The Carson City celebration of the 150th anniversary of Nevada statehood began Saturday morning with cold and wintry weather that utterly failed to put a damper on the festivities. Hardy Nevada folk bundled up and turned out to watch the Nevada Day Parade through downtown starting at 10 a.m. Being the sesquicentennial, the roster of entries was extensive, and the parade lasted until nearly 2 p.m.! Nevadans are nothing if not proud of being the "Battle Born" state, having entered the Union during the American Civil War.

The annual Nevada Day Beard Contest followed the parade, and, as contestants assembled, the weather gradually lifted to reveal electric blue skies and bright sun streaming between the snow-laden clouds still creeping over the freshly whitened Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west. A sizable crowd of bearded varmints, dudes, cowpokes, and gentlemen along with their clean-shaven supporters and encouragers, gathered in the amphitheater just south and east of the historic Capitol Building.

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As each category was announced (Blackest, Longest, Scruffiest, and so forth) contestants sidled up to the stage to be scrutinized by members of the Nevada Supreme Court and cheered on by friends and family. Nevada Senator Dean Heller was amongst the entrants for Best-Groomed Beard and came away with the third-place ribbon (the Nevada Appeal newspaper has the winners and the story posted here).

When it came time for the Whitest Beard category, the Sheriff -- off-duty for the day but still outfitted in a typical day's attire with a six-gun, boots, spurs, and a Western duster to fend off the potentially inclement weather -- joined a line of awesomely white-bearded gentlemen, each worthy of recognition for the quality and appearance of their snowy adornments. None was more surprised to be selected in the top three than the Sheriff himself, receiving a big blue and white ribbon as the Second Place Winner of the Whitest Beard. No amount of facial forestation could conceal the beaming smiles of the winners.

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Then came the moment of truth -- the count to determine which municipality would be recognized as the "most bearded community." Traditionally, Carson City and Virginia City vie for the honor, and the time came to line up and be counted. When the tally was done, Carson City was represented by almost four times as many bearded men as Virginia City. Another win for the capital city!

Whether receiving a plaque, a ribbon, or only a handshake, every bearded individual that was present was a winner on that immensely enjoyable day of shared bearded awesomeness. In fact, some may have attributed the sudden aggregation of intense beardedness to be responsible for dispelling the gloomy weather and bringing out the warm sunshine. The Sheriff and Lady Triibeard celebrated in fine style that evening, basking in the glow of another excellent day.

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Triibeard's Thirty-NINE years of being bearded    (The recent journey from a short- to a long-beard)
Introducing LEGO-Sheriff Triibeard     (The origin story for our polymeric polychromatic hero)
Sheriff Triibeard and The Case of the Missing Beard Balm   (In search of that scoundrel RiffRaff)
Sheriff Triibeard and the Hermit Hoarder    (Consequences of acquisitiveness)

In a world of shorn faces, it is our privilege to offer those around us the exquisite opportunity to know a gentleman with a beard.
Last Edited By: Triibeard Nov 2 14 4:57 PM. Edited 8 times.