CORNER BROOK — Keith Winsor thought he was proud to have been involved in the Corner Brook Winter Carnival’s annual beard-growing contest for 30 years.
Then, upon closer inspection of the array of trophies atop the entertainment stand in his living room, realized he had actually been involved for 32 years.
Certainly, the largest trophy of the lot was the one he won for fullest beard in 1982. But, right there in its shadow was a smaller trophy from the 1980 competition he had entered that Winsor never realized was there.
However many he’s been in, the 70-year-old man from Petries Street is back again this year, vying for another title.
“When they started doing this, I knew I could grow a thick beard, so I entered it and I have been doing it every year since,” said Winsor who is normally clean-shaven the rest of the year.
An old photo from the early days of the competition shows a younger Winsor with side burns growing wildly from the side of his face.
“I used to just let it all go, but now I trim the upper part,” he said, rubbing his neat whiskers.
Winsor has plenty of trophies and doesn’t really enter the competition to win any more. He does it for the fun and to stoke the carnival spirit.
“I’ve been doing it this long, I might as well keep it up,” he said. “If I didn’t show up, everyone might think there’s something wrong with me.”
Participants in the beard-growing contest have six weeks to cultivate their facial hair. Judging of the beards in categories such as fullest, neatest and most creative will take place at the Elks Club on Friday at 7:30 p.m., following a fisherman's brewis supper that starts at 4:30 p.m.
