Chins Up : Beard Contest and Chili Tasting Set Scene for Conejo Valley Days

Air Force engineer Jim Baker brought his dark and well-groomed beard all the way from Germany to take top honors Sunday.

He wore the softest beard of more than a dozen men competing in that category of the Whiskeroo Contest at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks, according to a handful of Miss Thousand Oaks princesses judging the event.

“I only joined because I wanted pretty ladies to rub my face,” joked Baker, a first-place ribbon dangling from his shirt. “I must have made a good impression.”

Baker, on leave from the military, decided to take part in the event after friends he is visiting in Thousand Oaks encouraged him. He was among six men whose strands of facial hair were recognized as the best in the area at the annual Whiskeroo Contest and Chili Cook-Off, a precursor to the 39th annual Conejo Valley Days.

The judges, five young women crowned Miss Thousand Oaks princesses before the contest, spent nearly an hour inspecting the beards and mustaches of dozens of entrants.

Choosing the best, fullest, scroungiest and softest beards and the best and most unusual mustaches was no easy task, however.

“It’s hard to pick because a lot of them are so soft,” said Shannon Cooper, a 20-year-old judge.

“The most unique mustache, that’s my favorite part,” Cooper said. “They get so creative with the way they curl. But there’s always one that stands out.”

A scandal of sorts broke out minutes after Roger Meade of Thousand Oaks was awarded the ribbon for sporting the most unusual mustache, an event he had won a year ago.

Organizers reviewing their notes discovered that another man--Roger Smith of Newbury Park--actually received more votes.

“It’s OK,” said Allan Erickson, who had organized the contest. “I know them both.”

Smith, who wears a smooth, gray beard and a partially waxed handlebar mustache, said he was thrilled to be honored.

“I heard them say ‘Roger,’ and I heard my number, but they made a mistake,” said Smith, who owns a wholesale tool company in the Conejo Valley. But, he said, Meade also “had a good-looking mustache, so I’ll forgive them.”

Other winners included Dan Overton of Thousand Oaks, best overall beard; Ernie Roberts of Agoura Hills, fullest beard; Vas Bedelis of Thousand Oaks, scroungiest beard, and Don Sever of Bend, Ore., best mustache.

While the judges struggled to find the best and worst facial hair, amateur chefs served up stirring renditions of chili, the 20th year local cooks have offered homemade blends of meat, sauces and spices.

Thousands of hungry festival-goers had to choose from special recipes with names like Mother Jugs Famous Chili, Cutthroat Chili and Aftershock Chili.

“This one’s delicious,” said Christina Mendoza, a 26-year-old accounting student from Los Angeles, tasting a cup full of Cosmos Chili. “I like the consistency. It’s got just the right amount of spices and sweetness.”

Mike Boecher of Encino said he had tasted half a dozen different blends of chili, and none had impressed him.

“I make it better myself,” the computer programmer said. “Some of these taste like they came out of a can.”

Simi Valley contractor Red Seifert said he made several trips to the beer truck to wash down more than a dozen cups of chili.

“We started at the top, and we’re making our way down, comparing them,” Seifert said. “But I haven’t found one better than JJ’s.”

The two men who cooked up gallons of the secret JJ’s stew were pleased to hear their chili was such a crowd pleaser.

“The meat we use is tri-tip,” said Jon Weigand, stirring a pot behind his booth with his cooking partner, Jeff Bayly. “And we grind our own Mexican chilies.”

Jerry Parsons of the Thousand Oaks Rotary Club, which sponsored Sunday’s event, said he expected to raise more than $45,000 from the contest and chili cook-off for local groups such as the YMCA and the Boy Scouts.

“This is the biggest fund-raiser we have all year,” he said. “But it’s grown and grown over the years.”

The annual Conejo Valley Days festival opens Wednesday with a carnival at Conejo Creek Park. It concludes Sunday with a rodeo.