The 10-day masking and costuming festival known as Fantasy Fest, running Oct. 21-30 this year, is internationally renowned for its outrageous, let-it-all-hang-out party atmosphere.

Artist Rick Worth paints part of the ocean-themed vessel he's creating for the elaborate Fantasy Fest parade. (Photo by Steve Panariello, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Yet it also offers a showcase for artists — primarily costume and float designers who devote their incredible talents to perfecting creations for costume contests, the Masquerade March and the grand parade.

Among them is Rick Worth, a soft-spoken and supremely creative man whose artistic triumphs range from small Key West-themed paintings to massive, over-the-top Fantasy Fest floats and festival facades for local emporiums.

Rick began his colorful career turning shabby cars into whimsical “art-o-mobiles” (like a shark car driven by a local attorney and a drivable coral reef).

Crafting one of Fantasy Fest's elaborate float entries requires a LOT of glitter -- as Rick (right) and his fellow designer know! (Photo by Steve Panariello, Florida Keys News Bureau)

He has also painted large-scale murals on the exteriors of local buildings, including an engaging vista outside Key West International Airport that features a rooftop view of the island’s historic Old Town architecture and greenery backed by the turquoise ocean.

And don’t miss Rick’s takeoff of the famed depiction of Washington crossing the Delaware, incorporating the Keys’ Seven Mile Bridge, outside a small bar at Simonton and Olivia streets.

Just before Fantasy Fest this year, Rick had projects galore on tap — and in keeping with the festival theme of “Aquatic Afrolic,” they had an oceanic flavor. For example, recently he was putting last-minute touches on a float and overseeing costume design for a glittering marine-themed entry in the spectacular Fantasy Fest parade. His workspace was filled with a “ship” nearing completion, beautiful shell-adorned headdresses and gauzy costumes. At the same time, he was completing weird-looking eels to be part of a building façade.

Susann D'Antonio, left, and her husband Bobby showcase their "Neptune's Reef" -- a winner of the 2011 Pier House Pretenders in Paradise costume contest. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Like Rick, Big Pine Key artists Susann and Bobby D’Antonio generally put enormous amounts of time and talent into Fantasy Fest endeavors. Since the early 1990s, the husband-and-wife team has become well known for crafting over-the-top entries for major costume competitions like Pretenders in Paradise and the Pet Masquerade — as well as the lavish parade.

Their trademark creations can best be described as crosses between gigantic costumes and small parade floats. Susann often comes up with the concept, and she and Bobby construct the pieces together — typically moving from sketches to a costume’s metal framework and fabric covering, and ending with embellishments and sequins. Challenges include keeping the piece light enough for Susann to wear and/or propel.

This year, they wowed crowds at the wonderful Pretenders in Paradise costume competition with “Neptune’s Reef,” featuring an alluring mermaid accompanied by vivid-hued, deliciously exotic denizens of the aquatic world.

Fantasy Fest's "aquatic" poster was dreamed up by artist Brian Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Fantasy Fest)

Artists in more traditional mediums contribute to Fantasy Fest too. Each year, festival organizers request design submissions for the official poster. The winning artist this year was frequent Key West visitor Brian Johnson.

Inspired by the festival’s aquatic theme, he dreamed up a blue-eyed King Neptune surrounded by imaginative undersea creatures, and elements suggesting the island’s Old Town — all depicted in the vibrant colors of the Keys’ ocean and sunset.

Whether you’re an art lover or simply a connoisseur of craziness, don’t miss any of the creativity and pageantry of Key West’s Fantasy Fest. In fact, start planning now to attend next year’s festival. According to organizers — and they should know — the 2012 dates are Oct. 19-28.

Topics: Arts, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Voices Main Archive

September is a languid, laid-back month in the Florida Keys. On most days, a light breeze tempers the sun-drenched temperatures, and room rates are enticingly low at most resorts and bed-and-breakfast properties.

The Lower Keys' small pristine islands are a great place to "unplug" and enjoy the natural world. (Photo courtesy of Strike Zone Charters)

In fact, it’s the perfect season to spend a lazy interval on the water in the Lower Keys, discovering the intriguing natural environment while treating body and mind to some “unplugged” relaxation.

