This event has passed, but whoa — this awesome community of stache-donners and -lovers and arm wrestling fans helped raise $5,858 for Habitat for Humanity of Durham’s Women Build. Click here for pics of the event.

On April 30 from 2-5PM, LUEWWD is partnering again with Bull McCabe’s to bring you LUEWWDstache: Beauty and the Brawn, part deux. Proceeds from this event will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Durham’s Women Build.

This event is being sponsored by MAYDNEW DJ and Event Planning, Phunco, Durty Bull Brewing, William Travis Jewelry, NicholsonPham, Urban Durham Realty, Culture Hair Studio, Heather Garrett Interior Design and the Tranquility Company, and an additional anonymous donor. Additional in-kind donations have been provided by Adam & Eve, Carolina Beard Company, and the Scrap Exchange.

Join us for a Sunday Funday on the lawn where the beauty of men’s* beard and mustache competition meets the brawn of women’s* arm wrestling!

*A note about gender: LUEWWDstache is not HB(eard)2 and we are not policing your pants, just your whiskers – nuff said!

For the beauty portion, contestants will compete in the following categories. For the brawn, we will have four women wrestlers competing in an abbreviated LUEWWD bracket.

1. In the LUEWWD, aka Au Naturale Leave your styling aids in your kit. It’s back to basics for these Au Naturale competitors. They can oil it, brush it, comb it, clean it, and condition it but don’t overdo it – the beauty of these facial coiffures is as natural as the feeling you get skinny dipping in the Eno.  
2. The LUEWWD Coiffure, aka Styled and Secured A LUEWWDbush and a LUEWWDstache with some, let’s say, enhancements. Contestants can use styling aids to pump up and hold your curlies but no pins, barrettes, or extensions to give the extra boost.
3. LUEWWD Fantasy, aka Facial Art Use your imagination to design either a realistic rendering of a beard and mustache or your fantasy facial art made out of the material you always wanted rubbing up against your cheeks.
4. Best in Show, aka Shake the Moneymaker We will also choose Best in Show from the LUEWWDstaches and LUEWWDbushes in the contest. To win this most coveted prize, you need to be everyone’s favorite…and by that, we mean you need to earn the crowd’s dollars. The contestant with the most money raised by the end of the contestant will win!

Registration for beard and mustache is $10 in advance and $15 day of. Register here!

Interested in watching? Bring $5 and some friends!

Want to get involved or sponsor the event? Email info@luewwd.com

Like PYO on Facebook too!

Other posts related to PYO:

Meet young writer and brand new college student Natasha

Giselle and Julissa: Siblings benefit from PYO and community mentors

Have you been thinking about ways to meet cool people in within the Durham?

Do you secretly wish that Halloween was more than once a year so you can find another reason to dress in costume?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk in Sylvester Stallone’s footsteps in “Over the Top”? (sorry, we can’t make that dream come totally true… “over the top” is an illegal move in arm-wrestling… we could photoshop you into a supercool monster truck!)

Do you want to be a multi-tasking wizard by simultaneously raising funds for your community and having a ton of fun with your friends?

Here’s a key question: Are you free on September 20th, 2014 and could you make your way to Social Games and Brews in Durham?

LUEWWD XI: First in Fight is coming up really soon (September 20th) and we are looking for new contestants! This means that you (yes, YOU!) would put on a costume, hop on the stage, and arm wrestle for charity. And you get to pick four of your friends to be your official entourage. It’s that easy!

Absolutely NO EXPERIENCE is necessary. We’ll get more details to you if you’re interested.

LUEWWD XI’s beneficiary organization is Durham First In Families – check them out!

Please contact us at contestant@luewwd.com.

Want more event details? Keep checking back here and Like Us on Facebook

Every Sunday following a LUEWWD event, the organizers and other LUEWWD family members gather in the morning to clean up the venue, piece together the night before, and then relive the event highlights over brunch. Needless to say, as we sipped our mimosas and bloody marys at Alivia’s this past Sunday, there were plenty of moments of unstoppable laughter and lots of talk about what a fun and successful night it was. Thank you to everyone who made it happen! Pictures are just a click away!

