The Loch Ness Monster spent the winter in Key West a couple of years ago.

Actually, a lot of celebrities have wintered on the subtropical island where daytime temps in January and February generally exceed 70 degrees.

New York artist Cameron Gainer settles the Loch Ness Monster into its winter home in a Key West pond at the beginning of the 2008 Sculpture Key West exhibition. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Robert Frost, for one — the renowned poet abandoned New England for a cottage on Key West’s Caroline Street each winter from 1945 to 1960.

But until a couple of years ago, though Key Westers had seen plenty of snowbirds flocking to the southernmost city to escape the northern cold, they’d never seen anything like the Loch Ness Monster.

Nessie journeyed south on a boat trailer with New York artist Cameron Gainer, who was participating in the 2008 Sculpture Key West exhibition. The annual juried exhibition features work in many types of traditional and experimental media, displayed beside the island’s Civil War-era forts and public gardens — and in several other “surprise” locations around Key West.

Nessie, who turned out to be quite a surprise indeed, was destined for a winter home in a local pond at the entrance to Key West’s picturesque Old Town. But installing the 12-foot by 12.5-foot foam-and-fiberglass monster in the pond was no easy task.

Nessie isn't the only sculpted creature to visit Key West during the annual Sculpture Key West display. Here, artist Doug Makemson introduces "Henry," a nine-foot steel dog that starred in a previous exhibition. (Photo courtesy of Sculpture Key West)

Cameron was inspired to create Nessie by a 1934 photo that supposedly showed its humped back and long curving neck rising out of Scotland’s Loch Ness. To settle the monster in its warm-water winter home, he donned a wetsuit and jumped into the pond to guide the installation.

A Bobcat tractor, a small floating platform and a thick rope “leash” were required in the effort, which drew double-takes and laughter from passing drivers.

For the rest of that winter, much to the delight of absurdity-loving locals, Nessie startled unsuspecting passersby as they entered the historic Old Town district.

The 2010 Sculpture Key West exhibition doesn’t feature any legendary monsters — but that’s perfectly okay, because it includes plenty of other intriguing examples of artistry.

A sailboat is framed by the wood sculpture "Forest of Souls" on display at Sculpture Key West 2010. The wooden hoop by artist Jonathan Schork is composed of buttonwood, Brazilian pepper and Australian pine branches. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Thirty-some artists hailing from Paris, Berlin and 11 American states are showcasing their work in three venues at this year’s exhibition: the waterfront grounds of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, the tranquil and inspiring home of the Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower, and the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden near the entrance to Key West.

Favorite sculptures include an 18-foot-tall wooden hoop-shaped memorial, a commentary on consumerism crafted out of recycled plastic bags, and an interactive “musical chairs” installation made (believe it or not) from discarded brass instruments that people can actually play.

At all three locations, the sculptures will remain on display through April 16.

Take a tip from a longtime Keys local who’s seen many previous Sculpture Key West exhibitions — Nessie might not be lurking around, but even so this is a “monstrously” good show. If you’re in the Keys, don’t miss it!

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Arts, Festivals, Florida Keys, Key West, Keys Quirks, Local Color

They look like the clawed talons of some oversized prehistoric bird. That is, if the bird was dreamed up by a Disney animation specialist with a strange sense of humor. But these claws, orange-red and pale yellow and black, come from the ocean instead of the sky.

Stone crabs are most abundant in the Florida Keys, and considered a seafood delicacy. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

They’re stone crab claws, offering sweet and scrumptious meat that’s among the Florida Keys’ most popular (and deservedly famous) delicacies. Since the stone crab season began Oct. 15, these savory claws have appeared prominently on the menus of top Keys restaurants — triggering a virtual stampede of savvy seafood aficionados.

Typically the claws are satisfyingly large, closer in size to a two-pound Maine lobster’s claws than a blue crab’s claws. Their commercial harvest dates back to the 1930s in Keys inshore waters, and the hard ocean floor and favorable environment support healthy local crab populations.

Stone crabs have the ability to regenerate their claws, making them a renewable resource. Fishermen generally pull the larger of the two claws and return the crab to its natural environment.

The claws are usually cooked immediately after being brought to the dock, by placing them in boiling water and then bringing the water back to a boil. Total cooking time is about 7 or 8 minutes.