For example, Big Pine Key’s Strike Zone Charters is well known for dive and snorkel trips to places like Looe Key Reef and the 210-foot Adolphus Busch shipwreck. But they also offer an island excursion and picnic that’s a great way to unwind with family and friends.

The excursions begin at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily on Strike Zone’s 40-foot glass-bottom catamaran — and even kids as young as toddlers can enjoy the experience with their families.

Attractions include snorkeling in shallow protected waters, the chance to glimpse aquatic birds, spotting stingrays and sometimes dolphins in the wild, a sample of light-tackle fishing and entertaining narration about the Keys’ history and environment.

Strike Zone passengers travel on a comfortable catamaran during their island excursion and picnic. (Photo courtesy of Strike Zone Charters)

Trip passengers learn how the individual Florida Keys got their names, the history of the railroad that first connected the island chain with the mainland and facts about the Keys’ birds, wildlife and marine life.

But that’s not all. The highlight is Strike Zone’s popular fish cookout on an uninhabited island — surrounded by shallow water ideal for wading. (For kids who don’t eat fish, the captain/chef grills hotdogs cut into octopus shapes.)

Excursions include snorkel and fishing gear, soft drinks and the fish cookout. Trips depart from Strike Zone’s headquarters at mile marker (MM) 29.5 bayside.

For reservations and details, visit www.strikezonecharter.com.

To benefit both mind and body, try paddleboard yoga classes. (Photo by Romi Burian)

What combines mind and body relaxation, healthful exercise and an eco-experience in Florida Keys waters? Paddleboard yoga classes from Lazy Dog, a unique outdoor adventure company located at Hurricane Hole Marina, 5114 Overseas Highway on Stock Island.

The two-hour classes are divided equally between paddling time and yoga practice. Participants first paddle out to the calm backcountry waters, spotting sea life and wading birds along the way.

The yoga experience is designed to still the mind and increase flexibility and strength through chanting, breathwork and seated and standing postures — all using the board as a “mat” while connecting with nature in a tranquil mangrove setting. The class ends with a paddle back to the dock.

Beginners through experienced yoga practitioners are welcome. For more information, including costs, visit www.lazydog.com.

And speaking of Lazy Dog, it may be a dog’s life — but in the Keys, that life can include a dog’s-eye exploration of azure waters by kayak, while the humans do all the paddling. As well as paddleboard yoga, Lazy Dog offers Doggie Paddle guided kayak excursions for people and their pooches.

This canine quartet is clearly ready for a kayak adventure. (Photo courtesy of Lazy Dog)

Dog-loving kayak guides lead the two-hour excursions, and paddlers travel through the mangrove shallows to a sandbar where two-footed and four-footed friends can frolic together in the warm saltwater.

Or, to enjoy a completely laid-back afternoon, take a languid swim at Bahia Honda State Park — where the beach has earned repeated kudos as one of America’s top 10.

The park is located on Bahia Honda Key at MM 37. For info, click here.

In fact, with so many ways to unplug and relax in the Lower Keys, this tranquil subtropical area just might have inspired the phrase “low key.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Life’s lessons present themselves unexpectedly, and this week mine came via the smiling face of a U.S. Army Special Operations Command soldier whose physical body was marred by war but whose positive outlook is as big as the ocean. His unflagging spirit reminded me what a great blessing family togetherness is.

Just seven months after he lost both legs and full use of his right arm following an attack in Afghanistan, Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Schroeder was reintroduced to scuba diving with his wife and son who were learning to dive in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Scott, his wife Laura and teenage son Zach — all from Clarksville, Tenn. — were part of a trip coordinated by Task Force Dagger Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit organization. Established in 2009, the nonprofit provides opportunities for wounded warriors to become certified to scuba dive after sustaining life-altering injuries during military service.

“The Task Force Dagger Foundation is unique in that it allows the families to bond together by letting them participate in all the events,” Scott said. “A lot of foundations out there are very good at taking care of us wounded warriors, but not all of them include the family — and this one does.”

