Lake Country barber Frank Geber has certainly seen a lot of moustaches in his time.
Some are better than others, he admits, and some are downright dubious.
But the owner of Rooster’s Barber Shop is jumping into the moustache craze known as Movember with both feet this year and has kicked off a campaign to raise money for men’s health.
“Some people are very dedicated to the moustache, others they come and go, it’s a personal preference,” said Geber, the owner of Rooster’s Barber Shop in Lake Country.
“They come in all shapes and sizes. Some look good and some look really pathetic.”
This November, errr, Movember, Geber has jumped into the world-wide fund-raising initiative that has breathed new life into the moustache. Each year men are asked to grow a moustache and raise money and awareness for men’s health and specifically prostate cancer as part of the Movember movement.
At Rooster’s Barber shop, Geber provided free shaves on Nov. 1 for anyone who wanted to start the month off with a clean slate. He is also donating one dollar from every shave, cut or service he provides for the month of November. He will also have a donation jar at his shop for customers to help out.
“It’s a good cause,” said Geber. “I know customers of mine that have had prostate issues and friends that have had it. The trick is catching it early. By raising awareness with young people especially, it will help. When you are 20 you don’t think about it but when you are 40 and all of a sudden something is wrong…now you have to deal with it. It can happen to anybody.”
Not a moustache man himself, Geber was unsure as of the Calendar’s press deadline if he was going to grow some hair on the top of his lip this year. He’s done it in the past and said the trend towards growing moustaches, thanks to Movember, is a continuation of the ups and downs of men’s style.
“It goes through phases,” he said. “I remember in the ’80’s I used to work next to the RCMP station and I would say 80 per cent of them had moustaches. Now hardly anyone does. They come and go but you don’t see the big radical out of the ordinary moustaches that much anymore.”
You may see them this month though, as men around the Okanagan Valley have an excuse to let their whiskers grow.
If you want to support Frank Geber’s Movember campaign, drop by his shop in the Lakewood Mall.
You can find out more about Movember through www.movember.com.