And if we polled LUEWWD fans and asked what images will forever be burned in their collective memory from LUEWWD X: We Deliver!, we’re pretty sure they’d say the same things we did. Here are a few:

•  The bedazzled baby bottle brassiere donned by emcee Marilyn Manho and her glittered diaper skirt that she sold for a donation of $200
•  The awkward gesticulations of It’s Pat who was flanked by iconic Saturday Night Live characters
•  The moment when Lady Arm-A-Geddon dropped to her knee to present her husband with her heart (literally, the rubber bloodied heart around her neck) to show her appreciation for the $500 donation he made to support her in honor of their wedding anniversary (ladies and gentleman, eat your hearts out)
•  The tousled armpit hairs of La French Wrestle-lution as she rode in on the shoulders of her entourage members and strutted her stuff on stage
•  The stiletto-booted Belle Dominique Tryst whipping her caged entourage with her cat o’nine tails
•  The menacing Inmate 27701 in her orange jumpsuit glaring at opponents and showing off her “guns” all the while under the watchful eye of Officer Fur Pelton John
• Death Knight donning chainmail and slaying dragons on the stage
•  Referee Sassy McKlassy calling the shots at the table and not bending to the pressure from Inmate 27701’s legal counsel
• “Doc” from Sponsor Triangle Brewing Co. raising funds from the crowd to match his pledge toward an open table match between brewer Vicky and two-time former contestant LeeAnn
•  The $100 donation to see the Baby Hands wrestle a hand puppet beaver
•  The thrashing about of Heavy Metal Mama and her head-banging entourage
• Sponsor MAYDNEW keeping it fresh for the many, many, many dance-offs that kept being selected by the Stalemate Wheel
•  The time when judge Robert Bland announced that fellow judge Kaferine de Nerve (of the Beaver Queen Pageant) wanted the crowd to stuff her beaver with dollars (referring, of course, to her hand puppet beaver named Pat)
•  Judge Really Ruby awarding the beneficiary contestant representative, Jolly Gestational Giant, an enormous check for the Madame Moneymaker award

If you were there, you will remember these moments (and others that are literally too lewd report). If you weren’t there, close your eyes and imagine these antics and then imagine yourself in the first row sitting next to the three-time LUEWWD Champion Monster Cookie, taking it all in, and watching wadded-up bills fall at the feet of Lady Trauma who sometimes taunted the crowd for more.

LUEWWD X will go down in the history books as the first one in which half of the wrestlers were in the four-figure club, each raising more than $1,000.

And our volunteers played a substantial role in the fundraising success, as well, by presenting several creative and convenient ways for the audience to part with their dollars, and providing an organized and safe environment in which to do that. A special thanks goes out to volunteers who were willing to jump in whenever and wherever we needed to keep things rolling smoothly.

After all was said and done, It’s Pat took home the LUEWWD Championship belt, Belle Dominique Tryst clinched the Durham Diva award (best costume and entourage), and Jolly Gestational Giant was awarded Madame Moneymaker for raising the most funds for Durham Connects. And we can’t overlook our Queen of the Losers Heavy Metal Mama who donned a special handcrafted adult-sized baby bonnet and a baby bottle wand.

Most importantly, LUEWWD and Durham raised $9,101 for Durham Connects, bringing the total amount raised from LUEWWD events to $59,427!!

Stay tuned for a post announcing the date for the Fall LUEWWD event.

Contestant fundraising totals

Jolly Gestational Giant: $2,218

Inmate 27701: $1,648

Lady Arm-A-Geddon: $1,630

It’s Pat: $1,020

Heavy Metal Mama: $353

Death Knight: $293

Belle Dominique Tryst: $221

La French Wrestle-lution: $217

Event Sponsors

Social Games and Brews

Triangle Brewing Co.

MAYDNEW DJ and Event Planning

Phunco

El Dorado (Sponsoring contestant It’s Pat!)

Parker & Otis (Sponsoring contestant Jolly Gestational Giant!)

