Cate’s Column #6

Swansea Scratching

I have an idea for a fun, furry fundraiser, providing you gentlemen don’t mind being a little itchy.

Autumn 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the filming of Day of the Wolves, a movie shot in nearby Lake Havasu City and Swansea copper mining ghost town.

The plot involves a mysterious and greedy mastermind who recruits distant thieves to rob an entire town. None of the thieves know each other and are instructed to grow big beards before being transported to a remote desert area [Swansea] for training. Full, thick, bushy facial hair is the thieves’ disguise — from the town folks as well as each other.

Now, here is the fundraising part: In honor of the film’s 40-year anniversary, what about a beard-growing contest in October after summer’s heat? Say, $20 buys a place in the contest and the pot could be raised by gents confident in their face-fluffing abilities. Our local historical societies could benefit, or any organization that steps up and organizes this Day of the Wolves Scratch to Raise Scratch event.

A search on Wikipedia shows Day of the Wolves is no longer under copyright protection. That means it is public domain — perhaps we can find a place to show the movie, the fellas can show off their fur and the audience could cast Best Beard Ballots. Winner takes half the pot. No stage beards!

Beard growing is beyond my skill-set, but fellas, does this sound like fun? [scratch, scratch, scratch]

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Cate Mueller is a web designer, editor, reporter and photographer in Bouse, Arizona. To visit her website, click here.