The last couple weeks have kept me busy and on the go. I met a lot of Key West fans at the recent Gay Travel Expo in Chicago, and returning home to the island I met fun-loving people on the American Eagle flight from Miami. 

This engaging panorama by local artist Rick Worth graces the exterior of Key West International Airport.

American now has jet service to Key West (a quick 22-minute flight from Miami!) and the view is spectacular. After landing at Key West International Airport, you enter an arrivals lounge that is under renovation and expansion. Soon we’ll have two baggage carousels, newly remodeled restrooms and relocated automotive rental counters. 

FYI, you’ll find the major car rental companies here — but once you’re in Old Town Key West, you really don’t need a car. Walking and bicycles are the preferred means of traversing our two-mile by four-mile island. You’ll find pedicabs and taxis all over Old Town if the walk seems too far.

Plans are underway for Key West Pride, set for June 5-9, where we celebrate our lifestyle here on the island. Festivities begin with the Key West Business Guild’s open-house mixer at the Island House. Starting at 5 p.m. the boys of Island House will serve cocktails and champagne while passing gourmet hors d’oeuvres. Mingle with our local characters and learn why we chose to live at the “end of the road,” closer to Cuba than Miami.

Key West Pride includes a film festival at the Tropic Cinema featuring a new documentary about Divine, who made Key West her home. We crown a Miss Pride, Ms. Pride, and Mr. Pride during three nights of pageants. In addition the Kinsey Sicks, dubbed “a Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet,” bring their music and humor to the stage for three performances at the Waterfront Playhouse. 

Gilbert Baker savors the moment as his 1.25-mile rainbow flag is unfurled down Key West's Duval Street. (Photo by Mike Hollar, Florida Keys News Bureau)

During Pride week you can enjoy pool parties, disco dance parties, late-night soirees, and moonlight sailing excursions.

Our highlight Pride parade features Gilbert Baker, creator of the original rainbow flag, as the grand marshall. Three sections of the 1.25-mile sea-to-sea rainbow flag, which was created by Baker and unfurled down the entire length of Key West’s Duval Street in 2003, will be carried in the parade. 

Spending time on the water during Pride brings so many choices for visitors. I like to join LGBT friends on Venus Charters for a dolphin-watching adventure, or join the guys snorkeling and kayaking on the Blu Q.

Venus Charters’ Captain Karen has been entertaining gay women and men for years, showing them how to fish and snorkel and sharing the excitement of discovering pods of our native dolphin (not to be confused with the dolphin fish served in local eateries). Captain Steve of the famed Blu Q takes a day on the water to another level: join him and his crew for a clothing-optional snorkeling excursion along with a romantic picnic on a remote island.

A group of friends prepares to embark on a Blu Q cruise in Key West waters. (Photo courtesy of Blu Q)

Watching the sun set each day at Mallory Square is a unique experience (a tradition that, legend has it, was started more than 30 years ago by a gay trolley driver with a pitcher of martinis). Today the nightly sunset celebration features locally-made arts and crafts as well as exuberant performers and buskers.

Other sunset options include a relaxed sailing excursion, complete with fine imported wines and hors d’oeuvres, on Danger Charters’ Wind and Wine Sunset Sail. Other times you’ll find me with a group of friends on the Fury’s Commotion on the Ocean sunset adventure with live music and margaritas.

Join us here for Key West Pride, and I guarantee you’ll make new friends and take home countless stories and memories to share. See you June 5!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT, On the Water

Recently I attended the 30th anniversary convention of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA). Founded in Key West and located there for more than 15 years, the association began as the International Gay Travel Association.

Blog author Steve Smith shares the Keys' all-welcome attitude at IGLTA as well as on the island.

Many of the founders of the IGTA also were founders of the 35-year-old Key West Business Guild. Founders included travel agents, guesthouse owners, tour operators, and a gay advertising agency called Impressions Unlimited.

I became involved with the IGTA in 1992, representing the Key West Business Guild.  I served many years on its board of directors representing the Florida Keys and held offices including treasurer, president, past president and board member at large.

Soon the organization recognized the need to include women in its name and it became the IGLTA. The membership has grown to include more than 2,000 members globally. During my tenure an ambassador program was created and we now have ambassadors from places such as Brazil and Argentina to India, Israel, Japan, and South Korea.