Locopops

Rock’s Barbershop 

Toast 

Sponsorship-level contributions from local businesses arriving the night of the event included donations from Carolina Outreach and Hamilton Hill

And thank you to raffle prize donors Burning Coal Theatre Company for donating two season tickets for three shows in its 2014/15 season and to Fitness World for donating a one-month membership.

Also, another big thank you to Liberty Arts (especially Lupa!) for sharing their stage platforms with us and helping us get them ready for the event space and to Mike “Captain Redbeard” Minervini for being the official photographer for LUEWWD X.

LUEWWD X: We Deliver! benefiting Durham Connects

Saturday, May 17, 2014

5:00 Social Games and Brews opens

7:30 LUEWWD X guests are welcomed

9:00 Main event begins

$5 General Admission

What’s “on tap” for you at LUEWWD X?

We’re so excited to welcome local business Triangle Brewing Co. as our new LUEWWD sponsor. We love their brews!

Marilyn Manho, the hostess of LUEWWD events, has a few special treats in store for the audience. Along with her on-stage pals Sassy McKlassy (ref), Lady Trauma (stage bouncer) and Fur Pelton John (round boy extraordinaire), Ms. Manho will be bringing you an unforgettable experience. The judges—Robert Bland the Preacher Man, Kaferine de Nerve and Really Ruby —will be ready for you (and your bribes), too. LUEWWD likes to run a tight ship of good arm-wrestling and good times with a quite a bit of hilarity involved.

Contestants will be vying for titles of LUEWWD Champion, Durham Diva, Madame Moneymaker and Queen of the Losers.

There will be many fun ways to part with your money:

• Contestant voting: contestants and their entourages will be vying for your dollars throughout the evening
• Raffle: 50/50 raffle, two season tickets from Burning Coal Theatre Company and a one-month membership at Fitness World
• Open Table: pay to arm wrestle new and old friends at the table
• Bribes: Want to see a dance-off or some hula-hooping? Want to see a different outcome? The judges can be persuaded to alter reality.
• Merch: You can take home screen printed tank tops, t-shirts, onesies or underwear with the LUEWWD logo on them. We also have hats, buttons, bottle openers, stickers and magnets for sale!!

How can you be ready for LUEWWD X?

• Bring cash.
• Check out LUEWWD X’s arm wrestlers and send in your early “votes.”
• Share the LUEWWD X: We Deliver! event with your friends.
• Come hungry and thirsty. Liv’s food truck will be ready to serve at 7 and and Triangle Brewing Co. products will be available!
• Sign up to be an event volunteer.
• Just be ready for anything. Can’t wait to see you there!

We are so grateful to our sponsors and in-kind donors for LUEWWD X: We Deliver!

Where does the money go?

Funds raised for LUEWWD X: We Deliver! will go to Durham Connects.

To give you an idea of how your donation could be used:

• Every $10 could buy 5 baby thermometers or a pack of diapers
• $25 = 10 new parent welcome bags
• $50 = 5 packs of diapers
• $100 = a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff
• $200 = a baby scale
• $500 = 3 nurse home visits for a newborn
• $1,000 = 500 baby books

Check out some great examples of their work.

• Durham Connects Helps in a Crisis
• Balancing an Early Baby with an Older Sister and a Job
• Every Baby is Different

Have you been thinking about ways to meet cool people in within the Durham?

Do you secretly wish that Halloween was more than once a year so you can find another reason to dress in costume?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk in Sylvester Stallone’s footsteps in “Over the Top”?

Do you want to be a multi-tasking wizard by simultaneously raising funds for your community and having a ton of fun with your friends?)

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then we’ve got just the thing for you!

LUEWWD X: We Deliver! is just around the corner (May 17th) and we are looking for eight new contestants! This means that you (yes, YOU!) would put on a costume, hop on the stage, and arm wrestle for charity. And you get to pick four of your friends to be your official entourage. It’s that easy!

Absolutely NO EXPERIENCE is necessary. We’ll get more details to you if you’re interested.

