Maine

Mayor of Portland, Maine Shaves Head in Charitable Super Bowl Bet

The mayor of Portland, Maine has made his hair loss someone else's gain.

Mayor Ethan Strimling lost a bet to Portland, Pennsylvania Mayor Lance Prator when the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to the Eagles.

While the original terms of the bet included trading items from local businesses, Prator raised the stakes and challenged the loser of the bet to shave his head.

Strimling said he agreed, in part, because he was so confident in the Patriots.

On Friday, Prator traveled to Portland, Maine to collect on the bet. The two men had never met before, but once Prator saw Strimling, he realized how big of a deal this bet would be.

"I felt bad because he's almost like a human Ken Doll," said Prator. "His hair doesn't move."

The Presumpscot Elementary school was a-buzz Friday afternoon. The two mayors decided to conduct the shave in front of an audience of excited students.

Mayor Strimling said he wanted to take lemons from the Super Bowl loss, and make lemonade -- turning the haircut into a fundraiser for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. Anyone who donated $100 or more could have a turn with the razor.

By Friday afternoon, the mayor raised $3,000 for the hospital.

"It makes [the shave] more worthwhile, for sure," said Strimling.

Prator was so impressed with the response to the fundraiser, he decided to shave his head too.

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