Annual ‘Back to School Haircutz’ event looks to provide free haircuts for 600 kids

By David Dahmer, Madison365

“When you look good, you feel good and it helps you do well in school,” says Jeff “JP” Patterson, owner of JP Hair Design on Madison’s west side. “That’s our goal:  to have kids feeling good about themselves and looking good.”

With that in mind, the 13th Annual 2019 Back to School Haircutz will be held Sunday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Alliant Energy Center. This gigantic “Pop-Up” Barber Shop, organized by Patterson, plans on serving more than 600 Madison-area students.

“I have 35 barbers that have committed to the event this year,” Patterson tells Madison365. “We’re starting at 10 a.m. and our last appointment is at 4 p.m. It should be a very busy day.”

The 2019 Back to School Haircutz event will be structured so groups of young people will come in at a specific time so that there generally will be no log jam.

“It’s been working pretty well since we’ve been doing this,” Patterson says. “Last year, we cut hair for a little over 500 kids. The year before we were at 430. Our goal, someday, is 1,000. I’m not sure if we can get there, but that’s our goal. This year we expect to get to 600.”

The vibe at the event – despite the chaos of having hundreds of young people come in and out throughout the day – is fun and relaxed. Read more …