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CRESTON — a new club has one simple and finite mission, and that is to promote facial hair.

The Wayne County Beard Association is a recently formed group that welcomes and celebrates men with beards.

The club is headed by President Craig Nolletti, and its three other founding members Daniel Berger, Seth Perkins and Scott Perkins. the four men work together at Whitefeather Meats and they started growing beards in July. In September, they decided to stop trimming them.

The men said they simply wanted to grow beards, and go beyond the typical trend of “no shave November.”

As the beards grew, so did their group. they set up a Facebook fan page in November and began attracting attention from other bearded men, as well as fans of facial hair. the page displays a logo for the group that features an image of Seth and Scott’s bearded father.

After the creation of the club, Beard Team Ohio, a statewide beard association, found them on Facebook and added them to their website as the northeast Ohio chapter. There are six other chapters in the state.

The founders aren’t sure exactly how many members are in the club currently, but many of the members are relatives or individuals they know through working at the butcher shop.

Serving as the club’s inspiration was the grandfather of Seth and Scott, who once sported a beard. He was a resident of Wadsworth during the town’s bicentennial. according to the men, it was requirement to have a beard during the bicentennial celebration. those who didn’t were fined.

“He’s our motivation,” Seth said.

Other members have their own motivation. Tim Elmerick said he started growing his beard as part of the Survivor challenge while he was a member of a Survivor fantasy team.

“I think it’s great,” Elmerick said.

“Obviously, men were meant to have beards,” Nolletti said. “Here, we’re a beard-friendly business.”

Nolletti explained those who work at Whitefeather Meats wear beard nets at all of the required times, although, they like to think of them more as “beard protectors.”

Since starting their beards, some of the men have faced criticism from the women in their lives.

“My wife hates it,” Elmerick said.

However, Nolletti feels until his wife lets him style and critique her hair, she should refrain from making comments about his.

Beard maintenance varies for all of the members, as some choose to trim and comb their beards while others prefer not to do anything at all. Nolletti, who has what most of the members consider to be the longest beard, doesn’t comb his naturally wavy beard, but does wash and condition it.

The members eventually would like to take part in some beard competitions. Right now, none has plans to shave, or even trim off, any of their hard work.

“If we keep growing beards, we’ll see what happens, Nolletti said.

For those who may be interested in joining the club, the members recommended to simply start growing your facial hair.

“If you’re considering growing a beard, just do it. Try it for a month,” Nolletti said.

“It’s the responsibility of all men to grow facial hair,” said member Andy Renner.

For more information about the club, Facebook members can find the club’s page under Wayne County Ohio Beard Association. For more information about Beard Team Ohio, visit beardteamohio.com.

Reporter Amanda Rolik can be reached at 330-287-1635 or .