Bennett Orr of Keys Fisheries plucks stone crabs out of a trap. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

What’s the secret to cracking the smooth, hard shell of the claw to get at the meat inside? Forget those squeeze-together shell crackers. Instead, gently smack the shell with the back of a spoon, and it will crack cleanly.

The traditional dip for stone crab claws is made from mustard (choose your favorite) with mayonnaise or sour cream, plus extras like Worcestershire or A-1 sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

One of the best spots in the Keys to savor stone crab is Keys Fisheries, located in Marathon. You’ll find the super-casual eatery in an industrial region off the Overseas Highway, nestled right beside the waterfront, surrounded by commercial docks and mountains of crab traps.

A favorite of locals in the know, the establishment has a funky atmosphere that communicates the essence of the island chain’s laidback style. Guests sit at wooden picnic tables on an outdoor patio facing the Gulf of Mexico. Décor includes fishing nets and nautical art, and the stone crab claws have that fresh-off-the-boat flavor that can’t be surpassed.

Stone crab claws are a sought-after delicacy at the Original Marathon Seafood Festival. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Stone crabs are prized so highly in the Keys that they star in several food festivals — like the Key Largo Stone Crab & Seafood Festival at the end of January. Organizers report that this yummy event is chock full of fresh stone crabs, conch, local seafood, music, entertainment and fun for the entire family.

The Original Marathon Seafood Festival is so popular that some dedicated diners even plan their Middle Keys vacations around it. For more than three decades, local fishermen and their families have prepared stone crab claws and other fresh indigenous seafood for thousands of attendees who flock to the March event. Not surprisingly, it has become a beloved Keys tradition.

Happily for those of us who crave the tasty claws, the stone crab season continues each year through May 15. So head for your favorite Keys seafood emporium … and “get cracking” on a plateful.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Florida Keys, Food, Highlights, Key Largo, Marathon, On the Water, Restaurant Picks

Not long ago, Penn Alexander realized the balance of nature in his Old Town Key West neighborhood was definitely out of whack.

Armando Parra, left, formerly the official chicken catcher of Key West, shows an indigenous fowl to Penn Alexander and a lovely "chick." (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

One evening, when he was listening to a vintage Eagles CD in his hundred-year-old cottage, Penn glanced down at the plastic cat crate that housed a wounded Key West chicken he’d rescued from a marauding hawk. There on top of the crate snoozed his large gold tabby cat, clearly uninterested in the feathered inhabitant and what should have been their predator/prey relationship.

In Key West, however, most relationships involving chickens transcend traditional boundaries. The island’s indigenous poultry, probably descended from roosters bred generations ago for cockfights and hens kept for eggs, roams historic Old Town at will. Private cars and taxis stop to let chickens and their babies cross the road, visitors coo and cluck as they snap photos of the meandering fowl, and roosters can be heard crowing not just at dawn, but whenever they feel like it.

While most Key Westers accept the chickens as part of the egg-ccentric island they love — and some, like Penn, feed or shelter them — a few anti-poultry proponents claim the population is too noisy and growing too fast.

Joe Liszka, one of the Key Westers who hatched ChickenFest, appears at a city meeting with a feathered friend. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

In fact, in 2004 city officials hired a chicken catcher to round up and relocate almost half of the city’s estimated 2,000 birds to a mainland farm. Armando Parra, a third-generation island resident, barber and amateur ornithologist, caught eight chickens in humane traps during his first day on the job — but his new career was thwarted by the efforts of poultry lovers, who freed trapped fowl at every opportunity.

The resultant commotion led to (I am not kidding here) a four-day festival that was quickly dubbed ChickenFest — hatched by some local event coordinators to give chicken lovers something to crow about.

Fowl fanciers flocked to participate, dressing in full-body yellow chicken suits and feathered headdresses, covering their noses with vinyl rooster beaks and donning red and yellow plush chicken-head caps.

“The Original Chickens,” the brainchild of a Key West accountant, cavort during the “Fowl Follies” costume competition that took place during ChickenFest Key West. (Photo by Mike Hollar/Florida Keys News Bureau)

The highlight was a Poultry in Motion Parade that featured 10-foot-tall dancing chickens, a Colonel Sanders look-alike, a flock of renegade roosters staging a “coop d’etat” against hapless humans, and a 12-foot “Chicken Caesar” — a toga-wearing rooster reclining on a chariot-drawn chaise and waving a regal wing to parade spectators. In the face of that kind of support, the poultry population’s “hard-boiled” detractors didn’t stand a chance.

