It is with great sentimentality and appreciation that we here at Stache World officially announce the end of Mustache-A-Thon 4.  It was a delight, my friends, an unadulterated delight.

In the end, our intrepid growers raised over $9000 for the inspiring, creative, and TOTALLY FREE educational programming that 826michigan offers to area students.  The final stache weigh-in at Arbor Brewing Company was charged with an atmosphere of respect, camaraderie, and mustachery.  For many, the event marked the poignant end of a noble mustache.  For a dedicated few, it was only the beginning of a lifelong obsession.

Stache World would like to give special recognition to this year’s top fundraisers: Jim Dowling, Dylan Goings, Sarah Johnson, and Andrew Juhl.  Kudos to you!  Kudos to the philanthropic souls who made your mustaches towering bastions of literacy!

So, until next year, Stache World would like to remind you of the MOST IMPORTANT thing about mustaches: they grow on you.

Greetings Mustache Fans!

This week our M-A-T weigh-in at Arbor Brewing Company was especially exciting, as it was the celebrity look-a-like photo contest!  Take a gander at our growers page to get a sense of the pure, unadulterated, stache-magic.

Stache grower Dan Newman / Larry Bird provides this dramatic account of the proceedings:

The Monday, April 5th Mustache-a-thon Mustache Weigh-In Celebrity Photo Contest
By Larry Bird and Dan Newman

Roughly 9pm, Amanda Uhle demands attention from the crowd of mustache growers and friends.  “We are announcing the winners of the look-a-like contest,” she announces in her announcer voice.  “Grand,” I say to myself, “after the good reception my costume has received from all-star fundraiser Dylan Goings, and several other upstanding individuals, I am sure to receive a prize”.  But, like Larry “the Legend” Bird, you are never guaranteed a win.

Flashback to the 1985 NBA Finals, Game 6.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar puts up 29 points.  I go 12 for 29; my elbow can’t take it.  We lose the championship.  Next year, I tell myself.  Next year.

“Third place,” Amanda announces, again in her announcer voice, “to the military fatigue wearer.” “I can understand that,” I say to myself.  I sit alone in Arbor Brewing Company, talking to myself, looking for approval from others.  This contest is my only way out from my solitude.  My loneliness.  Will I find my escape?

Flashback to the 1986 NBA Finals, again Game 6.  I receive the Finals MVP, and my third consecutive league MVP award.  I averaged 24 points, almost 50% shooting.  Another championship ring.  Will I ever achieve this greatness again?

“Second place,”  Amanda declares, in her declarative voice, “to the Frida Kahlo character.” “I did like that costume,” I whisper in my mind.  I receive stares from the other bar patrons.  Did I say that out loud?  Do they know something I don’t?  The secret to meaningful relationships?  The winner of first place in the look-a-like contest?

Flashback to the 1987 NBA Finals, and another trying Game 6.  We were winning 56-51 at the half.  However, Magic and Kareem took over in the second half, and we lost 106-93.  Heartbreak.

“First place,” Amanda dictates from the decision passed down to her, “to the Art Garfunkel character”.  Heartbreak.  I now know what it means to lose in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.  So close to achieving greatness, yet it all means nothing in the end.  I drink from my oversized No Parking Pilsner, in my dark corner.  I ask the questions anyone else would in this situation; why, how, who?  No one is there to answer them.  It is my mustache and I, against the world.  “Next year,” I tell it.  It bristles with virulence.

Well I can’t say I’m happy with the outcome of the contest, I respect the decision of the judges.  But in the end, it’s not about who had the best costume during an 826 fundraiser.  It’s about all the great programs 826 runs.  And even though Larry Bird may have lost to military fatigue wearer, Frida Kahlo, and Art Garfunkel, at least everyone can agree that Paul Simon would have beaten any of those characters.

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That’s it for this week.  Tune in next week for the FINAL UPDATE of Mustache-A-Thon 4!  Also, seeing as how this is the last week of the ‘A-Thon, you might as well pitch in a few bucks!

Hello mustache boosters!

Just 24 days ago, our mustache growers were clean-shaven.  Their faces were like the snow-blank landscape of winter: dormant, featureless, lacking any notable life.  And now, and NOW, dear friends, a warm and encouraging mustache-spring has most certainly arrived.  Prepare to nod your heads in agreement as you marvel at the elegant, captivating staches on our growers page.

Mustaches THIS good-looking can only mean one thing… our ‘A-Thon is nearing it’s end!  Only two weeks of “Follicle Fever” remain until our growers will (hopefully not) shave and return to their facial habits of preference.

If you haven’t yet, please donate!  Remember, the Mustache-A-Thon supports 826michigan’s valuable two-fold mission of improving young people’s academic performance AND inspiring them to new heights of creativity and personhood.

Greetings lip-hair lovers!

This week, we’re continuing our interview series with Mustache Grower Extraordinaire of M-A-Ts past, Josh Cohen.  Read on for some not-to-be-missed fundraising tips!

