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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Latest on a contest naming the best beard in Vermont (all times local):
8:45p.m.
A contest to choose the man with the best beard in Vermont has given top honors to a man sporting mountain man-style facial hair.
The event benefits Make-a-Wish Vermont, the organization that helps grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Organizers say Saturday's contest brought in $45,000.
The contest's 2018 Top Beardie was Chip Fortune, of Colchester, whose unkempt beard won over the judges.
Other winners were: Troy Headrick, of Burlington, urban beard; Louie Coli, of Westford, freestyle beard; Dillon Mears, of Plainfield, people's choice; and Steve Jalbert, of Barre, top fundraiser.
They receive a plaque, a gift card for beard care products and bragging rights.
Celebrity judges included "the most interesting man in the world" Jonathan Goldsmith, who formerly promoted Dos Equis beer, and 2017's Top Beardie Bryan Sturge.
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11:38 a.m.
The man who made his fame as the "most interesting man in the world" while pitching Dos Equis beer is lending his expertise with his perfectly coiffed facial hair to judge a contest naming Vermont's best beard.
Jonathan Goldsmith, whose close-cropped beard was a key part of his persona as the cigar-smoking sophisticate, is judging Saturday's Best Beardies competition in Burlington. It's sponsored by the Vermont chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Montana's Make-a-Wish organization is also into the best-beard fray. Vermont is betting maple syrup against Montana's bison steaks it can find a better beard.
Top prize for the different categories are a plaque, a gift card for beard care products and bragging rights.
Last year's competition raised nearly $30,000 for Make-a-Wish. This year, organizers hope to raise more.
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