Today, although ChickenFest is no longer held, chickens rule the roost in Key West. The island’s hens and roosters have become the subject of oil paintings and watercolors, giant sculptures in neighborhood parks and locally published children’s books.

If you’re seeking chicken companionship during a visit to the island, stop by Key West’s funky Blue Heaven, a renowned eatery whose fans include famed singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

Blue Heaven’s  “breakfast with the roosters,” served in an outdoor courtyard where resident hens and chicks wander freely, features items ranging from lobster and shrimp benedicts to sinfully good homemade pancakes and banana bread.

Or, if you know Penn Alexander, just head over to his place. The little hen he rescued, now named Henrietta, has become a pet whose daily treat is a smidgen of cat food filched from Penn’s orange tabby.

The cat doesn’t seem to mind a bit.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Festivals, Key West, Keys Quirks, Local Color

“Balloon Dog” has landed at Key West’s Fantasy Fest 10-day masking and costuming festival, offering a zany canine counterpoint to the alleged “Balloon Boy” hoax that recently drew worldwide attention.

Jim Brooks checks the so-called weather balloon affixed to his "Balloon Dog," Brutus, at Key West's Fantasy Fest Pet Masquerade. (Photos by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The appearance of “Balloon Dog,” however, was the real thing. Lower Keys resident Jim Brooks attached a pseudo weather balloon to a harness worn by his English bulldog, Brutus, to compete in the Fantasy Fest Pet Masquerade. His inspiration, of course, was the much-publicized saga of the Colorado boy supposedly carried away by a homemade weather balloon that took off after he climbed inside it.

“I imagined, over a couple of beverages, what would happen if my dog did that,” said Jim.

Perhaps fortunately for his credibility, Jim didn’t specify the type of beverage that led to his imaginings. He did, however, outline some of the logistical challenges he faced in creating the costume.

According to Jim, he originally envisioned Brutus actually floating in midair beneath a helium balloon — but Internet research revealed that lifting the 65-pound dog would necessitate a surprisingly large supply of helium.

“It was going to require a 21-foot-diameter weather balloon, and the National Weather Service wouldn’t let me borrow one,” Jim said.

It's hard to tell who looks more alien here -- but clearly, this duo dropped in from its home planet to participate in the Pet Masquerade.

Jim and “Balloon Dog” weren’t the only offbeat competitors that paraded across the Pet Masquerade stage. The contest for “party animals” drew more than 80 entries starring costumed dogs, cats, tropical birds and unusual pets such as two African tortoises dressed as members of the fictional “Addams Family.” (Honestly, I’m not making this up. The tortoises, whose names are Topsy and Toast, and their two human companions won — and deserved — the masquerade’s grand prize.)

Other crowd favorites included a tiny canine dressed as a popular sandwich chain’s trademark “$5 foot-long,” a “peacock dog” that shook its exotic tail feathers at spectators, and a man who donned blue and yellow feather boas to impersonate the blue-and-gold macaw he carried.

Which one is the REAL blue-and-gold macaw? Jim Cozzi and his bird Bob sport lookalike blue and yellow feathers.

An entry dubbed “Mary Had a Little Lamb” featured a woman named Mary, who wore a sexy shepherdess dress, leading two big dogs costumed as lambs. During her stint onstage, Mary said she thought wearing the costumes was making her dogs feel (yes, you know what’s coming) a little sheepish.

How creative and quirky were this year’s Pet Masquerade competitors? Well, the bearded dragon that “rode” around the stage perched on a self-propelled toy Harley did NOT win the top prize for being the most exotic entry.

Actually, neither did “Balloon Dog.” But that’s okay, because he was the darling of the film crews shooting the animal antics. Like the Colorado family that inspired his costume, Brutus is pretty sure to show up on television screens all across America.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Keys Quirks, Local Color

In 1979, October in Key West meant the dog days of a late subtropical summer. Many streets were so empty that dogs could actually be spotted dozing on the asphalt.

Happy birthday, Fantasy Fest! Key West doesn't "clown around" when it comes to producing its flamboyant annual festival and spectacular grand parade. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

But a group of local merchants changed that when they conceived a novel way to mark Halloween, a favorite island holiday that residents celebrated with uninhibited flair: a Halloween festival they dubbed Fantasy Fest.

