in Saskatoon, in Regina, Lloydminster, North Battleford,” he said. “The plans are underway now to expand it. We will definitely launch in Saskatoon in the fall of 2026. I can’t speak to the other centres.”
They will launch initially in Saskatoon in October.
“We choose to stay aligned with the Winter Festival locally,” Erickson said. “It’s been a Winter Festival event for as long as anybody can remember.”
Normally Sunday would have been the wrap up banquet for the Winter Festival Beerd Derby, but the Original 16 Beer Derby will run for two more months. Next year the event will still run through the Winter Festival.
“We will try and think of something else to do as a tie-in to the festival, but our actual finals won’t happen until April of 2027,” Erickson said.
Erickson said they kept the format the same this year because of all of the working involved in changing the name, logo and other parts of that process.
“We just felt that for this year we would maintain our normal wrap-up date and banquet, which is what we’ve done tonight, but we are still going for another two months,” Erickson said.
The final in 2027 will not take place until April, according to Erickson.
“The growth into other centres is going to be strategic and slow,” he said. “But this will become a province-wide type event, and thus the reason for the change of the name.”
In previous years, the Winter Festival took in the money and paid the bills but this year that changed.
“We took in our own money and we paid our own bills,” Erickson explained. “We did benefit though financially from the Winter Festival and the way it’s the plan right now is that that
will always continue. We’ll have a partnership in a sense from that standpoint and we want to always maintain that Prince Albert Winter Festival addition where PA is concerned.”
Erickson said it was nice to see the event grow from something that drew just a dozen people a few years ago.
“I don’t think even anybody in the room tonight can believe that there’s some of them were here when I took over and it was 12 people,” he said.
Erickson said that nobody present could probably believe that they pay a small registration fee and get clothing, complimentary beverages and food through all seven fuzz checks.
“(They) finish the night off or finish the event off with a prime rib and shrimp dinner and all at no cost to them,” Erickson said.
Contestants also must save receipts for purchases from sponsors like Great Western. Erickson said the competition has been a great way to promote local businesses while also having fun.
“The sponsorship has been phenomenal,” he said. “The thing about the Beerd Derby, why we’ve been so successful with sponsorship, is because the Original 16 Beerd Derby is the only event that I personally know of where everything that the members do is tracked by retaining receipts.
“We can actually take our receipts to all of our sponsors and show them exactly how much money was spent in their businesses throughout the course of the year and with that we actually have companies that have come to us and said, ‘We want to be a sponsor. We want in.’ That is so unique.
The winners and judges for the Original 16 Beerd Derby: Prince Albert Winter Festival Edition posed for a photo on Sunday at the Prince Albert Wildlife Banquet and Events Centre.
The contest with the most entries was the Professional Miscellaneous during the judging for the Original 16 Beerd Derby: Prince Albert Winter Festival gala and judging on Sunday at the Prince Albert Wildlife Banquet and Events Centre.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of things in the community where you’re out asking for donations and you’re asking for money. It’s really gratifying to know that we’ve built a program that when business owners hear about it, want to get involved.”
Sponsors also take part in the contest or attend the fuzz checks and final.
“They’re here hands-on and visiting with their new customer base on a regular basis. It’s just been a phenomenal event right from the word go,” Erickson said.
The winners of this year’s events were Chad Saworski in Amateur Mustache, Colby Oreel in Amateur Miscellaneous, Dwight Krause in Amateur Full Bush, Josh Elliot in Professional Mustache, Randy Watchmann in Professional Miscellaneous, Rick Jenkins was a three time winner in Professional Bush, Dave Sinclair was the winner in PPE and Corliss Rassyle in the Ladies category.
The PPE category was for people who could not grow facial hair due to their job and was done by a draw. The Ladies’ category was also done by a draw.
Judging was done by co-chair Ian Litzenberger, Great Western representative Tyler Redl and Danielle Collins from the Hair Nook. Longtime and current competitor Kent Tomlinson acted as rules official.
Erickson said that the Beerd Derby is resonating in the community.
“They’re seeing the clothing articles for sure because every year there’s a new clothing article,” he explained. “This year is the vest and it doesn’t matter where you go you’re going to see Beard Derby clothing and it’s been really good for that.”
Platinum sponsors are Great Western Brewery, Phantom Light Distilleries, Prince Albert Wildlife Federation Banquet and Event Centre and Lake Country Co-op.
Gold sponsors are the Lakeland family of dealerships, Original Joe’s, Boston Pizza, Northland Surplus, which is changing their name to Lakeland Surplus, North Star Trophies and Screen Printing and Redhead Equipment.
“I certainly want to thank my sponsors. I mean, they they’ve made it easy,” Erickson added.
The PPE category was for people who could not grow facial hair due to their job and was done by a draw. The Ladies’ category was also done by a draw.
Judging was done by co-chair Ian Litzenberger, Great Western representative Tyler Redl and Danielle Collins from the Hair Nook. Longtime and current competitor Kent Tomlinson acted as rules official.
Tomlinson, Wayne Kirk and Rick Jenkins have been part of the Beerd Derby since the 1960s and were the ones who attempted to keep it going initially.
“We have three that competed back when there was 300,” Erickson said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
