In May 1939, the Fourth of July committee in Crescent City, Calif., chose pirates as its celebration theme, complete with treasure hunts, parades, water and land sports, and a mussel feed.
Things got rowdy after the committee decreed a month earlier that whiskers and costumes were compulsory, warning, “Wear ‘Em or Else.” Men were to stop shaving by June 1 and train their beards in many shapes and designs. Those who refused to participate would be dealt by a panel of “whiskerino” judges. A stockade was erected on Second Street.
When a group of men opposed to growing whiskers organized under the name “Slickers,” two were seized, handcuffed to a telephone pole and whiskers painted on their faces.
In return, Slickers stole the Whiskerinos’ stockade and captured and shaved several bearded men.
Mutual shaving attacks and whisker paintings escalated. A truck with a barber chair cruised up and down the streets, and even some bearded tourists were forcefully sheared.
To settle the feud, organizers lifted the whisker-growing mandate and scheduled a softball game between the two sides.
Whiskers were not compulsory the following Fourth of July.
Source: "Whiskers or Uniform, Edict for Celebration." Reflections of Del Norte County, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 8-9