Their 1979 event was a two-day party and a parade — featuring a local woman who draped her nude metallic-painted body across the hood of a Lincoln Continental and proclaimed herself its hood ornament.

After that auspicious beginning, the festival became an annual extravaganza known as the perfect place to “let it all hang out.” Organizers promoted it nationwide, and visitors began flocking to Key West each October.

Eventually it grew to 10 days. National and international media — including television weatherman Willard Scott — lauded its often risqué costume competitions, lavish masquerade balls and grand parade that featured fabulous floats and marching groups in bright-colored finery.

A past Fantasy Fest costume contest and parade featured a wacky flock of (wait for it) poultry in motion. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

In the mid-1990s Willard made an on-air statement that locals still remember. Displaying an elaborate feathered Fantasy Fest mask live on “The Today Show,” he enthusiastically blurted, “And in Key West this week, they’re having their annual Fanny Fest.”

Whatever you call it, the festival marks its 30th birthday this year — and most Key West residents can recall an offbeat Fantasy Fest incident or two. Like the time a local celebrity and his entourage appeared in costumes satirizing then-president Bill Clinton’s Monica-mania. Or the night a “spaceman” had dire technical difficulties with his flying saucer outside Sloppy Joe’s Bar. Or the year half-naked “headhunters” invaded Duval Street.

Yet despite its outrageous flavor, Fantasy Fest also has a more serious side as a reflection of current events.

What do you get when you combine a blue dress, a cigar and a president who shall remain nameless? A fantastic entry in the Fantasy Fest parade! (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

In 1998, for example, a few weeks after Hurricane Georges swept through the Lower Keys, the festival went on as planned — offering triumphant proof that no storm could dampen the Keys’ resilience or creativity. The parade honored U.S. 1 Radio for staying on the air throughout the hurricane to offer Keys-wide updates and comfort.

One float featured the station’s generator, nicknamed “Zippy” because it powered the broadcasts during the storm-induced electrical blackout. Parade spectators saluted the valiant little generator with nonstop applause and laughter.

Perhaps the most poignant moment in Fantasy Fest history came in 2001. Just weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, the festival gave eight exhausted, grieving New York City firefighters a chance to relax and smile.

The FDNY firefighters were rightfully hailed as heroes during the 2001 Fantasy Fest parade. Rob Carlo (center) held up his late brother's photo as they marched. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Months before, firefighters Michael Carlo and his brother Rob, teammates on the 10-member FDNY volleyball team, had decided to march in the year’s Fantasy Fest parade. But their plans — and their lives — were shattered when the World Trade Center collapsed.

Mike Carlo died in the rubble, as did volleyball team member Tim Welty. The remaining eight teammates, though devastated by their loss, put in heartbreaking days and weeks working at the site that came to be known as Ground Zero.

But the night of the 2001 Fantasy Fest parade, dressed in red, white and blue T-shirts bearing Mike and Tim’s names, they marched the length of the parade route in memory of their lost brothers.

Whether honoring heroes or saluting creative costumes and floats, Fantasy Fest has earned its place as Key West's premier annual festival. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Rob carried Mike’s photograph, while a teammate waved a sign that read, “FDNY — Still the Greatest Job on Earth.” An estimated 50,000 spectators cheered, blinked back tears, and chanted “USA! USA!” as the firefighters passed by.

The 30th annual Fantasy Fest begins Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 1, with the parade set for Halloween night. Whether you’ve never attended or are a veteran fest-goer, this is the year to join Key Westers in celebrating the festival’s colorful history … and anticipating the next 30 years.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Keys History, Keys Quirks, Local Color

It’s not easy to costume a cat. Particularly when the cat is a 20-pound male Norwegian Forest Cat named Alex, who’s very conscious of his dignity, and the costume is a tasteful silk dress and a rope of pearls.

Clearly, Alex is not yet comfortable in his Pet Masquerade attire.

Getting him used to his finery is likely to be a lengthy process involving hisses, claws and curses (both human and feline), but I’m determined to prevail. And I’m not alone in this odd purr-suit.

All over the Florida Keys, otherwise sane people are constructing costumes for their cats, dogs, ferrets, potbellied pigs, ducks and heaven knows what other domestic species. The people are absolutely serious about this enterprise, though most of the animals are as uneasy as Alex.

What’s behind this strange phenomenon? A costume competition for critters, known as the WKEYZ Pet Masquerade and Parade, which is a highlight of Key West’s 10-day Fantasy Fest masking and costuming celebration that’s held each October.

