Groovy Katz Hair Show returns to the Blue Moose on Saturday

Hair and money will be raised at the Blue Moose on Saturday night, as Groovy Katz Salon & Spa holds its 11th annual Groovy Katz Hair Show. All the money raised goes to support the river clean-up efforts of the local chapter of the Audubon Society, just as it has since the event began in 2008.

“Every year it’s grown,” said Groovy Katz’s owner Amy Mayfield Lusche. “It’s always fun, there’s a lot of energy.”

It’s a runway-style show that has a different theme every year. Stylists present their own interpretations of the theme, which they express through the hair and make-up of the models.

“It’s a chance to be creative and use our art in a different way,” Mayfield Lusche said.

According to Mayfield Lusche, the hair show has raised over $40,000 for the Audubon Society since 2008.

This year’s show will be different, Mayfield Lusche said. The theme, GK20 est. 1999, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the opening of Groovy Katz.

“I opened Groovy Katz to help out a friend at first, because she needed a job,” Mayfield Lusche said.

She was 23 years old in 1999, and had been a professional stylist for three and a half years. What Mayfield Lusche had never been was a small business owner.

“I didn’t know anything about business, but I went to it with an open mind and I knew I could cut hair,” she said.

Groovy Katz opened as a three-station salon on Kirkwood Avenue. In 2003, it moved into its current 1st Avenue location, a bigger space with seven stations. Three years ago, Groovy Katz expanded, adding another three stations for stylists.

Mayfield Lusche said that, looking back over the past 20 years, providing jobs for a great group of stylists has been one of her biggest accomplishments.

“I have been lucky to have such amazing people in my life,” she said. “I’ve had support and encouragement from so many.”

This year’s hair show will celebrate the past two decades of Groovy Katz.

“It’s not a regular runway show, it’ll have a story in each of the seven sets and each set will feature a song,” Mayfield Lusche explained. “My 15-year-old is choreographing the show with her friends. So, it’s going to be special.”

“My song is ‘1999’ by Prince,” she added.

There will be two shows at the Blue Moose on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets for each show are $15, and available for advance purchase at Groovy Katz.