Amanda Bishop
NCR Editor & Publisher
The party in the back took center stage at the third annual Mane Event Saturday.
Twenty contestants were all business as they competed at the Community First Credit Union Entertainment Pavilion at the Northeast Florida Fair.
The contest was divided into four age groups, with toddlers through age 4 competing amongst themselves, then Junior Youth ages 5-8, Senior Youth ages 9-13 and an Adult, age 14 and up category. Winners of each category received Jacksonville Icemen center ice tickets, with first place receiving eight tickets, second place four and third place two tickets. The first place winner in each category also received a custom “Mane Event Champ” wooden photo frame.
The Jacksonville Icemen sponsored the contest with the Nassau County Record as the media partner. The Northeast Florida Fair donated the picture frames and ribbons for the top three in each category.
Memphis Kinney, 4, of Jacksonville, won the Toddler division with his “Chainsaw Man” mullet. Callahan’s Maverick Barber, 3, placed second with “Joe Dirt” and Hayden Fouraker, 2, of Callahan earned third place.
During the inaugural Mane Event in 2023, Colby Ream, now 5, of Callahan won the Toddler division. This year, “Colby Dirt” and his long mane placed first in the Junior Youth. Blake Johns, 8, of Fernandina Beach had a head of curls he dubbed “Ramen Noodle 2.0,” which netted him second place. James Hickox, 8, of Jacksonville went on stage as “Joe Dirte” and placed third.
In the Senior Youth, Gage Hoffman, 10, of Jacksonville took the grand prize. Royce Wiley, 9, of Callahan placed second and Owen Ream, 10, also of Callahan, won third place.
No teens competed in the Adult division. Only one entrant appeared. He was a returning champion from the first season, Matthew McAllister of Folkston, Ga. with his mullet, “Twisted Tea Breeze.”