Please contact us at contestant@luewwd.com.

We are also looking for event volunteers! Check out the volunteer options and sign up here!

Us LUEWWD organizers are already missing our former headquarters as we start prepping for LUEWWD X because, as you may or may not have heard, Casbah’s doors closed forever on January 1^st.

When we hosted our very first event at the James Joyce Irish Pub, it was quite clear that we needed a bigger place to party (thanks to all of you who were there).

Just across the street from the Joyce, Casbah welcomed us into its incredible space and, together, we witnessed ladies’ arm-wrestling competitions really take off in Durham!

During the three years that Casbah was our home-base, LUEWWD awarded eight ladies’ arm-wrestling championship belts, and raised $46,500 for Durham-based nonprofit organizations that benefit women and girls.

We are so grateful to Casbah for not only the venue accommodations for events and meetings, but also the willingness to put up with LUEWWD’s (many, many, many) shenanigans.

Also, Save the Date for LUEWWD X! It will be held Saturday, May 17. The beneficiary will be Durham Connects (click here for a recent article about the program). We’ll be back in a little while with more details.

Thank you to everyone who attended LUEWWD IX: Nailin’ It! Between pre-event fundraising efforts and on- and-off-stage shenanigans that happened on September 7th, $10,132 was raised toward Habitat for Humanity of Durham’s 2013 Women Build.  

This total breaks our record for most funds raised at a single event.

Champion: Monster Cookie

Madame Moneymaker: Reba the Wrench

Durham Diva: GuilloTINA

Queen of the Losers: Rocky Scissher

Individual Contestant Fundraising Totals:

Reba the Wrench: $2,943

GuilloTINA: $1,491

Work It Out Barbie: $1,108

Pigeon “Daddy Issues” McGina: $778

Rocky Scisshers: $610

Old MacDominatrix: $283

Monster Cookies: $269

Subrina Zero: $54

THANK YOU and A SERIES OF HIGH AND LOW FIVES to…

The Stage Crew: Hostess Marilyn Manho, Ref Sassy McKlassy, and Stage Bouncer Lady Trauma

The Judges: Deanna “Demo D” Crossman (representing Habitat for Humanity of Durham), Jeff Polish (The Monti) and Robert Bland

The Volunteers, The event volunteers did everything from letting you into the main event and testing your luck with raffle ticket sales to counting your incredible donations and serving you drinks.

Sponsors and Donors

Sam Adams/Boston Beer Company

The Casbah

MAYDNEW DJ and Event Planning

Phunco

Liv’s

Locopops

Rock Paper Scissors Salon and Gallery (sponsored Rocky Scissher)

ActiveEdge

Yep Roc Records (raffle prize of 10 CDs!)

Maggiano’s ($25 gift card for raffle)

Photographers BJ Council and Megan Morr donated their time and talent, as well!

MORE PICTURES HERE! (you might have to “Like” us on Facebook to view them)

Thanks again to Habitat for Humanity of Durham for sharing a wonderful story from one of their special build projects. Habitat has been a great partner in getting ready for the upcoming LUEWWD IX: Nailin’ It! charity fundraiser on September 7th.

[This article was initially published in The Durham Herald on May 5, 2013.]

The walls stand firm, and soon the roof trusses will be nailed in place on Habitat for Humanity’s “Pink Ribbon Build” house on E. Ellerbee Street.

Covering many of the 2x4s that frame the house are tributes written in multi-colored ink, giving honor to loved ones who have battled breast cancer and survived, and remembering others who have gone. Amid the sound of hammers pounding away is a sense of peace as you read the names, the words of love, the expressions of gratitude.

Working faithfully alongside the many energetic volunteers and the Habitat construction staff is Margare Allen, the future homeowner of this house. Allen is a breast cancer survivor herself, and together with members of her family, will be on site every Saturday and every Thursday, with hammer in hand, until the completion of her home in late August.