Scott, who’s 45 years old, sustained his injuries last December when his vehicle rolled over a hidden roadside bomb (which he described as 50 pounds of homemade explosives) in a rural province of Afghanistan.

Scott Schroeder, a U.S. Army Special Operations Chief Warrant Officer severely wounded in Afghanistan, examines a brain coral while scuba diving in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“When I was hurt, it wasn’t just me that was hurt,” he said. “It impacted the entire family.”

Before his injuries, Scott had contacted Task Force Dagger Foundation’s managing director Keith David, with whom he’d served in the early 90s, about donating his time and energy to the organization to help wounded comrades.

“I said I want to be a part of {the foundation} monetarily, with my time, with everything. I think about retiring, and this is one way for me to give back after a 24-year career,” Scott recalled.

He never thought he would be on the receiving end of the foundation’s mission.

“I originally thought I was going to be on the giving end,” he said. “I’m blessed that they were there to help me … help us recover together as a family.”

Keith David said Task Force Dagger Foundation’s family focus sets it apart from other organizations.

Scott Schroeder, center, scuba dives with his son Zachary, left, and wife Laura in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“We try to assist when there’s a need,” he said. “One of the things we try and do is help them heal as a family unit.”

This trip to the Florida Keys was a first for the Schroeder family.

Despite being scuba certified in the late 1980s, Scott had to take a refresher course — primarily to adapt his knowledge to his new capabilities. Special hi-tech prosthetic “swim legs” helped propel him through the water during his dive on a shallow reef with his wife and son.

“It was so cool, like you’re in an aquarium,” Laura Schroeder said of the reef fish, barracuda and conch they spotted on their first ocean dive. “I thought the Keys were all about margaritas and salt.”

Although the diving is rehabilitation for him, Scott said he gets to do things he wouldn’t normally do while stuck in a hospital — getting on and off boats, walking up and down the beach and the dock — activities that I, and probably most of us, take for granted.

“Any ‘first’ we get to do as a family is a big event, and to be out here and to be able to dive with them on their first time is just great,” Scott said with a beaming smile. “You can see their eyes light up inside their masks while they’re down there.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

According to divers at the annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, held recently in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Elvis Presley never died. He simply took his act underwater.

"Eel-vis Presley," portrayed by diver Eric Rolfe, strums on a colorful faux guitar during the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival. (All photos by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Divers costumed as “Eel-vis,” “Bob Marlin,” “Joss Stone Crab” and other rock-and-rollers “performed” beneath the waves for an audience of more than 500 divers and snorkelers at the offbeat festival.

In addition to brightly-painted underwater guitars, their undersea jam session featured “fishy” instruments such as a “sax-eel-phone,” “clambourine,” “trombonefish,” and “wahoo kazoo” sculpted by talented Lower Keys artist August Powers.

Not only did participating divers and snorkelers enjoy watching the iconic “rockers” in action — they also had the opportunity to view the colorful marine life that inhabits the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, which parallels the Florida Keys.

“I’ve never had a snorkeling experience like this,” marveled first-time festival participant Gail Coad of Sarasota, Fla. “It’s just like a magic show with the different beautiful tropical fish.”

Samantha Langsdale, dressed as a mermaid, blows air through a "musical instrument" sculpted by Lower Keys artist August Powers.

Staged by Keys radio station U.S. 1, the quirky Underwater Music Festival featured melodies broadcast into the undersea realm via speakers suspended beneath boats at the reef. It took place at Looe Key, a part of the marine sanctuary about six miles south of Big Pine Key.

“Sound underwater is incredible because you can sense it with your entire body,” advised festival director and founder Bill Becker of U.S. 1. “You can feel it coming through your head and your chest — it actually comes from all directions.”

The broadcast playlist included ocean–related tunes such as the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” and even familiar themes from the film “Jaws” and television’s wacky “Gilligan’s Island.”

FYI, it wasn’t just human participants who appeared to be rocking at the sub-sea songfest.

“The fish seemed to enjoy the music as much as I did,” said Gail Coad. “They almost were dancing in unison to the melody — and the music just kind of surrounds you.”