The animal antics take place on an oceanfront stage at Key West’s historic Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club. And believe me, the fur really flies when several dozen costumed pets and their people strut their stuff in front of a few thousand enthusiastic spectators.

Past Pet Masquerade entries have ranged from the simple to the extraordinarily intricate ... like this one involving a very patient dog. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Entries usually range from simple pet-and-person duos to multi-member animal-and-human ensembles attempting to perform musical numbers. A panel of bemused judges awards prizes in categories including most exotic attire and pet-owner look-alikes.

Among the more bizarre past entries have been a flock of giant “chicken people” who cavorted onstage with a dog named Weasel to the strains of the “Super Chicken” cartoon theme song, a duck lounging in a bathtub on wheels, a team of miniature dachshunds pulling a miniature covered wagon, a parakeet riding in a tiny remote-controlled car, and a musical salute to Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” featuring a blonde-wigged Borzoi hound costumed as “Birds” actress Tippi Hedren.

The Borzoi was a regular Pet Masquerade contender whose human companion, Madeleine Burnside, delighted in staging complex song-and-dance routines featuring the dog and a multi-person entourage.

One year, Key West mortgage banker David Koontz was a member of that entourage. For reasons known only to Madeleine, the costume she chose for him included a large cutlass and purple body paint applied liberally to his skin and hair.

Kelsey Morris and her duck Prissy shared "top billing" in a past Pet Masquerade. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Unfortunately, she neglected to tell him the body paint didn’t wash off very well. The day after Pet Masquerade, David flew to New York City to attend a high-level national mortgage bankers’ conference — where he spent most of his time explaining why his skin and hair had a distinct purple hue.

With 2009’s Pet Masquerade set for Oct. 28, Florida Keys pet lovers are stitching sequins and feathers onto costumes, reluctant animals are fleeing from fittings, and David Koontz is avoiding both body paint and Borzois.

As for me, I’m still trying to convince Alex the Norwegian Forest Cat that he looks terrific in a silk dress and pearls.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Keys Quirks, Local Color

It’s early evening in Key West, the southernmost outpost of the continental United States. Walking through the narrow streets, passing turn-of-the-century Victorian homes adorned with the wooden lace called gingerbread, you can feel the anticipation sure as a pulsebeat in the air.

Every evening visitors gather at Mallory Square for a Key West tradition known as the Sunset Celebration, where they witness local entertainers and artists displaying their talents and crafts. Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau

It gets more insistent as you near the Gulf of Mexico, and so do the crowds. Curious visitors and casual islanders, street vendors and craftspeople, T-shirt painters and guitar-toting musicians are all heading for Mallory Square — and the street market celebration that accompanies every evening’s sunset.

The hub of the wrecking industry when this tropical seaport was young, Mallory Square is actually a rectangle — a wide expanse of land with a magnificent view of the gulf and the gently-bobbing sailboats anchored off Christmas Tree Island just across the harbor.

As the sun begins its descent into the gulf, Mallory comes alive with energy and festivity. Jugglers entertain with comedic patter and entice audience members into assisting with their offbeat feats. A gypsy tightrope walker performs breathtaking acrobatics high above the heads of the crowd. A mime painted totally silver captivates children and adults alike with his antics.

Attendees at the Sunset Celebration watch tightrope walker Will Soto entertain as the sun sinks into the Gulf of Mexico. Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau

Elsewhere, business is brisk as vendors of hand-painted T-shirts, handcrafted jewelry, and hand-woven palm-frond hats peddle their wares to tourists. A blonde island woman offers her modestly-named “Pretty Good Popcorn” from a brightly-painted wagon.

Yet no matter how colorful the denizens of Mallory may be, the real star of this nightly show is the sun. Painting the sky with a palette of creamsicle orange and dusty pink, it seems to gather momentum before its final plunge into the gulf. As it disappears, the action stops. Spontaneously, the clapping begins and swells — until everyone on the square is applauding Mother Nature for another perfect Key West sunset.

According to longtime Keys locals, once in a great while you'll see the legendary "green flash" as the sun disappears below the horizon. Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau

Want to know more about the artisans and performers who make Key West’s Sunset Celebration so unforgettable? Check out www.sunsetcelebration.com, the online presence of the nonprofit Cultural Preservation Society that has successfully managed the Mallory Square event for some 25 years. You’ll find photos and info introducing the performers and artisans, as well as links to their individual sites.