These relationships have guided the tourism world to respect and welcome gay travelers — just as Key West began doing in the 1970s. I believe our hospitality has rubbed off on communities across the globe.

Teams race decorated beds on Duval Street during the annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Speaking of Key West, May ushers in our summer season. When I first began marketing the Florida Keys, summers were very quiet. We locals celebrated the end of tourist season with a “survivors” party, where we kicked up our heels and raised funds for AIDS Help, Inc., our community- based AIDS service organization.

On May 27, we will stage the 35th or 36th annual party (depending on who you ask) and today it’s held on South Beach at the end of Duval Street. Entertainment is continuous throughout the evening, with food galore and a massive silent auction. The event now raise funds for the Sister Season Fund, a local non-profit that provides temporary financial assistance to hospitality industry workers having health or employment difficulties.

On another note, we just completed our 31st annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration with highlights like an exuberant sea battle. The festivities continue, however, with the Key West Fringe Theater’s rendition of “Conch Republic, The Musical,” based on a script by island resident Monnie King and starring a cast of local talent.

The Fringe Theater is known for its ability to create a stage at places such as upstairs at Kelly’s on Whitehead Street (named for its former co-owner, actress Kelly McGillis) and at the historic Key West Firehouse Museum on Virginia Street.

More than 100 of America's leading songwriters perform in audience-friendly settings during the annual Key West Songwriter's Festival. (Photos courtesy of the Key West Songwriter's Festival)

In a current production, the Fringe takes on legendary Key West fire chief Bum Farto (google him and you’ll discover people really DID call him that) and his feud with the late Peggy Mills, owner of the lovely property that’s now The Gardens Hotel.

The Fringe’s companion production tells the story of Key West’s original diva of art and anti-development activist Marion Stevens. I had the pleasure of knowing Marion and enjoying many unique afternoons and evenings with her. This renowned lady left an endowment for promoting the arts on the island that she so loved.

The Fringe Theater will entertain you with its innovative performance style while recounting some of the wild — and true! — tales that continue to charm both locals and visitors.

Music lovers have a treat in store too: the 18th annual Key West Songwriter’s Festival runs May 1-5. Several dozen free shows feature approximately 150 top songwriters, performing at favorite watering holes and hotspots throughout Old Town and on the beach. And don’t miss Saturday evening’s Duval Street concert!

Topics: Arts, Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT

Fans of one of America’s most iconic big-screen legends will gather May 2-5 at the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival, where they’ll enjoy four days of immersion in all things Bogart. And what better place to honor the late actor than in the location of one of his greatest films: the beautiful island of Key Largo at the head of the Florida Keys?

Film fans are flocking to celebrate an American screen legend on the island that gave its name to one of his cinema classics.

The inaugural event doesn’t just have a fitting setting; it’s also timed to mark 65 years since the premiere of “Key Largo,” starring Bogart and his wife Lauren Bacall. And its host is none other than Stephen Bogart, the legendary duo’s son.

Actually, the Key Largo festival is the only event of its kind ever to be sanctioned by the Bogart estate. It’s even being produced by the estate, partnering with the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce.

The festivities officially kick off Thursday, May 2, with an evening cocktail reception hosted by Stephen Bogart — joined by renowned film critic Leonard Maltin — at the Murray E. Nelson Government and Cultural Center in Key Largo. Following the reception, film buffs can savor an outdoor waterfront screening of (naturally!) Bogie and Bacall’s “Key Largo.”

For the next couple of days, guests can attend screenings of Bogart classics and other landmark movies from the film noir genre. In-theater showings are planned, as are outdoor screenings under the stars in Key Largo’s balmy subtropical climate.

And the film selection is enough to make a fan drool in anticipation.

Festival guests can cruise on the African Queen, the original vessel from director John Huston's 1951 film. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Among the highlights are “Casablanca,” “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage,” “The African Queen,” “The Maltese Falcon,” and non-Bogart offerings like “Double Indemnity” and “Body Heat.”

But the festival is about far more than viewing films — enticing as they are. Additional attractions include cruises on the original African Queen, the actual boat used in the famed Bogart film. Now registered as a national historic site and home-ported in Key Largo, the African Queen was relaunched in 2012 after a $70,000 restoration.

