Annual "Shave-In" Mustache Bash kicks off at Corby's
SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- Corby’s Pub in South Bend hosted the 13th annual Shave-In event on Saturday where men shaved off their facial hair to start with a fresh face and it was all for a good cause.
The Shave-In is an opportunity for participants to start with a clean, fresh face before growing a mustache over the next 30 days.
The goal is to raise money for children who have suffered from burn injuries.
“It’s everything that I thought it was and always just puts a smile on my face,” said Joe Mittiga, Owner of Corby’s.
The Mustache Bash is a non-profit made up of Northern Indiana firefighters raising money for children of the Great Lakes Burn Camp, which is a unique place for burn victims to heal.
“It just makes you feel like a million dollars,” said Nick Miner, Lieutenant with Clay Fire. “You get to see these kids all riding on their own firetruck and they just get this huge welcome and we all get together and they’re just kids being kids and they have a good time and it’s just a wonderful feeling to be able to help them out.”
The Shave-In on Saturday is just a preview to the March 7 1950’s themed Mustache Bash. Items were previewed on Saturday that will be auctioned off at the Mustache Bash.
T-shirts, pint glasses and hats are also on sale to raise money for the children.
“It means more to me today than it did 10 years ago because I have three kids of my own,” said Mittiga.
Corby’s has hosted the Mustache Bash for years and the event continues to grow. When the non-profit meets back in March, participants will have full mustaches and compete for awards.
“Yeah we’ve raised over $80,000,” said Mittiga. “Last year he hit the $10,000 mark for just that year so it keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
A new generation of firefighters is on the rise to take over the event and said it means the world to continue the tradition for the community.
“I’m excited and honored to be able to take on this position,” said Jeromy Gerndt, Engineer with Clay Fire. “I mean for the people who have laid it out for me in the past, for them to come up to me and ask if I’d want to help run it was, you know, an honor in itself.”
With $80,000 raised to date for the Great Lakes Burn Camp, the Mustache Bash organization hopes to grow the event bigger than ever before, according to Gerndt.
“We would like to shatter that number and try to raise more to continue to top the year’s past,” said Gerndt.
The Mustache Bash will be held on March 7. For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page here.