In honor of the Philly Facial Hair Championship, we asked for the city’s best beards — and you did not disappoint

On a whim 10 years ago, Joshua Gregor stopped shaving and it changed the trajectory of his entire life.

“I basically had a nondirectional life, I didn’t know where I was going and I didn’t have many friends to speak of,” Gregor, 36, said. “But now I could literally pick up the phone to Russia and have somebody meet me at the airport, all because of my facial hair.”

Gregor’s award-winning beard has given him direction and purpose. It’s helped him win friends and influence people. It even led him to his girlfriend and to a starring role in major motion picture (OK, he played an extra in Creed II — but still).

Now, Gregor is giving back to the pogonophiles — or beard lovers — that have given him so much by hosting the Coalition of Beards Facial Hair Championship at Dave & Busters in Old City Saturday.

The championship features 14 categories ranging from mutton chops to best in show (giving it all makings for a Christopher Guest movie). There’s even categories for Whiskarinas — women who craft and wear fake beards — as well as best children’s creative beard and best service dog beard.

Winners get a trophy and bragging rights to the hairs on their chinny chin chins.

Scores will be recorded through an app from the Facial Hair League, which Gregor said is “The Library of Congress of beard competitions." Once in the app, people can follow the competition, view the competitors, and play in fantasy facial hair leagues.

Proceeds from the competition will go to Salvation of Sorrows Haircuts 4 the Homeless, a nonprofit which Gregor’s club often works with that provides haircuts to those experiencing homelessness.

Gregor expects as many as 70-80 competitors on Saturday from at least eight beard clubs, including the Bearded Villains of Pennsylvania, the Six O’clock Shadow Beard Club, and the Bearded Men’s Society of Ocean City.

In December 2018, Gregor cofounded his own beard club, Working Class Beards and Dames, which now has about 100 members from Iowa to Oklahoma and Peru to Pakistan.

Gregor’s is not the only beard club in Philadelphia, nor is this weekend’s championship the city’s first facial hair competition.

Two years ago, Gregor began his facial hair career on a dare when he entered the Philadelphia Beard Festival and won first in the full natural beard category. Today, he’s got at least 15 titles under his beard, including a first-place win at Remington’s National Beard and Mustache Championship in 2019 .

Gregor said he wanted to step up and carry the facial hair torch (just not too close to his own beard) to keep competitive bearding alive in Philly.

For this is a city that loves beards almost as much as it loves beer, both of which help cover up your true emotions and keep you warm during the winter.

“It’s part of that hardworking, blue-collar idea of the gritty city,” Gregor said of Philly’s love of beardos.

In 2018 Wahl grooming products named Philly as the most-facial hair friendly city in America, based on social media conversations and online searches.

“We saw an influx of women expressing their appreciation for whiskered men helping to tip the results for Philadelphia,” spokesperson Robyn Nowak said.

But last year, Philly came in like a weak, patchy beard at #10, having been ousted from the top spot by Chicago.

Despite those rankings, we know Philly still has plenty of pogonophiles.

And in light of an old CDC infographic recirculating because of the coronavirus, which shows what facial hair styles are suitable for face masks (the soul patch and Zappa are OK, but the chin curtain is right out), it’s now more important than ever to show our appreciation for all facial hair.

So we asked the City of Bearded Love for a few of its favorite Philly whiskers on Twitter.

From Bryce Harper’s home run beard to Jakub Voracek’s wonderful bushy bristles, Philadelphia athletes’ beards are as on point as their games.

Eagles Malcolm Jenkins and Jason Kelce both have fantastic facial hair — but if you don’t like it, they don’t care.

Over at the Sixers, Joel Embiid alternates between a full beard and a goatee, both of which are dribble-worthy.

And at the Union, midfielder Warren Creavalle keeps his facial hair tight and fresh while Kevin “The Velvet Thunder” Casey, PA announcer for the team, has a beard worthy of a fireside chat.

In the tradition of songwriter and Upper Darby native Jim Croce, who taught the world what a mustache is with his epic lip sweater, and singer Teddy Pendergrass, who defined divine bearding, Philly music lovers continue to be follicly in tune.

Philly natives Questlove and Black Thought keep their beards impeccably styled, right down to The Roots.

Philly rapper Freeway’s beard is so inspirational he wrote a song about it.

And several good citizens noted that WMMR DJ Pierre Robert’s beard — with its distinctive and distinguished shock of silver at the chin — is quite possibly the most recognizable in all of Philadelphia.

John Stanley, host of John’s Dollar Bin on WXPN, often gets mistaken for Pierre Robert, even though his dark and stormy beard is quite a bit longer.

Twitter can be a hairy place, but these fine Philadelphians make it a bit softer — and more stylish — with their luscious face locks.

Neil P. Bardhan, 38, of South Philly, credits his beard with helping him land his wife. He said they were “friendly acquaintances” when he was beardless, but after he grew facial hair, that changed.

“When I came back, she saw me and instantly thought ‘He is incredibly handsome with that beard,’” he said. “And was receptive to my asking her out.”

Mikey Ilagan 35, of Collingswood, asks his barber for haircuts to make him look like “a weird, eccentric supervillain” but he’s had a harder time trying to define his beard.

“Every couple years I try to grow some sort of facial hair and usually quit,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been somewhat satisfied with the results. I’d like to try growing it longer but I’m too impatient.”

He said his barber called his beard “unique.”

Kory Aversa, 46, of Northern Liberties, said the key to a good beard is products and beard oil that allow beard owners to “have some fun with shape and texture and smell."

“Right now I love my campfire scented beard oil for a touch of nostalgia,” he wrote.

Like ginger ale, ginger beards are sweet and effervescent. And in Philly, we are home to the best ginger beard in history — Gritty’s.

Fellow ginger beardo Christopher Sherman, 38, of the “Olde Richmond/Fishtown/No one Agrees” section of Philadelphia, said the arrival of Gritty changed the course of bearding for all gingers.

“We finally had our psychotic flaming whisker king,” said Sherman. “When I went to the Flyers game he looked right at me, stroked his long orange muzzle, and nodded with approval. It was my moment.”

B.J. Ellis, 38, lives in Berks County but performs in Philly with the improv comedy group, The N Crowd. He and his alternate persona “Colt Sebastian Taylor” have an epic ginger beard and they know how to work it.

“Whenever someone compliments me for my beard I say, thanks. I grew it myself," he said.

Philadelphia has elected some fine beards to represent it at all levels of government.

State Reps. Jordan Harris and Brian Sims both bring Philly beard swagger to Harrisburg.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman keep the facial hair game going strong all year long in the state capital.

From creating art to creating beard products, these Philly men are facial hair artists.

Edwin Desamour, 47, of Northeast Philly, said he’s “been in the beard game for a long time” and recently created the Desamour Club, his own line of products which are hand-mixed in Philly.

Edward “Philly Poe Guy” Pettit is a writer and researcher who could write the book on epic academic beards, a book that would be best read while wisely stroking one’s long whiskers.

And mosaic muralist Isaiah Zagar’s beard is almost as magical as his gardens.