Key West & Florida Keys News
December 2nd, 2007
By Kirby Collins
Christmas time in Florida is celebrated differently than our neighbors to the north. Since we don’t have snow, we have to be more creative and therefore tend to go overboard with light and holiday displays. We even have Christmas Boat Parades, where captains decorate their vessels with lights and everything from sleighs to small castles.
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December 2nd, 2007
Florida Keys, FL - Perhaps because the southernmost islands in the continental United States never have experienced a traditional white Christmas, or even a frost for that matter, businesses and organizations in the Florida Keys are extraordinarily enthusiastic to show their holiday spirit.
From Key Largo to Key West, the calendar is packed with events designed to spread holiday cheer — including a trio of festive lighted boat parades featuring vessels whose decorations range from traditional greenery to offbeat salutes to the season.
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November 24th, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - The spiritual descendents of Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, pirate queen Anne Bonny and even Captain Jack Sparrow are to drop anchor in Key West Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, for the annual Pirates in Paradise Festival. Designed to appeal to children and adults alike, the colorful gathering typically brings hundreds of buccaneer aficionados and re-enactors to the island city renowned for its adventurous seafaring history.
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October 26th, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - When internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett wrote “I Have Found Me a Home” about Key West, he described riding his old red bike to “the bars and the beaches of my town.” Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 1-4, the island popularly credited as the inspiration for his hit party anthem “Margaritaville” is to host as many as 3,500 of the entertainer’s Parrot Head fans for their 16th annual Meeting of the Minds convention.
The 2007 convention is themed “Barefootin’ Key West,” commemorating Buffett’s rendition of “Barefootin’” on the soundtrack to the 2006 film “Hoot.”
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October 16th, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - Entries in previous years have included a group of gigantic dancing Chinese takeout containers and a sea hag driving a 10-foot-tall blue and pink sequined replica steam engine, and competitors in the 2007 Pretenders in Paradise costume competition are expected to dream up equally elaborate and flamboyant ensembles.
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October 9th, 2007
By Kirby Collins
Floridians go all out for Halloween. And it’s no wonder, from St. Augustine to Key West, Florida boasts what are believed to be some of the most haunted cities in the nation. Whether you believe or not, Halloween is a perfect time for all to brush up on the Monster Mash, so get out and get scared at a few of these popular events.
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October 1st, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - Fans of the flamboyant are invited to step through the looking glass into a wacky wonderland during Fantasy Fest 2007 in Key West. Themed “Gnomes, Toads & White Rabbit Tea Parties,” the riotous romp is scheduled Friday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 28.
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September 1st, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - Motorcyclists from throughout the United States are to travel one of America’s most scenic highways for charity starting Friday, Sept. 14, during the 35th annual Key West Poker Run.
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August 19th, 2007
Florida Keys - Every year, patrons of Florida Keys dive and snorkel shops play a guessing game. Locals and visitors alike try to guess the date and time of the annual coral spawn — sometimes nicknamed “sex on the reef” — on North America’s only living coral barrier reef, which parallels the island chain.
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August 15th, 2007
Key West, Florida Keys - Latin diva Gloria Estefan is scheduled to perform several songs from her upcoming CD release, “90 Millas” (”90 Miles”), live in Key West Saturday, Aug. 25, during videotaping of Univision network’s “Despierta America” morning television show.
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July 29th, 2007
 Key West, Florida Keys - Lobster lovers are to savor sensational crustaceans during the 11th annual Key West Lobsterfest, a tasty salute to Florida’s clawless lobster set for Friday through Sunday, Aug. 10-12. The festivities celebrate the bounty of the Florida Keys lobster season that runs from Aug. 6 to March 31.
Lobsterfest is to kick off at 8 p.m. Friday with a welcome party at Rick’s/Durty Harry’s Entertainment Complex, 202 Duval St. Attendees can rock to the music of Cool Breeze on the main stage of Durty Harry’s, or join local radio station WEOW FM 92.7 for a 10 p.m. live broadcast on the deck at Rick’s Upstairs.
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July 12th, 2007
Spectators at the final round of the 2006 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest cheer for their favorite competitor at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, FL |
Key West, Florida Keys - American literary giant Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West throughout the 1930s, writing some of his most enduring works and embracing the unpretentious island atmosphere. The legacy of the writer whose prose earned Pulitzer and Nobel prizes is to be recognized Tuesday through Sunday, July 17-22, during the annual Hemingway Days celebration.
During his Key West residence, Hemingway wrote in a small studio behind his 907 Whitehead St. home and spent his leisure hours deep-sea fishing and socializing with local and literary cohorts. Fans of his writing and exuberant lifestyle are to come together for Hemingway Days.
Events are to include a look-alike contest for stocky white-bearded Hemingway look-alikes, readings and book signings by nationally acclaimed authors, an awards ceremony that caps a leading American literary competition, a commemoration of the 108th anniversary of Hemingway’s July 21 birth, a one-man play exploring the legendary author’s life and motivations, a museum exhibit of rare Hemingway memorabilia, a zany “Running of the Bulls” and a three-day marlin tournament recalling Hemingway’s devotion to the deep-sea sport.
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June 29th, 2007
All across Florida this Fourth of July there will be red rockets a glaring a bombs a bursting with fireworks displays nearly everywhere. Here’s a selected list of events across the state.
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April 23rd, 2007
In Key West this week, celebrations will take place for one of the greatest protest in Florida history. According to the Miami Herald, “Today, the Conch Republic — the fictitious country founded with humor to protest the feds treating Keys citizens like foreigners — turns 25.” Read it here.
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