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AROUND PRINCETON: St. Patrick’s Day, the long and short of it

Staff photos by Phil McAuliffe

The wearin’ o’ the green!
   The Alchemist & Barrister Restaurant & Pub in Princeton presented its 29th Longbeard Contest, an annual part of its St. Patrick’s Day party since 1980. In addition to celebrating with bagpipers, traditional Irish music by Langaroo, and Irish food and drink, some 25 local men competed for the title of Longbeard Champion. The men registered, clean shaven, on Feb. 1, and gave a gift to the William E. Baker Family Trust, which raises awareness of spinal cord injuries.
    “The man who grows the longest beard will be declared the winner and have bragging rights for the coming year,” says A&B’s manager Tom Yermack, himself a three-time champ.
    Prizes were given for the shortest, grayest, reddest, ugliest, handsomest and most creative beards. Contest judges were from Mike’s Barbershop, a Witherspoon Street neighbor.