Want to party in the style of Bogie and Bacall? Then the elegant Casablanca-themed Bogart Ball, hosted by Stephen Bogart on Saturday, May 4, is the place to be. Happening at the Hilton Key Largo Resort, it begins with a red-carpet cocktail reception. After that, gala-goers can savor the flavors of a three-course Moroccan-themed dinner and dance the night away.

The red carpet, by the way, will be walked by a modern-day star: Jack Huston of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” He’s the grandson of legendary film director, screenwriter and actor John Huston, and he will receive an award recognizing the longtime professional partnership between his grandfather and Bogart.

Stephen Bogart is the enthusiastic host of the film festival honoring his father's work. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

John Huston’s first directing role came with “The Maltese Falcon,” starring Bogart as the film noir detective Sam Spade. He and Huston became lifelong friends and worked together on other films including “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “The African Queen,” and of course “Key Largo.”

During the ball, Stephen Bogart and Leonard Maltin will present a replica of the famed falcon statuette from “The Maltese Falcon” to Jack Huston.

“It is wonderful that Jack Huston will accept the festival award in recognition of the large role John Huston played in the life and career of my father,” stated Stephen Bogart.

Want to know more about Key Largo’s one-of-a-kind Bogart celebration? Click here to purchase tickets, book accommodations, reserve space on an African Queen cruise and much more.

Topics: Arts, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key Largo, Voices Main Archive

For much of the United States, summer typically kicks off Memorial Day weekend with parties, cook-outs, bar events, and friends gathering to toast the end of winter and the advent of warm weather and lazy days.

Military re-enactors stage a sea battle between two historic tall ships in the waters off "Fort Elizabeth Taylor."

Here in Key West we do recognize Memorial Day, but we usher in our summer with the Conch Republic Independence Celebration.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that a 1982 U.S. Border Patrol roadblock at the head of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway — and the subsequent searching of all vehicles leaving the Keys — led to our secession from the United States and the formation of the Conch Republic. We mark the anniversary each year with our very own festival of independence. 

This Friday, April 19, we raise the “colors” and take over Fort Zachary Taylor, (which we refer to as Fort Elizabeth Taylor). The fort, by the way, is part of a beautiful state park that contains the locals’ favorite beach.

When you visit Fort Elizabeth Taylor, a small admission fee gives you access to the beach, the park and picnic grounds, and the historic Civil War fort. During the Civil War, Key West was a Union outpost and three forts were constructed here.  

Discover the tranquil waterfront oasis created by the Key West Garden Club on the grounds of historic Fort West Martello. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Garden Club)

One of them is Fort East Martello, now a museum operated by the Key West Art and Historical Society. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, East Martello houses the famous possessed doll, Robert. 

West Martello Tower, another pre-Civil War fort, today is the home of the Key West Garden Club.  It’s open daily, so you can stop by and tour the gardens. 

Several annual plant and orchid shows are held here. I stock up on my orchids, and bromeliads at great prices!

While they were never completed and never saw combat, the Martello Towers played a part in housing troops and signaling, and were lookout posts.

Getting back to our independence celebration, we gather for block parties, a battle in the harbor, the famous Drag Race on Saturday, April 20, and the Red Ribbon Bed Race on the following Saturday, April 27.  

For some added color, we throw in the annual Conch Cruiser Car Show, set for Sunday, April 21, at the Schooner Wharf Bar. This is not your typical classic automobile show, but a mix of creative autos, bikes, motorcycles, and vehicles with one to four wheels that make for unique photo opportunities.

Even NBC "Today" weatherman Al Roker (left) and anchor Matt Lauer are fans of the irreverent Conch Republic. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

On Thursday, April 25, the so-called World’s Longest Parade steps off on Duval Street somewhere around 8 p.m. This exuberant promenade draws the Conch Republic’s militia and supporters — plus a potpourri of pirates, wenches, the Sons of Italy, and a sprinkling of our elected officials.

It’s easy to visit during the Conch Republic Independence Celebration. Flight, driving, and lodging information is available on the Florida Keys website; lodging information can also be found on the Key West Business Guild website.

