Paris, Tenn.–It came down to a matter of inches–or should we say mili-inches–when it came time to crown the winner of the Paris/Henry County Bicentennial Longest Beard contest Saturday. As you can see in photo, organizers of the contest took their job seriously and brought out the ruler to measure the bears. Josh Wooten won by a ‘hair’ at 20 inches over Mark Blankenship. There were lots of other beards, goatees, moustaches and just plain stubble on display, with all the winners: Fullest Beard Josh Wooten; Longest Beard Josh Wooten; Best Moustache Ed Fitzgerald; Best Decorated Chris Parker; Best Goatee Donnie Banks. A large crowd was on hand for the Bicentennial Finale which also included a reading by County Historian David Webb of the local Revolutionary War soldiers (a monument to them will be placed on the court square); a proclamation from Mayor Kathy Ray and several tables with local history on display. In the afternoon, the County Cemetery committee hosted Paris City Cemetery tours which drew some 200 people. In photo, Jackie Jones measures the beards of finalists Josh Wooten, left, and Blankenship. (Shannon McFarlin photo).