TAFT, Calif. -- It's a rite of passage for the men of Taft that takes place every five years, as hundreds take part in growing the town's best beard.

The Whiskerino competition kicked off with dozens of men getting a clean shave, so that everyone can get a fresh start to grow the city's best beard.

"It's an excuse to not shave my face for ten months," said Brian Kovach as he got a shave at Wildcats Barber Shop on Harrison Street in Ford City.

"For me, I don't think it's going to be a problem, but for my wife, she's going to have a problem with it."

The Whiskerino kicks off a year of festivities for the Taft Oildorado Days to be held in October. The party is held every five years, and harkens back to the days of the Wild West.

"The Whiskerino kicks off Oildorado, it gets everyone thinking about Oildorado and they can't wait for Oildorado because it's ten days of fun," said Jim Swearengin, the contest coordinator.

In a competition that has featured red, white and blue beards, waxed mustaches curled at the tip, and Taft dyed into the beard, the guys are trying to come up with new ways to manage their manes.

"I'm going to have to figure out how to adorn it, and how to make it original. Maybe I'll put some chicken bones in it and stuff," Kovach said.

"It's not going to be pretty," Brock Flanigan added as he signed up at Dale's Barber Shop. "It'll be pretty shaggy, multi-colored, and no one wants to see that."

Having a beard or buying a badge in its place could make the difference between enjoying the Oildorado Days or having to answer to the Oildorado sheriff.

"I make sure that everyone has a beard that I can hang my clip off of, or if they don't have a smoothpuss badge, I'll put them in my jail," Billy Smith, the Oildorado sheriff, said.

"And they'll have to drive around in the jail and pay their bail to get out and buy their badge."

For the men who have been in the Whiskerino before, they have some words of wisdom for those mastering the art of facial hair.

It's itchy, hot, but a lot of fun," Richard Waugh, a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, said. "It's a big thing for the town. I know people that have come here that have wondered what the heck is going on with people walking around with beards and guns and all that, so it's good clean fun."

In true Wild West fashion, the prize for winning the Whiskerino is not cash, but a belt buckle. The winners are selected during Oildorado in October.