If you can’t make the celebration, check the calendar for upcoming events in Key West and the Florida Keys. There’s always something fun happening on the islands that will sweep you away from reality and change your perspective on life. 

In fact, many of us here came for a visit and soon packed our stuff and relocated to the Conch Republic. Just ask people you meet; we all have great stories about how we ended up living on the continental United States’ southernmost — and most wonderful — island.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color

For many years, April’s arrival signaled the end of a busy season in Key West — but that’s not the case any more! Now April is one of the most fun-filled months on the Florida Keys calendar, with lots of activities particularly in the southernmost city.

The beautiful Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden provides a lovely open-air setting for Hot Havana Nights. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Botanical Garden Society)

For example, Hot Havana Nights steams up the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 13. The garden was founded and developed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as a showplace for tourists during the Depression in the 1930s.

Later, it fell into neglect until 1972 when the Key West Garden Club took over its maintenance.

In 1988, the Key West Botanical Garden Society was formed and has since transformed the place into a renowned arboretum, botanical garden, educational center, and wildlife refuge.

Join in the garden’s Hot Havana Nights festivities celebrating the food, culture, and entertainment of Cuba, our island neighbor just 90 miles away. The evening kicks off in the waterfall courtyard with a catered dinner, open bar, and entertainment by Miguel Cruz & Tropical Dreams.

The majestic San Carlos is the site of the Key West Business Guild's anniversary gala. (Photo courtesy of the San Carlos Institute)

The party then moves lakeside with cocktails, a silent auction, and dancing under the stars to the music of Frank Diaz and the famous Cuban “orquesta” Havana Soul.

Less than a week later, on Friday, April 19, join the Key West Business Guild at its 35th anniversary celebration and awards presentation.

The gala takes place at the historic San Carlos Institute, founded in 1871 as an educational, civic, and patriotic center. At the San Carlos, Jose Marti (often referred to as the George Washington of Cuba) united the exile community in 1892 to fight for Cuba’s independence.

The guild itself was founded 35 years ago to promote the island domestically and internationally to the gay community.

In great part through the organization’s efforts, Key West has become known as the world’s premiere gay island destination and the home of the One Human Family philosophy.

In the Conch Republic, "drag racing" is not for the faint of heart -- or weak of ankle. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The guild continues to promote Key West with numerous events throughout the year and the publication of an acclaimed gay business directory and map. It also operates an LGBTA visitor center that’s open seven days a week.

The anniversary champagne celebration opens at 7 p.m. with a meet & greet and hors d’oeuvres in the San Carlos lobby. The party will move into the historic theater for a film highlighting the guild and the presentation of awards for the stewardship, cornerstone support, and visionary advancement of LGBT Key West.

What’s next on the island’s agenda? The 35th annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration, commemorating the tiny “country” whose mantra is ‘‘we seceded where others failed.”

Drag queens racing down Duval Street in the annual Great Conch Republic Drag Race help set the tone for the festival, which salutes Key West’s secession from the United States to protest a 1982 Border Patrol blockade on the only road leading in and out of the Florida Keys.

Chance are, you'll spot blog author Steve Smith throwing candy to spectators during the World's Longest Parade.

Other festivities including an exuberant sea battle featuring tall ships and the Red Ribbon Bed Race down our main street. This quirky challenge is billed as “the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on” — though sometimes teams wear only minimal clothing.

This 10-day party also includes the World’s Longest Parade, traversing Duval Street from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Your blogger is often perched on the boot of a shiny ragtop throwing candy to the multitudes. I’ll look for you along the parade route!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT, Local Color

Some people, whether kids or seniors, don’t realize the significance of the date April 23, 1982, to Key West and the Florida Keys. But believe me, the date was, (and still is!) supremely significant. That’s the day the island chain seceded from the union and formed the Conch Republic.

Even NBC "Today" weatherman Al Roker (left) and anchor Matt Lauer are fans of the irreverent Conch Republic. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Seems the U.S. border patrol was determined to apprehend illegal immigrants entering the United States through the Keys. So they set up a roadblock at the junction of U.S. 1 and Card Sound Road in Florida City. Inspection of every car took time and resulted in a humongous traffic jam from Florida City to Key Largo. As a result, the tourism industry suffered a blow that could have been devastating. The powers that be in the Keys were not amused — in fact, they were incensed and protested vehemently.