The inspiration for this special project came when Margaret Rubiera, a longtime Habitat volunteer, went to the Duke Cancer Center after receiving the diagnosis of breast cancer. She was deeply moved by the warmth, compassion and kindness of the caregivers – the nurses, lab techs, and assistants – who immediately put her at ease. She decided at that moment to raise the $50,000 sponsorship and build a Habitat house as a way of saying “thank you.”

Rubiera states that this house is a way for many people to express similar gratitude. “By giving of ourselves and doing something tangible for someone else, we turn a negative into a positive. Not only will Margare’s family benefit from the opportunity to own a beautiful home, but the entire neighborhood will be a better place because this wonderful new family will be moving in.”

Preliminary total of $9,484 raised at LUEWWD IX: Nailin’ It! So close to Habitat’s goal of raising $10,000 toward the 2013 Women Build from this event. Let’s get them to the goal!

DONATE

BUY TICKETS!          VOLUNTEER!          DONATE!          RSVP!

LUEWWD IX: Nailin’ It! is taking place on Saturday, September 7, 2013, at Casbah (1007 W Main St, Durham).

The doors officially open at 7:30pm but we’ll be ready for you at 6:30pm in the Casbah parking lot with pre-game activities, featuring Liv’s food truck and Locopops, cornhole, and Sam Adams products. General admission costs $5 (buy online or at the door) and VIP tickets cost $25  (seats right by the stage that come with personal bar service; UPDATE: VIP tickets are SOLD OUT). The main event begins at 9:00pm. Contestants will be vying for titles of LUEWWD Champion, Durham Diva, Madame Moneymaker and Queen of the Losers (which comes with a cool prize, too).  The after party will be hosted at James Joyce and will make a contribution to the beneficiary.

What should you do to prepare for this event? (P.S. We love overachievers!)

• CONGRATULATE YOURSELF. Sounds like you’ve already made the commitment to be a part of LUEWWD IX and that means you’re awesome
• TELL YOUR FRIENDS about LUEWWD IX: Nailin’ It!: 18+ is the rule but younger folks can join us if they are accompanied by an adult
• BUY TICKET(S): in advance or at the door (general admission $5)
• BRING CASH! Save up your dollars for raffle tickets, contestant “voting,” open table match-ups, and bribes for the judges
• HAVE DINNER WITH US before the event starts: Liv’s food truck and Locopops will be there, ready to serve at 6:30!
• BE BOLD: Strengthen your arm muscles to challenge new and old friends during Open Table wrestling
• STICK AROUND for the after-party shindig at James Joyce
• DONATE, of course!
• (CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE! We’ll have a great time!)

The contestant bracket is full! We’ve got Guillo Tina, Monster Cookie, Old MacDominatrix, Pigeon “daddy issues” McGina, Reba the Wrench, Rocky Scissher, Subrina Zero, Work It Out Barbie. Some of these fierce competitors have online fundraising pages set up for the event. If you want to build up your favorite contestant’s fundraising momentum before the event, go for it!

The contestant who raises the most funds between now and the end of LUEWWD IX’s main event will win the Madame Moneymaker title!

We are so grateful to our returning sponsors for LUEWWD IX: Boston Beer Company, Casbah, MAYDNEW DJ and Event Planning, and Phunco. Rock Paper Scissors Salon and Gallery is sponsoring Rocky Scissher. We are also receiving support from Active Edge Fitness and Performance.

Who is the beneficiary? Funds raised will go toward Habitat for Humanity of Durham’s 2013 Women Build. The Women Build program empowers women to better their community and be leaders on the construction site by building a home in partnership with a hardworking family. The groundbreaking date for the 2013 Women Build will be set soon (likely September), and the home will be built on Lutz Lane in a small Habitat community in east Durham.

Looking for (more than) a few good volunteers! We extend a warm welcome to anyone interested in helping us host these events; they simply couldn’t happen without our fantastic volunteers. Volunteer jobs include: admission, human/walking ATM, contestant round-up, bar service, merchandise and raffle ticket sales, and more. What would you like to do at LUEWWD IX?

Have any questions? Want to know more about LUEWWD or the 2013 Women Build? Contact us and we’ll get you the answers you need.