Shaving in the green

St. Patrick's day has passed us by, and with it, many St. Baldrick's events have taken place. There are a lot of stories around the US about the big day.

In Alaska, firefighters went bald for the cause.

Kuiper thought the head-shaving gimmick sounded like a good idea after learning about it from Outside chapters of the Fraternal Order of Leatherheads.

"It's a new twist, something different, and we thought it would be kind of fun," Kuiper said. "It's never been done in Alaska before."

A bunch of students at St. Anthony's School went under the clippers, including some girls.

"See how inspiring this is?" Abigail's mother said as she took pictures of her daughter and others as they sat in the makeshift barber's chair in the school gym Friday morning. She said her daughter was "very excited with the choice she made and in making statements with her bald head."

She also commended her daughter's philanthropic action saying, "It is important to see our children standing up for what they believe in."

In Stevens Point, the event has been growing for several years.

The local St. Baldrick's event has grown from seven participants in its first year to 35 last year and more than 80 for 2005. Word-of-mouth has helped the event grow, organizers said.

There are too many great stories to list, of course, so I'll just add a link to Google News.

Congratulations to everyone who participated. This year's St. Baldrick's celebration has already broken some records. Way to go!