Secession was only undertaken after all other attempts to relieve the situation failed. But on April 23, Key West and the Florida Keys staged a ceremonial secession from the union and named themselves the Conch Republic. The well-attended event was held on Front Street adjacent to Key West’s popular Mallory Square.

The late Wilhelmina Harvey, then an active 70-year-old and mayor of Monroe County, was appointed Admiral of the Conch Republic Navy. Other officers included attorney David Paul Horan as Secretary of the Air Force, and then-Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow as Prime Minister. War was declared against the United States, and shots of stale Cuban bread were fired at the U.S. Navy (which still has a base here).

In 1982, hundreds gathered to watch the historic secession ceremony and birth of the independent Conch Republic.

The Conch Republic surrendered, and immediately requested foreign aid. Additional officials were appointed ambassadors to such places as Miami, Texas, and Hawaii. Soon citizens of the Conch Republic even had border passes and passports.

No foreign aid was forthcoming, but the border patrol realized the embarrassing situation it had created and removed the blockade. Once again tourism flourished. Of course, because Keys residents love any kind of festival, Conch Republic Days became an annual celebration.

In 1990 Captain Tony Tarracino, another active senior citizen and mayor of Key West, appointed Peter Anderson the official Secretary General of the Conch Republic, a post he holds to this day. The festival was renamed the Conch Republic Independence Celebration, and businesses in the downtown area enthusiastically hosted zany events, such as a bed race down Duval Street.

Captain Finbar Gittelman is the Admiral and First Sea Lord of the Keys' spirited Conch Republic Navy. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Among the festival highlights is the great battle for the Conch Republic, when Key West’s tall ships fire water balloons and other offbeat “weapons” at Coast Guard vessels. The battle is led by Finbar Gittelman, current Admiral and First Sea Lord of the Conch Republic, another senior who is the real-life captain of the Schooner Wolf.

The Conch Republic still issues passports (years ago, Secretary General Anderson even used his when traveling). The tiny “fifth world nation” has its own flag, too, that can be seen flying from homes and businesses all over town.

Key West is noted for its unique attitude and lifestyle. And in Key West, age is a state of mind. So, seniors, secede from your usual activities and join in the celebration of the Conch Republic — set this year for April 19-28. You’ll have a rollicking good time!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, History, Quirks, Senior Adventures

A treasure trove of history is hidden in the waters surrounding the Florida Keys — contained in shipwrecks including Spanish galleons that sank while carrying the wealth of the New World home to Spain in 1622, a slave ship bound for England after offloading its tragic human cargo, and many others.

The mariner's astrolabe, a rare navigational instrument, was recovered from a 1622 Spanish galleon shipwreck off Key West. (Photo courtesy of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum)

All of these shipwrecks have stories to tell — stories that help create a picture of the unique seafaring culture that defines the Florida Keys. And when they’re excavated by expert underwater archaeologists and studied by historians, each shipwreck has priceless knowledge to contribute about the patchwork heritage that shaped Florida.

Believe it or not, 2013 marks the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de Leon’s discovery of Florida and the Keys. To celebrate that anniversary, this month Key West’s Mel Fisher Maritime Museum — which contains artifacts from Keys and Caribbean shipwrecks that date back nearly 500 years — is presenting a series of sure-to-be-fascinating programs on some of the stories their shipwrecks can tell.

For example, on March 6, the 200 Greene St. museum will host a free-admission big-screen presentation of the National Geographic program, “Atocha: Quest for Treasure,” in the museum courtyard.

A diver examines gold bars and chains on the site of the Atocha shipwreck about 35 miles off Key West. (Photo by Pat Clyne, Mel Fisher Maritime Museum)

The museum, FYI, contains the richest collection of 17th-century maritime and shipwreck antiquities in the entire Western Hemisphere — including treasures and artifacts from the Spanish galleons Nuestra Señora de Atocha and Santa Margarita, which sank off the Florida Keys in a 1622 storm.

Much of both galleons’ precious cargo was recovered in the 1970s and ‘80s by pioneering shipwreck salvor Mel Fisher, who founded the museum.

