October is known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The following month is known as No Shave November. While men vow not to shave for an entire month, they draw attention to prostate and testicular cancer. At least 10 individuals, in Cornwall, have volunteered to give up the razor including the town supervisor, police chief, and eight officers.
Supervisor Randy Clark woke the morning of Nov. 3 and couldn’t find a razor. He planned to purchase one and shave that afternoon before the Town Board meeting, but he never made it to CVS.
Having already missed a day, Clark decided to skip the rest of the month and challenge the rest of the board to participate in No Shave November.
“After watching Al Roker and Matt Lauer last year and this year, they were having a good time with it, so I thought I could lighten the mood a little bit.”
Coincidentally, when Clark picked up the folder for the work shop meeting, he noticed a memo from Police Chief Todd Hazard requesting the board consider suspending the no facial hair policy for the department. As a paramilitary organization, officers are only permitted to have a mustache.
The board granted the request, but a $25 donation had to be made to the American Cancer Society in order to participate. Hazard was joined by Sgt. Douglas Schofield and officers Joseph Ricco, Steven Bedetti, Edward Manion, Jeffrey Marinan, Daniel Maher, and Michael Suttlehan.
Hazard said it’s the longest he’s gone without shaving and he doesn’t even have a thick beard like some of the younger officers. He admitted the hairs are coming in gray, but the benefit is it provides additional camouflage for his face when he goes hunting.
Clark said the last time he let his facial hair grow out was in 1981 when he was away on a month-long trip during college. Back then his beard came in blond, but now is showing various shades of gray.
“Some people like it,” Clark said. “The dog hates it. When she goes to lick my face, and her tongue hits the beard, she’s like a kid licking a lemon.”
Clark predicts in the final weeks people will be laughing at him so hard they’ll be making donations just to get him to shave.
Other town residents who have vowed not to shave this month include Hector Torres and Jim Kline