"Eel-vis" and his mermaid backup singer jam beneath the sea during the offbeat underwater songfest.

Veteran festival participant Samantha Langsdale, who wore a vivid green mermaid costume and jammed with “Eel-vis,” reported that she made some undersea “friends” during the festival.

“I believe the parrotfish family has accepted me,” Samantha confided after returning to the surface. “We have similar colors.”

As well as being a one-of-a-kind event for divers and snorkelers, the Underwater Music Festival included diver awareness messages promoting preservation of the Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem.

“We have a lot of fun, we dress up in costumes, but there’s a serious side,” said Bill Becker. “Coral reef conservation is the message.”

To all the divers and snorkelers who take the festival’s lesson to heart, and pledge to protect the Keys’ underwater wonderland, “Eel-vis” might add his own message: “Thank you … thank you very much.”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

If you’re craving a Florida Keys food fix but can’t make it down to the island chain right away, savor some “virtual dining” with the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food Nation.” Show host Adam Richman samples signature Keys dishes from three favorite local restaurants in a taped episode that debuted July 6 and reruns nine times through July 18.

At the Key Largo Conch House, the show stages the Conch Republic Fritter Contest to determine who can eat the most conch fritters in 15 minutes. Below, watch Adam coach an engaging — and unexpected — underdog contestant in how to chow down on the classic Keys appetizer.

Other eateries spotlighted include the Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island, where Adam enjoys the “Killer Hogfish” sandwich of locally caught fish in a casual waterfront atmosphere. FYI, the Hogfish is a must-visit spot for its great seafood (especially world-class smoked fish dip), friendly crowd of regular customers, and wonderful old-Keys vibe.

And what would a food show be without dessert? Musician and Florida resident Vanilla Ice joins Adam at Key West’s Blue Heaven to taste the historic spot’s towering meringue-topped Key lime pie (see below). He also explains why the Keys are home to the best Key lime pie anywhere.

Scheduled episode airtimes and dates (all Eastern/Pacific time) are 11 a.m. Saturday, July 9; 9 p.m. Sunday, July 10; 12 a.m. Monday, July 11; 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13; 12:30 a.m. Thursday, July 14; 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 16; 9:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17; and 12:30 a.m. Monday, July 18.

Be warned, however: watching is guaranteed to whet your appetite for your own food-focused Keys exploration.

Luckily, the Key Largo Food & Wine Festival is coming up July 29 through Aug. 7, Florida lobster season begins Aug. 6 and Key West Lobsterfest is set for Aug. 12-14. So make reservations now — and get ready to savor the flavors of the Florida Keys.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Food, Highlights, Key Largo, Key West, Restaurant Picks, Voices Main Archive

On Jan. 22, 1912, when Ruby Whitlock was eight years old, she watched the arrival of the first train that ever traveled down the Over-Sea Railroad from mainland Florida to Key West.

A train crosses the Long Key Viaduct, a vital stretch of the legendary Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Eighty-eight years later, when she was an energetic 96-year-old, “Miss Ruby” reminisced about the arrival that changed the Florida Keys forever.

These days, when it’s possible to drive from Key West to Miami in four hours on the Overseas Highway, it’s hard to imagine the Keys not being comfortably linked to each other — and to the mainland.

But they weren’t until Henry Flagler, called a visionary by some contemporaries and a madman by others, conceived and built the miraculous “railroad that went to sea.”

Construction began in 1905. The railroad’s track ultimately stretched more than 100 miles out into open water, requiring trailblazing techniques and unbelievable effort by a crew that sometimes numbered more than 4,000 men.

The Over-Sea Railroad was conceived by visionary millionaire Henry Flagler. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Flagler had made his fortune as John D. Rockefeller’s partner in Standard Oil, and he gambled most of it on the venture — a venture so extraordinary that many outsiders thought it was impossible.

It was officially named the Florida East Coast Railway’s Key West Extension, but it quickly became known as the Over-Sea Railroad. Its bridges and viaducts linking the Keys, including the astonishing Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, earned it another title: “the eighth wonder of the world.”