A special question-and-answer session will follow the screening — with the answers provided by some of the men and women who were directly connected to Mel’s amazing treasure find.

Two days later, March 7, the museum delves into the history of a land-based site: the first New World location documented in the voyage of Ponce de Leon. The free multi-media presentation, also taking place in the museum courtyard, is titled “Calusa Mounds: Where the Old and New Worlds Collided.”

Archaeologist Corey Malcom conserves a shipwreck artifact in the museum's lab. (Photo by Dylan Kibler, courtesy of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum)

On Saturday, March 9, the museum’s director of archaeology, Corey Malcom, will host “Solving a Sunken Mystery,” a lecture and behind-the-scenes tour of the on-site archaeology lab where artifact conservation and historic research take place.

His presentation will reveal the intense ongoing efforts to document the wreck of the Spanish vessel Santa Clara, which sank in Bahamian waters in 1564 — just 51 years after the discovery of Florida and the Keys.

Excavated by the museum’s team, along with a group called St. Johns Expeditions, the Santa Clara is one of the earliest and most complete Spanish shipwrecks ever found in the Western Hemisphere.

“We have discovered this ship was associated with key figures in the colonization of the New World, including Pedro Menendez, the Spanish admiral and explorer who founded St. Augustine in 1565,” said Corey Malcom.

Admission to “Solving a Sunken Mystery” is $20 per person (a small price for such a unique offering!) and includes admission to the museum.

Each artifact being conserved in the museum's lab has information to contribute to the story of the Keys and the New World. (Photo by Dylan Kibler, courtesy of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum)

If you can’t be in Key West for these fascinating programs, you can still explore the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum whenever you get to the southernmost city. Wandering through its exhibit galleries, you’ll discover objects recovered from the Atocha, Margarita and other shipwrecks.

These incredible objects include a fortune in gold, silver bars and coins, a gold chain valued at more than a quarter of a million dollars, a horde of contraband emeralds, intricate jewelry, weapons and navigational instruments.

Each of these rare items contributes a part, small or large, to the stories shipwrecks tell. And those stories, in turn, add enormously to the richness of the past 500 years in Florida … and especially the Keys.

Topics: Events, Highlights, History, Key West, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

This week I’m writing my blog while in Berlin for the international travel show ITB. ITB Berlin is a unique international travel fair featuring representatives from more than 11,000 travel companies and more than 170,000 visitors, including about 113,000 from sellers of travel. Today was sunny, but the Berlin temperature was in the low 40s — about 35 degrees chillier than the Florida Keys. My German friends are ready for spring and summer!

Blog author Steve Smith (right) meets a journalist at the ITB show in chilly Berlin.

Fifteen years ago at Key West’s ITB stand, I hoisted a small rainbow flag — the first ever at this global marketplace. It was not “love at first sight” with the organizers, but the flag remained at our stand.

Today, LGBT travel is listed as an official market segment and the show’s “gay” travel pavilion will have representatives from many countries including Brazil, Poland, Greece, and the Keys’ own Conch Republic. It’s amazing what impact the little island of Key West had in opening closet doors for gay travelers throughout the world. If you happen to be in Berlin this weekend, be sure to stop by the fair held at Messe Berlin.

New Yorkers will have fun at the Original LGBT Expo this weekend at the Jacob Javits Center. At 1 p.m. Saturday, March 9, you’re invited to join Key West residents Peter Arnow and Randy Becker as they exchange vows — in what will be the first legal gay wedding held in the LGBT Expo’s 20-year history.

Peter and Randy actually headed to New York this past October with friends for their wedding. However, an uninvited guest named Hurricane Sandy followed them up the coast and thwarted their event.

Key Westers Peter Arnow (left) and Randy Becker will get married at a surprising New York venue March 9.

I knew how important this wedding was to my two friends, so at my suggestion they’re returning to New York City to hold their wedding at the Key West booth. They will exchange their vows with several thousand new friends in attendance (nothing like an intimate wedding held in Key West style, complete with cake and a toast!).

Back on the island, Pink Patty’s Day returns to Duval Street Saturday, March 17. Each year we wear pink as we stroll down the famed thoroughfare, visiting shops and pubs and sharing the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day. (We chose pink some years ago when LGBT groups were banned from participating in their communities’ “green” parades.)

