The UPS Store hosted its twelfth annual Hair Warz today at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Binghamton. This event is a hair styling competition where stylists showcase avant grande creations they've spent months working on in a runway-style presentation. 

"We have dancers here. We have folks doing performances in drag; and it's just become a very popular local event; and we sell tickets; and it's a nice once a year thing to celebrate and mark World AIDS Day and people really enjoy themselves," said John Barry, executive director of the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP).

Proceeds from the event benefit STAP each year, a cause that Barry says is key to their connection with hair stylists.

"People tell hair stylists a lot of very intimate information. And so stylists are good people to connect with an agency like ours; so they can say to people things like 'you can go get tested for HIV or other STDs or Hepatitis C; and they know exactly where you can go," Barry said.

This year, six salons competed in the event, but organizers have bigger plans for the future.

"We're hoping to grow it in the future and get it to the point where there's ten, twelve, perhaps fifteen salons competing," Barry said.

Barry emphasized the importance of continued support for the AIDS cause, saying "HIV and AIDs infections have been dropping in New York State for a very long time now. And we are actually are approaching the end of HIV and AIDS in New York State. But it's important to keep up the pressure and maybe in my lifetime, I'm hoping that we will eliminate HIV and AIDS."

With the successful completion of this year's Hair Warz, the organizers hope we are one step closer to that goal.