NIGHTLIFE
by ROBERTA MCDONALD


Lasso some wacky western entertainment
Unofficial Stampede fun with moustaches, testicles, samosas and veterans


While some Calgarians embrace the 10 booze-fuelled days of Stampede with hearty yahoos and painted-on Wranglers, a good chunk find the constant yipping and kiyaying gets tiresome. But don’t despair – from the St. Louis Hotel to the downtown Legion, there’s no shortage of unique events to make you slap on your chaps and holler, "Giddyup."


MOUSTACHE BASH

For the last nine years, PG has made a mockery of facial hair with his annual Moustache Bash, an event that has grown from modest beginnings at his home to full-scale pub crawl, complete with clippers. For several weeks prior to the first Saturday of Stampede, he and his mates grow as much facial hair as possible, then shave off any traces of beards and leave only their moustaches.

Affectionately known as the "Stachepede," PG and fellow moustachioed partiers start the day off with a makeshift float at the Bowness parade, then spend the afternoon comparing their growth and selecting the Rookie of the Year. By nightfall, everyone is rounded up and herded onto an all-moustache express.

PG says strutting into Molly Malones and other establishments creates quite a stir. "I think it scares girls when they first see us come in," he says. "A pack of staches is quite a sight." Clipper-wielding sentinels stand ready to enforce the rules: no beards or goatees, and all hair must be trimmed to the upper lip line. In short, no handlebar moustaches for this crew. Freddy Mercury would be dismayed. For more information, go to www.stachepede.com.

FFWD - Calgary's News & Entertainement Weekly