Join the marchers at the Bourbon St. Pub around 10 a.m. for this annual adventure, and don’t forget to dress in pink — hat, shirt, shorts, skirt or whatever manner of dress tickles you pink!

The unique Tennessee Williams museum exhibit will debut in Key West March 22.

On another note Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams, and a new museum exhibit showcasing his Key West life, are being celebrated this month.

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, the Key West Business Guild invites everyone to a ribbon-cutting and opening reception for the newly installed exhibit — which focuses on Tennessee’s 30-plus years living on the island and the works he wrote while here.

Opening events continue Saturday, March 23, with guided exhibit tours hosted by producer and curator Dennis Beaver. The following day, Sunday, we commemorate the playwright’s birthday anniversary, complete with cake, from noon until 4 p.m.

One exhibit section recalls the Key West filming of Tennessee's classic "The Rose Tattoo."

Tennessee’s ties to Key West go beyond his decades-long residence. The Academy Award-winning film adaptation of his play “The Rose Tattoo” was shot on the island in the 1950s, and the Tennessee Williams Theatre opened in 1980 on the grounds of Florida Keys Community College.

The free-admission museum exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at 513 Truman Ave., adjacent to the Key West Business Guild Visitor Center. The guild, which celebrates its 35th anniversary in April, has operated its center continuously for more than 21 years.

Stay tuned for more Key West news when I get back to the island!

Topics: Arts, Events, History, Key West, LGBT

“My grandfather once said that presidents shouldn’t have descendants,” revealed Clifton Truman Daniel, “because those descendants would spend the rest of their lives having people think they should live up to their ancestors.”

Viewing Truman memorabilia at the Little White House are (from left) Donald A. Nixon, Margaret Hoover, Susan Ford Bales, Clifton Truman Daniel and Lynda Johnson Robb. (Photo by Carol Tedesco, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Nevertheless Clifton, whose grandfather was former U.S. president Harry S. Truman, is glad commanders-in-chief DO have descendants. And so are four other presidential relatives — who recently joined him to give a lively presentation at Key West’s Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum about the challenges and benefits of their heritage.

Who where they? Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan Ford Bales, an exuberant advocate of health issues who has a great sense of humor; Lynda Johnson Robb, Lyndon Johnson’s confident daughter (and the former first lady of Virginia); Richard Nixon’s cheerfully offbeat nephew Donald A. Nixon and Herbert Hoover’s poised great-granddaughter Margaret Hoover, a CNN political commentator.

The five of them shared memories and personal glimpses in a discussion titled “Out of the Fishbowl, Back to the Pond.” Mostly, they focused on the lifelong issues “first children” face in preserving both their own individuality and their families’ presidential legacy.

In Key West, Truman conducted important business away from the pressures of Washington. (Photo courtesy of the Little White House Museum)

(By the way, Key West’s Little White House was the perfect setting for their presentation. Not only did Truman spend 11 working vacations there during his 1945-1953 administration, but the house has also welcomed former presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.)

Susan Ford Bales, who was a high-school and college student during her father’s 1974-77 White House tenure, stressed the need to establish an identity that was separate from his.

“Continuing his legacy is wonderful and I’m honored to do it,” she explained, “but there are some days that I just want to be me.”

She recalled beginning a photography career while her father was president, working as a part-time Associated Press photographer in college, and doing everything she could to get a shot of Elvis Presley when he was vacationing near her in Colorado.

The presidential descendants shared tales, memories and laughter during their Key West presentation. (Photo by Carol Tedesco, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“The only time he went out was to go snowmobiling at night,” said Susan.

But she wasn’t willing to stay awake all night waiting for him to appear. So, with rare foresight, she primed her Secret Service agents to alert her when Elvis left his condo.

“Having Secret Service agents … helps you do your job sometimes,” she quipped.

Lynda Johnson Robb, who got married during her father’s 1963-69 term, spoke of “that constant yin and yang between respecting what they did and doing your own thing.”

Her life as “first daughter” had its bizarre moments. For example, she remembered seeing a newspaper story whose breaking news was the fact that she lost one of her false eyelashes in an elevator!