“That was a great day when that train came in here,” recalled Miss Ruby, who was believed to be the last remaining Key Wester to witness the historic arrival.

“I was going to Harris School, and the Harris School kids went down to meet the train,” she said. “Everybody was hollering and whooping, throwing bouquets, hoisting up flags and singing, saying, ‘There’s the train! There’s the train!’ All of Key West was happy that day.”

Key West had every right to be happy. The debut of the railroad transformed it from an isolated outpost, reachable only by boat, to a destination easily reached by both passengers and freight.

Henry Flagler and Key West's Mayor Fogarty greet crowds after the arrival of the first train on January 22, 1912. (Photo courtesy the Monroe County Library Collection)

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Miss Ruby. “Dr. Fogarty was the mayor, and he made a speech when the train came in. I can see him now, and I can see old Flagler with his straw hat on.”

Flagler himself, however, never saw the joyful crowds.

When the first train from the mainland pulled into the Key West terminal, its elderly creator stepped out his private car. He was greeted by dignitaries, citizens and hordes of schoolchildren — all cheering his fantastic accomplishment.

By then almost blind, he stood with tears streaming down his face.

“I can hear the children,” he said, “but I cannot see them.”

Less than 16 months later, at age 83, he died.

Over the next two decades, Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad carried half a million visitors across the miles separating mainland Florida and Key West. Unfortunately, it only lasted for 23 years before being severely damaged in a 1935 hurricane.

Sand sculptor Marianne Vandenbroek's creation, located at the Casa Marina Resort, celebrates the historic Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Today the Overseas Highway is the link between the mainland and the Keys. But many of the original railroad bridges can still be seen, massive and stark, stretching beside the highway’s bridges.

Other reminders can be found on Pigeon Key, a five-acre island that housed workers building the original Seven Mile Bridge. Pigeon Key’s buildings have been carefully restored, and one features an intriguing museum dedicated to the railway and its builders.

Currently, events are being planned throughout the Keys to honor Flagler’s historic railroad — with the festivities culminating on Jan. 22, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the first train’s arrival.

Henry Flagler and Ruby Whitlock are both gone now. But, chances are, those attending the centennial celebration will feel the echo of their long-ago joy.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, History, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

Last week I witnessed the strength of the human spirit’s resolve to maintain the delicate balance between man, mammal and nature in these islands.

Bob Coakley of the Marine Mammal Conservancy attempts to help two of the whales shortly after they were discovered stranded off Cudjoe Key. (Photo by Mariela Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Thursday, May 5, a massive stranding response team of skilled veterinarians, and volunteers — more than 500 strong — joined forces with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) staff to save survivors of a pod of weakened pilot whales stranded in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters among mangroves near Cudjoe Key.

The nation’s eyes were trained on the people working feverishly to save survivors, who, among shifting sand bars, coral heads and changing tides, faced tenuous futures.

By Friday morning, seven live whales were safely corralled in a sea pen, a containment area functioning as a triage site.

Marine mammal rescuers begin to load one of the soon-to-released whales onto a barge for transport to the release site. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

A makeshift tent camp bustled with wetsuit-clad men and women charting vital signs, fielding calls from search and recovery boats (sadly, 14 whales perished), stockpiling food, water, trucks, transportation vehicles, boats, personnel and equipment.

Soon, there was a mobile veterinary laboratory.

During the flurry of activity, the whales remained calm.

Volunteers worked tirelessly in four-hour shifts, day and night, buoying the whales at the surface to breathe, keeping them wet and covered from the sun, hydrated and tube-fed with Pedialyte and a liquid chum.

Saturday, after collecting and analyzing blood and tissue samples, morphometrics (body measurements) and tagging dorsal fins with tracking devices, veterinarians deemed two male pilot whales viable to be released.

Watching the crane-laden barge gingerly hoist each of the two whales into slings was a breathtaking, nerve-wracking blip in time.

The first of the pilot whales is released into deep water off the Lower Keys. (Photo by Julie Botteri, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Slowly settling the whales on the barge’s deck, careful not to crush their heart and lungs beneath their own weight, teams kept them wet and covered in zinc to prevent blistering in the afternoon sun.