And if you just can’t make it to Key West (sob!) to experience the island city’s Sunset Celebration in person, try viewing it via a Mallory Square webcam at www.fla-keys.com/webcams/. Be warned, however: the webcam is “virtually” certain to whet your appetite for the real thing!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Florida Keys, Highlights, Key West, Keys Quirks, Local Color

He might bear an uncanny resemblance to literary legend Ernest Hemingway, but he doesn’t do any writing — except, that is, writing checks and text messages.

David Douglas (right) gets a congratulatory smooch outside Sloppy Joe's from fellow "Papa" Tom Grizzard after winning the 2009 Look-Alike Contest. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

So said David Douglas moments after winning the 2009 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, renowned as the author’s favorite Key West watering hole.

A mechanical contractor from Texas, Douglas was one of 140 contenders in the annual contest that attracts throngs of middle-aged men with white beards, stocky bodies, and an “ernest” desire to achieve “Papa-hood.”

He won the contest on his eighth attempt, after donning a cream-colored wool fisherman’s sweater despite Key West’s 90-degree heat — much like the sweater Hemingway wore in a famous 1957 photo by Yousuf Karsh.

Though he lacks literary aspirations, Douglas admitted several similarities to Hemingway beyond the physical. He’s passionate about all kinds of fishing and has been married three times. And he loves to go drinking with friends just as Ernest did when he lived in Key West throughout the 1930s. Much of the exuberant author’s drinking, of course, took place at Sloppy Joe’s.

The bar’s official beginning was December 5, 1933, the day Prohibition was repealed.

Sloppy Joe's is thronged with look-alike fans each year during the internationally renowned contest. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Key West being a bastion of free-thinkers even in the 30s, Prohibition was regarded as an amusing exercise dreamed up by the government — and Joe Russell was just one of the enterprising individuals who operated illegal speakeasies. Even Hemingway slipped over to Russell’s on occasion to buy illicit bottles of Scotch, and the two struck up an enduring friendship.

Joe Russell was a charterboat captain, rumrunner, Hemingway’s boat pilot, and the author’s fishing companion for 12 years. In his company, Papa once caught an astonishing 54 marlin in 115 days. Hemingway called him “Josie Grunts” and used him as the model for a character in his classic novel “To Have and Have Not.”

In its early days, Sloppy Joe’s was located at 428 Greene St., where Captain Tony’s Saloon stands today, offering attractions that included gambling and pool tables in the rear. “Big” Skinner, a hearty black bartender who weighed about 300 pounds, served Sloppy’s customers for 20-some years.

The iconic bar stands at the corner of Duval and Greene streets. (Photo courtesy of Sloppy Joe's)

Hemingway and his “Mob” of cohorts were enthusiastic regular customers. The “Mob” was a blend of American literary giants and local residents: John Dos Passos, Waldo Pierce, J.B. Sullivan, Hamilton Adams, Captain Eddie Saunders, Henry Strater. They wrangled, drank, and philosophized at the bar, never knowing they were building a legend.

Sloppy Joe’s migrated across the street to its current location on May 5, 1937, after Joe Russell’s landlord raised his rent from three dollars a week to a whopping four. Luckily, the former Victoria Restaurant at the corner of Duval and Greene streets was vacant. Built in 1917, the Victoria incorporated beautiful Cuban tilework, ceiling fans, and jalousie doors. Joe Russell bought it for $2,500.

Oddly enough, the bar never actually closed during the move. Customers just picked up their drinks and carried them, along with everything else in the place, over to 201 Duval St. where service resumed with barely a blink.

David Douglas, center, beams after winning the 2009 "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

When Hemingway left Key West in 1939, he left a number of belongings stored in a house next to Sloppy Joe’s. After the house was sold, his things were moved into a back room at Sloppy’s. There they remained until after his death, when his widow Mary claimed them.

Since then Sloppy Joe’s, like a rare Cuban rum, has gained richness and flavor while essentially remaining unchanged. In 1981, it was the birthplace of Key West’s Hemingway Days celebration honoring the author who helped make it famous.

Today, visitors and Hemingway aficionados — including 125 to 150 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest entrants every year — still flock to Sloppy Joe’s, drawn by the legend and hoping some measure of magic will rub off on them.

For David Douglas, 2009’s proud contest winner, it did.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Keys History, Local Color

Perhaps I should call you Papa, since that’s the persona you created down here in Key West, but I admire your work so much that it seems too presumptuous.

