EASTON, Pa. — How much money would you pay to shave a man’s beard?
This requires some context: How much money would you pay to help support “professional programs of emotional support, education and hope for people affected by cancer at no charge so that no one faces cancer alone,” all the while getting an opportunity to shave a beard?
Supportive patrons packed Pearly Baker’s Ale House in Centre Square on Tuesday night to see how much money could be raised in support of the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley by auctioning off the rights to shave several men’s beards in the aptly named “Beards for Breasts.”
“I have family history of breast cancer, and I myself have had cancer, so I thought, you know, it's a worthy charity. All I’ve got to donate is my beard."Beards for Breasts participant Mark Hinkle
The event, sponsored by St. Luke’s University Health Network and hosted by two-time breast cancer survivor Sarah Trimmer and Suddenly Samantha owner Stephen Flowers, held its seventh event in Easton, and raked in thousands of dollars in contributions from a philanthropic crowd.
The setup is pretty simple, Flowers explained: “We try to get 10 to 12, 13 guys who have beards — you wouldn’t recognize them without them — and we bring them up on stage, and Sarah and I auction them off.”
“Each guy that gets their beard auctioned, the highest bidder gets to shave them down, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley,” Flowers said.
“So it’s a great cause and a great organization, and we’re more than happy to help out — it’s just a hoot and a lot of fun.”
And it all happens live, on stage, in the bar, in front of everyone.
The growth of a movement
It all began nine years ago, when Trimmer was undergoing cancer treatment, and she went to see Flowers, who works as a hair stylist, to have her head shaved in anticipation of losing her hair during chemotherapy.
It turned into a bit of a spectacle, in which Trimmer had Flowers cut her hair into a few new styles as he shaved it down. Flowers also shaved his beard that year, raising money for cancer awareness, as well.
“When the following year rolled around, I didn’t want to shave my head again — so we started shaving beards instead,” Trimmer said.
Trimmer credited CSCGLV and St. Luke’s as being “instrumental in my recovery and healing,” she said.
“So that’s why we really like to give back, and St. Luke’s has been an awesome partner in backing us for giving back to the Cancer Support Community,” Trimmer said.
Chuck Shermer said he has participated in the auction since 2018, growing his majestic facial hair over a two-year period to reach the lengths of Gandalf, the "Lord of the Rings" protagonist.
“I did it because one of my friend’s husband had done it,” Shermer said.
“Her husband has since passed away, but he did it, and I had a long beard, so I decided that I wanted to do it. It’s a cause that I think is important to most people because most people have been touched by cancer in one way or another.”
Mark Hinkle said Tuesday’s auction was his second event, and he came prepared, with his beard dyed bright pink — the breast cancer awareness ribbon color.
“I have family history of breast cancer, and I myself have had cancer, so I thought, you know, it's a worthy charity," Hinkle said. "All I’ve got to donate is my beard.
“Last year, I did it with my son, and we raised around $300, I think. It was my son’s first beard, and so we did tag-team thing.”
Beards, brass and more
As the evening kicked off, Trimmer managed to really whip the crowd into a frenzy of philanthropy — in addition to throwing in a few bucks herself — which amounted to more than $11,000 in contributions from the auction and previous fundraising alone.
And that’s without proceeds from the Beard Bucket — yes, it was a bucket with a giant beard — in addition to a raffle and merchandise sales, as well as specialty beer and cocktail sales.
Singing the praises of these brave men — with a few spicy comments not fit for this article thrown in for good measure — Trimmer was a master showman for the evening, weaving in a few unexpected twists and turns.
Jerry Hertz, who had already raised over $2,000 for the cause prior to the auction, showed up in a SCUBA suit for the event. The costume certainly helped, with Hertz raking in $1,000 more during the auction.
One of those included an impromptu performance from the Big Easy Easton Brass, who crammed into the pub for a lively performance, after which bearded saxophonist Steve Becker was put up in the auction, taking in $550 for the cause.
His compatriots even played just outside the pub as he was sitting down for a shave, adding some spectacle to a lively evening.
It may have been inspiring enough to prompt another of his bandmates to participate later, bringing in $305 more for the cause.
No splitting hairs
And then there was the record-breaker.
Once Shermer hit the stage, all bets were off — or rather, on — leading to him losing his epic, wizard-like beard for the price of $2,210.
But it was worth it, as he said before the auction he would have been satisfied with $1,000. Besides, it'll be back for another round in about two years, he said.
Bidding in the auction was communal: Anyone could add into the pool after the first bet is placed, and the whole room is encouraged to throw a few bucks in to push the pot to the maximum amount.
In the end, it wasn't about who actually places the winning bet and gets to shave the beard — often, Trimmer would select the “winner” who got the honor — it was about having fun while raising funds for a good cause.
As the evening wore down, the band took a break, and the now-beardless gentlemen who partook in the event got a trim outside from Lifestyle Barbershop workers, you could still feel the energy in the air.
Cancer survivors, those who saw their friends and loved ones suffer through it, all appeared jovial, enjoying a fun time that would see dozens, if not hundreds, of lives supported and saved thanks to their contributions.
But the fight is never over, Trimmer said. So anyone interested in supporting the cause who may have missed Beards for Breasts still can pitch in.
“We do have some online donation pages," Flowers said. "If you go to the Cancer Support Community website, you can find the Beards for Breasts campaign, so folks can donate there and help support us supporting them.”
And you don’t even have to shave to help.