Zooming my camera within inches of the first-loaded whale, my breath caught — his giant doe eye rolled up at me, looked into me. I was awash in guilt over the strange situation he was in, amazed and blessed I could be so close.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy. Hang in there,” I said quietly.

Under way, volunteers sponged water over the whales’ delicate skin, while veterinarians monitored vital signs and respiration. The survival of these mammals was paramount.

Two of the five whales transferred to Key Largo's Marine Mammal Conservancy for rehab prepare to begin their journey in a refrigerated truck. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Finally, we reached 523 feet of water, nine miles offshore.

Videographer Bob Care and I boarded a small boat to record the release, as eight people grabbed the sling’s straps, maneuvering the whales forward to easily slip off the edge of the barge’s foam padding into the blue.

The first whale dived down, surfaced and popped his blowhole like a snorkel, pausing, almost beckoning to the second, “Are you ready? Let’s go.”

Immediately, the second whale entered the water. The pair dove deep and disappeared. It was magical. The group of us left watching at the surface waited a moment, then whooped and hollered. They’d made it!

Marine mammal rescuers tend to four of five pilot whales transported to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Exhausted and exhilarated, volunteers returned to the pen area, greeted by the remaining five whales’ squeals and squeaky chatter — a reminder they are not out of the woods yet.

Early Tuesday, experts successfully transported these five to a rehabilitation center 82 miles away in Key Largo, in a temperature-controlled Publix Supermarkets’ semi-trailer. Unfortunately, one of them later got too sick to save.

Rehabilitation of the remaining four could take months, but perhaps Blair Mase, NOAA’s southeast stranding coordinator, best summed up the combined efforts to safely move the animals:

“It takes a village to save some whales.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Key Largo, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Just about every city boasts a signature dish — one that local residents love and curious travelers simply HAVE to try. For example, there’s New Orleans’ jambalaya, Chicago’s deep-dish pizza and Philadelphia’s cheese steak sandwich. In the Florida Keys & Key West, that dish is Key lime pie.

What makes a blog author happy in the Florida Keys? In Christina's case, it's a luscious slice of Key lime pie.

Key lime pie is made from the Key lime, a fruit indigenous to the Keys that’s smaller and rounder than limes typically found in a grocery store. In fact, Key lime pie is the official pie of the entire State of Florida, and millions of slices are savored each year by visitors and locals.

Its exact birthdate and creator are unknown, but the pie was likely created in Key West in the late 19th century — before refrigeration, and before the debut of the Oversea Railway that brought fresh ingredients like milk to the island at high speed.

Recipes for the original Key lime pie don’t require refrigeration OR baking. Instead, the acid in the Key lime juice reacts chemically with the other ingredients (a process called souring) and “cooks” the pie.

The typical ingredients of an authentic Key lime pie are sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, Key lime juice and a crust generally made from butter and graham crackers. The egg yolks give the pie a yellowish coloring (green pies are absolutely NOT authentic).

Few desserts are more deliciously decadent than frozen chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick.

“I’m always amazed that these simple ingredients can make such a wonderful pie,” said Kermit Carpenter, resident Key lime pie expert and the owner of Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe.

Key lime pie can be enjoyed with many toppings, but a controversy has raged for decades over whether whipped cream or meringue is better. Each has its devoted supporters, and the two factions never seem to tire of quarrelling.

Today, Key lime pie is found in many forms throughout the Keys — dipped in chocolate and frozen on a stick at Kermit’s, deep-fried at Porky’s Bayside Restaurant in Marathon or even mixed with multiple flavors.

The pie also has inspired nontraditional Key lime–flavored items: Key lime jerk seasoning from Peppers of Key West, Key Lime Wing Sauce from Kermit’s, homemade Key lime ice cream at Flamingo Crossing in Key West and the milkshake-like Key lime freeze at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen in Key Largo.

Key lime pie lovers have battled for decades over whether whipped cream or meringue makes a tastier topping.

A good Key lime pie should be naturally tart and stiff, standing up well on a plate yet still looking and feeling creamy.

