There are only 5 short days until clean shave day and my follicles are tingling.

A few tips to make the most of your clean shave week:

• Update your facebook status to say “I am growing a mustache for Mustaches for Kids. Clean Shave day is Octover 30.” and share the m4kottawa.org link with your buds
• Download and print the poster for your office/apt building/cave/etc. Big ups to Ben Watts for this year’s poster design.
• Forward this email along to all those guys who last year said ” hey, that’s a bitchin’ stache, can I grow next year”
  

If you haven’t already, please sign up. Most importantly get the m4k rookies to sign up so I can get them on the list.

If you missed last week’s email, you can read it here.

See you on Friday.

This week we will again meet at the Clocktower at 8pm. Look for us upstairs as there is another function downstairs. Pictures will be taken, beers will be drank, and the regular tomstachery will ensue.

But how goes the pledging? Great, to hear it. If you’re anything like me you probably sent out an email to friends, family, colleagues, clients, enemies, ex-girlfriends, etc. You may get the occasional response like “I made a donation through Pay Pal. It is more of a sympathy donation for the difficulties you have in growing a moustache rather than for your success. Nevertheless, the cause is worthwhile and I should not penalize the charity because of your problems. Cheers!”. But you wouldn’t be doing this if you can’t have a chuckle at yourself.

Stache bash — t minus 15 days and counting.

That’s all folks. Over and out. Good hunting. See you on Friday.

Brett Tackaberry

We are now at the end of week 2. The stache crop is look good this year, we will have a full harvest – well grown fellows, well grown.

Like I mentioned last week, if you haven’t started, get a leg up on pledging. PLEASE NOTE, We have an additional request this year, take the cash (not the cheques) you have raised and write one check (made out to Make-a-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario) or send the money electronically. This will help greatly on the administrative side of things. Still keep tally of your donations on the pledge sheet as this is used for totals and tax receipts.

Now the fun part: Are you ready for The Stache Bash? Do you have your costume picked out? -Get it ready.

Here are the details for the venue to pass along to friends, family, mistresses, etc:

Friday, December 5, 2008 (Doors 7pm)
Zaphod Beeblebrox
http://www.ZaphodBeeblebrox.com
27 York Street, Ottawa, Canada.

And Eugene has set up a facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=45620255549

Last but not least, a big thanks to Beca and Viller for taking photos. — funny thing about Mike’s camera, the pictures were all blurry, and there were two of every stache.

Thats it. See you Friday.

Good growing,
Brett Tackaberry

Thanks to a couple early donations from some old time friends.

Word has it that Jose and friends at Joe Mama’s will be participating again.

Of course, the guys at the Clocktower will be joining in once again. Thanks to Bill and the guys at Bank Street and Brett at the Beechwood location.

We are happy to announce the FOURTH ANNUAL MUSTACHES FOR KIDS MUSTACHE GROWING CONTEST AND FUNDRAISER. This letter is your official call-to-’stache, a rallying cry for those dormant whiskers and that sense of charity and righteousness within us all.

Last year we raised $15,000 for Make-a-Wish Foundation putting our all time total up to $30,000. This year let’s come together and show this city the real meaning of growing a mustache.

If you’re on our mailing list you probably know by now that Mustaches for Kids is a volunteer-run organization started in Los Angeles in 1999 to do good and have fun by growing Mustaches for children’s charities. Collectively, our chapters across the US and Canada have raised hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the kids.

This year we are asking Growers to step up to the ‘Stache and help the Ottawa chapter of M4K raise money for the MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION of EASTERN ONTARIO. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

The proceeds from our 2007 fundraising efforts went towards granting wishes to Victoria, Jakob and Michael.

That warm fuzzy feeling that extends from your gut to a tingle in the upper lip is telling you something: you want to help us. The least you can do is grow a Mustache, right? That’s what we thought.

The first thing to do is get a marker, open your calendar, turn to FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, and write ‘M4K CLEAN SHAVEN DAY’. We’ll be gathering at the Clocktower Brew Pub on Bank Street around 8pm to kick off the 2008 Mustache Growing Season and to distribute Mustache growing and fundraising materials. If you’re on Facebook, check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=34126296497 (or search for m4k and look for the red poster). Feel free to share the event with anyone you might think would be interested.

To officially check in REGISTER.

The next thing you do is send an email to anyone you know who 1) might want to grow a Mustache or 2) might know someone who might want to grow a Mustache. So that’s pretty much everyone. M4K depends on word-of-stache enthusiasm and you wouldn’t want to be the person who ruins the vibe, now would you?

Please let us know if you’d like to be removed from this mailing list. More importantly, feel free to send along our web address to friends who might want to be kept up to date about our efforts and activities.

The follicles are tingling in anticipation.

Posted by Brett Tackaberry

A big thanks goes out to all participants and supporters of M4K. Special thanks to Brett, Bill and the guys at the Clocktower Brew Pub, Jose Bray at Joe Mamma, Operativ, Thornley Fallis and 76design. Thank you and much respect to Sylvie Hill for hosting the best Stache Bash Ottawa has ever seen.

I know I speak for all growers when I say we can’t wait till next year.

Yours truly,
Brett Tackaberry

Some photos courtesy of Dan Brien from Stache Bash 2007:

‘Stache Bash Finale? What the heck!?

Double Pumpers go on at 10pm.

Events on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=15037470396

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9237010618

“We filled the basement portion of the Clock Tower with growers and sig. others. Lots of new faces this year. I met several rookie growers who were there on the recommendations for previous growers, some word-of-mouth newbies, and even some walk-ins as a result of posters around Ottawa….incredible.”

Brings a tear to my eye… that runs down the space between my cheek and nose into a very young mustache.

To all new growers: welcome aboard! To help you get started here’s some important information you should know:

1. First thing, grab the 2007 growers kit (PDF). It’s got all the info you’ll need to grow a ‘stache and help raise pledges for M4K. A great bathroom read or take it on your daily commute.
2. Secondly, keep an eye on the photo gallery. For two reasons: it’s a hilarious documentation of a group of grown men growing mustaches from scratch and because we have a lot of photos of new growers who we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet… or at least knowing your names. We’ll be posting Friday’s photos over the next couple of days. If you click on your photo and we’ve got you down as “unidentified” please take a second to email info AT m4kottawa.org to let us know who you are. Attaching your photo would help.

Any and all questions, queries, comments or cookie recipes can be sent to info AT m4kottawa.org. We want you to grow with us!