SW: Hi there, Josh, and welcome!  Why don’t we start off with introductions.  We are, of course, Stache World.  You are…

JC: I am Josh Cohen… father, ecologist, and mustache philanthropist.

SW: Delightful!  Here at Stache World we find all forms of philanthropy not related to mustaches dreadfully boring.  And you, sir, are quite the mustache philanthropist, holding the current record for most lucrative stache grower of all time!  Well, besides John D. Rockefeller, but he died before Mustache-A-Thon was born.  How did you earn your distinction?

JC: I launched a multi-media, multi-generational campaign fueled by obnoxious, shameless persistence.

SW: Sounds like a presidential election, but with a mustache.  How exciting!  Pretend that you’re not talking to Stache World and that we have NO IDEA about the Mustache-A-Thon.  How would you get us interested?

JC: How can you not be interested in 826michigan? Youth literacy, mustaches, and robots together at last! Honestly, it was easy raising funds for 826: they have so many great free programs and dedicated volunteers helping kids every day.

SW: Yes.  They are much more successful than our cousin Harold’s non-profit, which has many dedicated kids helping robots with great free mustaches.  What was your favorite fundraising tactic?

JC: I was part of the West Side ‘Stache farmers, a mustache intelligentsia dedicated to mustache growth and consciousness. Inspired by our mustaches, we delved into creative endeavors to further mustache awareness, including a collection of mustache haikus and a thought-provoking film on mustaches.

SW: We hope there are some current growers reading!  It sure would be great to see more mustache-themed creative endeavors in the near future.  Just one last question: if you could choose one mustachioed historical figure to be your best friend, who would it be?

JC: Tough question, Burt Reynolds and Sam Elliot come to mind but I have to go with Salvador Dali.

SW:  Surreal.  Well, Josh, it’s been a delight!  Thanks so much for your time.

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That’s it for this week!  Stay tuned for Monday’s update to our grower profiles!

-SW

Greetings Stache Fans!

As we draw ever nearer the 15 day milestone, our growers are finding themselves with more and more hair on their lips.

“Oh my,” some fret, “what ever will I do with all this EXTRA hair?”

Great news!  I asked my old friend, Mario, to give you some suggestions:

Here at Stache World, we’ve always found the term “stache farmer” quite delightful.  It has a certain productive connotation that we can dig.

Never have our heroic Mustache-A-Thoners been more akin to farmers than NOW, the “dirt stache” phase.  Of course, you are probably here because there’s a certain grower who directed you to us to make a donation.  Kudos!  Please, go about your business.  But when you’re done, we Highly Recommend that you take a look at our “farmers” page to see ALL the awkward, adolescent mustaches.

This week’s Mustache-A-Thon meeting, by the way, was an unparalleled delight.  People willing to sacrifice their upper lips for charity tend to be very witty and charming.  Go figure.

Also, former 826michigan Volunteer of the Month and Board Member Don Woods was ALMOST ARRESTED by former 826michigan Interim Executive Director and Board Member Angela Kujava, but luckily he presented his philanthropic mustache growing license (yes, they exist – ask a farmer) in the nick of time!

My friends, the 2010 826michigan Mustache-A-Thon has officially begun!

Our opening hair-a-monies were a smashing success.  After spending many hours scrubbing each follicle to the point of shining-with-glee, our growers met at the Arbor Brewing Company at 8:26 to present their upper lips for weigh-in.  Before long, the room was absolutely packed with eager, clean-shaven faces.

The group settled in with their (free) beer and good cheer and got to know their comrades-in-mustache.  Waxen mustaches were distributed to those growers interested in prosthesis.  They tasted like grapes.

Before too long, 826michigan’s Executive Director, Amanda Uhle, addressed the gathered growers with encouragement and fundraising tips.  A torch was passed from one generation of compassionate Mustache-A-Thoner to the next.

Please visit our Growers page to take a look at this year’s M-A-T participants!  If you think a particular face has especial potential for an epic stache, feel free to donate.  Don’t forget, 100% of the funds raised go to support 826michigan’s broad range of creative writing and literacy programs for students between 6-18!

No big deal, but we’re kind of in the news.

We’ve begun our Incredibly Exciting lead-up to the 4th annual Mustache-A-Thon!  There is a more-electric-than-usual buzz going around 826 as volunteers steel themselves for the adventure that is growing a mustache for five weeks.  Lips are quivering.  Razors are glistening.  Pocketbooks are going through that despondent state which tends to precede falling madly in love.

Potential ’stache growers, this is the PERFECT TIME for you to get on board!  Please consult the following checklist to determine your eligibility:

• Do you have strong feelings about the imminent robot takeover?
• Do you believe that children (or robots) are the future?
• Are you compelled by the freedom of creative expression?
• Are you excited by the notion of fundraising for the hippest non-profit since Earth’s yellow sun?
• Do you like free beer?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions – your face is probably itching for a mustache.  Check out our recruitment flier!  Don’t forget to contact Amanda Uhle.

By the way, we’ve lined up some pretty awesome sponsors this year.  If you’re interested in sponsoring this year’s M-A-T, please contact Amanda Uhle.