And while she went on to accomplish significant things in her own right, Lynda admitted she was pretty sure the first line of her eventual obituary would read, “Daughter of …”

Harry Truman's former Little White House in Key West is now a world-renowned museum. (Photo courtesy of the Little White House Museum)

What advice did she and Susan offer for current presidential daughters Sasha and Malia Obama? Lynda said she hopes they’re enjoying their White House years and will take good memories with them when they leave.

“I think they’re going to have the same issue that all of us have — being their own person,” Susan predicted. “I’m sure they will trip and fall a few times, as we all have, but that’s okay.”

Of course, Sasha and Malia will be regarded as presidential descendants throughout their lives — just as Clifton Truman Daniel has been. Now a smart, articulate author who’s perfectly comfortable with his family heritage, he disclosed that he too had mixed feelings about it as a child.

“People said, ‘Oh, your grandfather was President Truman,’” he recalled, “and I’d think, ‘What am I — chopped liver?’”

Topics: Events, Highlights, History, Key West, Voices Main Archive

According to local folklore, when visitors get sand in their shoes, that begins a lifelong love affair with the picturesque chain of islands called the Florida Keys & Key West. And just in time for Valentine’s Day, an attraction has debuted in Islamorada that’s virtually guaranteed to make a romantic moment unforgettable: elegant carriage rides drawn by two Clydesdale horses.

What could be more romantic than a horse-drawn carriage as your wedding transportation? (Photo courtesy of Island Horse Drawn Carriage, Inc.)

Around Valentine’s Day or any time, you can enjoy a special night out in a private carriage operated by Island Horse Drawn Carriage, Inc. — traveling to and from a luxury resort, through Islamorada’s historic arts district, and stopping for dinner at a lovely local restaurant.

The carriages are drawn by Brutus and Olivia, Clydesdale horses like the ones that regularly steal hearts in Budweiser’s Super Bowl and holiday commercials. Powerful and graceful, they add a unique element to the leisurely ride through Islamorada’s island paradise.

But that’s not all. For destination weddings, the tour company offers an elegant white carriage crafted from hardwood and brass that can be custom-decorated as transport for a bridal party. And another carriage can be used as a unique parking shuttle for wedding guests.

Speaking of weddings, the Upper Keys offer some amazing opportunities and settings for tying the knot.

Carriage rides on the beach are a treat for any special occasion. (Photo courtesy of Island Horse Drawn Carriage, Inc.)

In Key Largo, for example, certified divers can take the plunge by pledging their vows underwater — beside the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef or at the bronze Christ of the Deep statue.

And believe it or not, people can also spend their wedding night beneath the waves.

Jules Undersea Lodge, submerged in a Key Largo lagoon, offers underwater honeymoon accommodations with fascinating marine life views.

Since true love should be timeless, some couples consider a timeless setting for the ceremony: a 125,000-year-old fossilized coral reef at Windley Key Fossil Reef State Geologic Site in Islamorada.

Avid anglers have been known to cast lines after officially getting “hooked,” while animal lovers can enjoy a playful celebration with gentle bottlenose dolphins in attendance.

Tuxes, wedding gowns and scuba gear are the proper attire for those diving into matrimony in the Florida Keys.

Popular sites for shoreside ceremonies and celebrations include beaches, restaurants, tiki bars and elegant resort gardens. On the high seas, sailing vessels, glass-bottom boats and luxury motor yachts are available for reciting “I do,” while offshore islands accessible only by boat exude an exotic ambience and intimate seclusion.

Virtually anywhere in the Upper Keys, glorious sunrises and blazing sunsets, luxurious blossoming foliage and seemingly endless sea views make undeniably appealing natural backdrops for an unforgettable event.

In fact, a destination wedding in the island chain means the event becomes a lighthearted vacation experience — not just for the bride and groom, but also for their families and friends in attendance.

And that can be particularly attractive to the wedding couple. There are so many activities for their guests to enjoy, from deep-sea fishing to sailing excursions, that they don’t have the responsibility of providing nonstop entertainment. Instead, they can focus on the deepening of their relationship and their lives together … maybe while taking a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride through Islamorada.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Local Color, Voices Main Archive