Midwest Mullet Championships 2026!

2 hours ago

3 min read

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

What a wild weekend! First, we hit Shadow Ridge Music Festival on Friday, then on Saturday we made our way down to Plattsmouth for the 2nd Annual Midwest Beard & Mullet Championships!

Part of the Plattsmouth Harvest Festival, this event for charity benefits Harrison's Playmakers of Omaha, an organization that helps children with special needs. Over two dozen participants signed up to battle it out for the best beard and mullet in the land!

At 1:30 the parade of contestants met up at DC's Waterhole to march to the competition site. Some people dressed up in costume including Zues, Abraham Lincoln, and even Uncle Eddie (who had to remind everyone the sh!tt@r was full). It was a hoot!

Before the competition started emcee Hellhouse introduced the judges who explained the criteria they were looking for in the best beard or mullet.

Before the judging could start we had to pay our respects to the Harvest Festival King and Queen and sing the national anthem led by Plattsmouth High student Ava.

After the formal rollout of the national anthem it was time for the beard division. Last year's champion Aaron Zieglebien led the men to the stage with his giant walking stick. Emcee Hellhouse gave an introduction for each beard and let them say a few words.

The judges took a few minutes to deliberate before crowning Don Betts from Plattsmouth the winner!

Zues seemed a little bummed so Hellhouse consoled him and told him maybe he could win next year.

After the beards it was time for the Mini Mullet division. These adorable little guys strutted their stuff down the runway before doing a little dance on stage. The competition was fierce but in the end Lee Miner from Plattsmouth took first place, with Deacon Kozlik from Omaha coming in second.

Next up was the Junior Mullet division. There were some real contenders here. One of the kids dubbed "Mulletron" even had his own cheering section. Still, it wasn't enough to overtake Keaton Lynnlee from Coralville, IA. Coming in second was Davis Beaudoin from Bellevue.

Last but not least it was time for the adult division. Contestants came from Nebraska, Iowa, and even Indiana to put their mullets to the test. We saw some wild stuff from a wicked clown, to raucous dancing, and even a chicken fried mullet! The adult division had some real swagger. Chuckus Ruckus gave everyone a run for their money with his crazy dance moves. Alas, there could be only one first place winner. That man is Edhem Teminovic who flew all the way from Noblesville, Indiana to take the top spot! For his valiant efforts Chuckus received second place.

There was a lot of work that went into organizing this event. Founders Justin and Michelle worked all year to make sure everything went smoothly. This was a ton of fun, and I can't wait to see what happens next year. I think if I start growing my hair now maybe I could throw my hat in the ring! Let me know in the comments if you think I should.