A century of hair clipping, hair-raising stories, and close shaves was celebrated March 9 at the DeSoto Palace Barber Shop. As thousands flocked to Arcadia for the rodeo, a modest crowd flowed in and out of the little shop at 1 West Magnolia Street to congratulate the barbers, have a slice of cake and swap a few stories.

Current owner Robin West researched barber shops in DeSoto County, finding bits and pieces of history in turn-of-the-century issues of the Arcadian to confirm that The Palace Barber Shop was opened by J. M. Alderman in 1913, on March 9, exactly 100 years before the celebration this month. West is the daughter of now-retired barber Ed McLain, whose father Barney began barbering in Nocatee in 1926, making her a third-generation hair cutter here.