Where’s the best version in the Keys? Take the road less traveled (i.e., Card Sound Road) to Key Largo’s Alabama Jack’s, and you’ll find a Key lime pie so smooth and cool it could be mistaken for ice cream.

Bob’s Bunz in Islamorada is known for enormous cinnamon and sticky buns, but their Key lime pie is a favorite for its tart lime flavor and creamy cheesecake-like consistency.

Marathon’s hidden Key lime treasure can be found at Keys Fisheries, an outdoor counter-service restaurant connected to a world-class fish and seafood exporter. The fish is fresh off the boat and the pie is the perfect blend of sweet and tart deliciousness.

Through reading and ready to click on another website? Then take your Key lime pie to go -- from Keys Fisheries in Marathon.

Want to savor Key lime pie in tropical luxury? Then head for the Dining Room at Little Palm Island off the Lower Keys. Little Palm’s offering is a decadent cashew-crusted Key lime pie topped with a whipped cream fruit coulis.

Key West features many restaurants and emporiums that claim to serve the best or most authentic Key lime pie. However, meringue lovers’ one-stop shop is the funky Blue Heaven Restaurant in historic Bahama Village. The meringue on Blue Heaven’s pie stands several inches tall — and it’s almost as good to look at as it is to eat.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Food, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Restaurant Picks, Voices Main Archive

Just as Ernest Hemingway developed his “Papa” persona while living in Key West, internationally recognized singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett drew on the influence of his island home to create the “Margaritaville mystique” that has flavored his music for decades.

Who knew Jimmy Buffett sang at weddings? Here, he belts out a song during a close friend's wedding reception in the Lower Keys. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

During his Key West years, Jimmy studied the island’s characters, cheerfully loony atmosphere and laid-back lifestyle — and memorialized them in songs such as his anthem, “Margaritaville,” and “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”

His tunes tell the stories of larger-than-life Key Westers like the late “gentleman smuggler” Phil Clark and the late bar owner/mayor Captain Tony Tarracino. Many of his most famous lyrics feature Key West locales like Fausto’s Food Palace (owned by another former Key West mayor, Jimmy Weekley), the Blue Heaven restaurant where free-range chickens entertain diners in the outdoor courtyard, and the legendary Chart Room Bar.

In fact, before he gained lasting fame and pioneered the musical genre now called “tropical rock,” Jimmy occasionally sang and played guitar at the Chart Room — and at Captain Tony’s, and at the late lamented Full Moon Saloon where 1970s Keys outlaws and visiting celebrities shared drinks and stories.

In 1985, Jimmy debuted his first Margaritaville Store in Key West — and what began as a welcoming yet ramshackle enterprise on the waterfront grew into an empire. The original Margaritaville is now located beside his Margaritaville Café on Key West’s historic Duval Street.

Jimmy's early albums -- like "White Sport Coat" here -- reflect his passion for his Key West home.

Given Jimmy’s strong connection to Key West and the Keys, it’s fitting that — just seven weeks after his newsmaking fall off a stage during a show in Australia — his first post-fall performance was a surprise Keys mini-concert to celebrate the wedding of two good friends.

Jimmy walked barefooted onto a small stage at the private home of local dentist Fred Troxel, who a few hours earlier had exchanged vows with Key Wester Rita Brown (also known as the Keys’ film commissioner).

Delighting the 300 reception guests, he belted out Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” For his finale, he sang his own “Margaritaville,” changing some of the lyrics to cater to the occasion.

Jimmy told the crowd that it was the first time he’d performed for any group since the fall that put him in the hospital briefly and caused him to cancel a New Zealand performance. However, he showed no ill effects from the five-foot tumble.

Jimmy performs a rollicking set for his Parrot Head fans during one of their annual conventions in Key West. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

That’s fabulous news for his millions of “Parrot Head” fans, named for the offbeat headgear they wear at his concerts. Emulating their beloved “pirate laureate,” they regard Key West as their spiritual home port — flocking to visit the Margaritaville Store and Café, and even making pilgrimages to the small unmarked waterfront warehouse that houses Jimmy’s Shrimp Boat Sound recording studio.

