Cool Cat(s): Bearded Sinners

Story by Angela Kyle, Photography by Dylan Gilbert

Bearding; It's a Verb and a Lifestyle

’Tis the season to decorate. Decorate the Christmas tree, the front door or yourself with an ugly holiday sweater. Impress your neighbors, friends and family and stand out among the grinches of the season. A touch of glitter, some baubles, ornaments and… unicorn clips? Forget decorating the tree, the hot trend this year is to decorate your beard. 

The Bearded Sinners Beard Club of Washington took the time to don the fun of the season using lights, ornaments, tinsel and unicorn clips. Adorning their beards is not a usual activity of the Bearded Sinners, this group focuses on local events in Ellensburg, volunteering in community service projects. 

Jake Johnson, Skylar Mcclintock and Roger DiGangi were up for the challenge of decorating their beards to bring awareness to what the Bearded Sinners do for our community and what they stand for. 

One of the many programs this group has volunteered with is Toys for Tots. An estimated 500 toys were collected and donated to local families this holiday season. “[The whole point of the Bearded Sinners is] getting the whole community involved,” says DiGangi. “The Toys for Tots program is by far my favorite event that the Bearded Sinners are a part of. It speaks to me, it’s a time for [families] to be happy.”

Another program this group hosts is the annual Poker Run event held around memorial day that benefits Elmview, a local in-home care organization, and the memory of a member that died in October 2018. “[We want to] get as many bikers together for the second annual Poker Run, which [consists of] 4-5 different bar routes where you collect your cards at each stop [to try] to get the best hand in the poker run,” says Mcclintock. 

Johnson was adamant that the goal of this group is to bring awareness and change the stigma for bearded men. “One goal, [of the Bearded Sinners], is to alleviate the stigma of being afraid of guys with beards. Eliminate [the idea] that rough, scary, tattoos, and size still scare people by changing that stigma.”

The list of community events and causes that this group has been involved in is inspiring. Hospice, veterans, scholarships, Toys for Tots, Elmview, and helping individual families in the local community are just a few of the programs the Bearded Sinners have supported. 

WATCH BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE PHOTOSHOOT, BELOW.

Bearded Sinner, Robert DiGangi

Regimen: conditions beard six times a week.

Bearded Sinner: Skylar Mcclintock

Skylar has won many awards including: Best under 6 inches, Ladies’ Man, Bearded Monkey, and Beard 2018.

Bearded Sinners Organization Leader: Jake Johnson

Morning Regimen: Shower, Comb, Towel dry, Blow dry, Comb out, Oil, Balm