Dave Moreton, Alex Huffadine, Greg Wilkinson, Malcolm Macpherson and Nigel McKinlay began growing their beards from scratch on February 17, in a bid to grow the best miner's beard for judging tonight.
This weekend marks the beginning of Central Otago's 150th gold celebrations in Cromwell, dubbed the "Rush to the Junction". A family fun day will include a "stake ya claim" dig, while adults can enjoy traditional goldfields "grog" and "tucker" from 8am to 4pm today.
A heritage fashion parade and cabaret will be held tonight, and tomorrow a heritage market in old Cromwell town rounds off the weekend's celebrations.
The Rush to the Junction continues next week, with tours of the goldfields, a photographic exhibition, and a miners' ball.