Each year, the Parrot Heads hold their annual convention on the island Jimmy described in his early classic, “I Have Found Me a Home.” No doubt many of them, too, feel the Keys magic that caused their hero to write about pedaling his old red bike to “the bars and the beaches of my town” … and inspired his simple but heartfelt line, ‘You can have the rest of everything I own / ’cause I have found me a home.”

Topics: Arts, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Events, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

Once upon a time, during an action-packed confrontation between Arnold Schwarzenegger and a pack of bad guys, missile strikes blew up the Florida Keys’ Seven Mile Bridge.

Despite the advent of Arnold and company, the Seven Mile Bridge is in excellent shape. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Okay, that statement isn’t STRICTLY true, but it’s based on fact — one of many facts about the Keys that are offbeat, slightly improbable and add an engagingly weird vibe to the colorful island chain.

It seems that in 1993, before he became California’s governor, Arnold starred in a film called “True Lies” that was shot partially in the Keys. The story, about a spy whose personal and professional lives collided in a madcap caper, involved a sequence of helicopter stunts and an explosion on the iconic Middle Keys bridge.

Needless to say, it wasn’t the real bridge — but the narrow expanse of roadway unrolling above blue water sure looked like the real thing.

Throughout the Keys, you’ll hear stories that sound as unlikely as the saga of Arnold and the exploding bridge. Some are flat-out tall tales, but a surprising number are true.

For example …

Even Elvis has been spotted at the Underwater Music Festival performing for "sea fans." (Photo by Bill Keogh, Florida Keys News Bureau)

FUN FACT ONE: Key Largo is the site of the world’s only underwater hotel. It’s called Jules’ Undersea Lodge, and dive enthusiasts can spend the night there, with amenities including room service, among the marine life of the Keys. Imagine waking up to see vivid-colored fish peering into your bedroom window, trying to catch a glimpse of the creatures unexpectedly sharing their habitat.

FUN FACT TWO: Speaking of unusual things beneath the sea, every year the Lower Keys stage what is probably the world’s only Underwater Music Festival. The quirky annual concert draws divers, snorkelers, curious fish and even characters costumed as mermaids and other mythical denizens of the deep. It’s held at Looe Key Reef, acclaimed as a world-class dive site, and spotlights the need for reef protection.

FUN FACT THREE: Moving from oceanic to land-based eccentricities, many visitors to Key West are surprised to find roosters and chickens running wild in the historic Old Town neighborhood. The free-range fowl are supposedly the descendents of chickens kept for food and roosters bred for cockfights before the practice was outlawed. Today, at Key West’s funky Blue Heaven (a renowned eatery whose fans include singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett) “breakfast with the roosters” is served in an outdoor courtyard where resident hens and chicks wander freely.

At Dolphin Research Center, friendly dolphins display an unexpected talent -- for math! (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

FUN FACT FOUR: In the Middle Keys (yes, the area where Arnold had his adventure on the Seven Mile Bridge), dolphins instead of chickens take center stage — for their math skills! That’s because Dolphin Research Center, a renowned Middle Keys research and educational facility that’s home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, spearheaded a groundbreaking study that shows dolphins can perform simple math equations — identifying simple math and distinguishing the difference between numbers they see on a board.

FUN FACT FIVE: The Lower Keys can’t boast mathematical dolphins, but in December 2009 they were the site of another rare phenomenon: snow. Now, bear in mind that weather forecasters have never officially recorded snow in the Keys. But on Christmas 2009, the white stuff mysteriously blanketed the home of musician Howard Livingston. Come to find out, Howard had won The Weather Channel’s nationwide “Guaranteed White Christmas” contest — and, despite the approximately 80-degree temps, a snowmaking and special effects company created the surprising subtropical snowfall.

Want additional Keys fun facts to startle and amaze your friends? Trust me, there are plenty of them. So check back to Keys Voices periodically to find out more reasons why, in the wacky and wonderful island chain, truth is definitely stranger than fiction.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Events, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Local Color, Marathon, Quirks