"I've spotted you in Key West once or twice ..." (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

You may think it odd that I’m writing you this letter, since you’re presumably now typing on that great battered Royal in the sky (I can’t, somehow, believe you’ve graduated to a laptop or become embroiled in the “Mac versus PC” debate that obsesses your literary legatees).

The fact is, though, I’ve spotted you in Key West once or twice since you departed this life for pleasanter Islands in the Stream — outside Sloppy Joe’s, and on Whitehead Street near your house (you were staring bemusedly at the camera-draped visitors clamoring to get in).

So I know that, on occasion, you escape the celestial realm and return to the place where you loved to raise (excuse the reference) a little hell. And I thought I should alert you about something you might want to slip away for.

Lorian Hemingway and Casa Antigua grand dame Mary Ann Worth share a quiet moment in the historic property's atrium garden. (Photo by Tom Oosterhoudt, Conch Color)

You’re probably aware that Key West has changed since your day, but you might not be aware that you’re regarded as its literary patron saint. In fact, almost 30 years ago, a fellow named Michael Whalton created a festival here honoring your work and lifestyle. Hemingway Days, it’s called. Your brother Leicester had great fun participating in it until he took your path home. 

Anyway, one of the most popular Hemingway Days events is Lorian Hemingway’s announcement of the winners of her short story competition. If you actually do use a laptop, check it out at www.shortstorycompetition.com.

Your granddaughter Lorian has become highly acclaimed for authoring three fine books (look for her memoir “Walk on Water” in that big bookstore in the sky) — though her style is lyrical whereas yours was spare to the bone. 

Critically acclaimed as an author and journalist, Lorian spends hundreds of hours each year encouraging writers who haven't yet achieved success. (Photo by Tom Corcoran)

Lorian shares your love of Key West, and for the past 29 years she’s helped other writers who haven’t yet gotten the recognition they deserve.

Her short story contest offers cash awards — useful whether you have or have not — as well as recognition. And it’s so popular that this year it got 1,000-plus entries from all over the world.

Some of the past winning stories have been downright dazzling, and some of the winning writers have gone on to earn world-class literary fellowships and major publishing deals.

Anyway, Lorian will announce this year’s contest winners at 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, at Casa Antigua (it’s at 314 Simonton St.). You’ll remember the place, though not by that name — it’s the renovated Trevor and Morris Apartments where you stayed when you discovered Key West in 1928.

These days, most of the interior is a huge atrium garden open to the sky, with palm trees and a pool surrounded by beautiful old brick walls. It’s the home of a local publisher named Tom Oosterhoudt and his mother, Mary Ann Worth, and they generously open it up every year for Lorian’s awards event.

"Most attendees, Mr. Hemingway, will believe you're there in spirit anyway ..." (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

After the winners are announced, the audience hears the first public reading of the top story and Tom talks about your history with Casa Antigua. He even gives tours of the place — and I’ll bet you’d really enjoy seeing what a showplace those old apartments have become.

But honestly, Mr. Hemingway, if you can’t get your head out of the clouds, don’t fret about missing the awards (or even Hemingway Days itself). I’ll tell you a secret: most attendees will believe you’re there in spirit anyway.

With admiration,

A Fan

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

Forty years after the release of their “Yellow Submarine” album, the Beatles are headed for another sub-sea adventure. The Fab Four — or at least divers costumed as the quartet — will take center stage Saturday, July 11, during the Lower Keys’ 25th annual Underwater Music Festival.

Musicians take center stage at the annual Underwater Music Festival -- this year to include an oddly familiar Fab Foursome.

Divers portraying “Ringo Starfish,” “John Lemon-shark,” “Paul McCarpney” and “George Herringson” are planning to rock the waters of the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef during the offbeat event.

While the Beatles might not be the authentic originals, the event itself is authentic to the core — and it draws as many as 600 divers and snorkelers each year.

The submerged songfest is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Looe Key Reef, part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary south of Big Pine Key. It celebrates the colorful marine life that thrives in the Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem, and encourages environmentally responsible diving practices that protect the ecosystem.

Participating divers can even spot friendly mermaids at the Lower Keys' Underwater Music Festival. (Photo by Bill Keogh/Florida Keys News Bureau)

During the festival, finned fans can watch the Beatles pretenders “perform” beneath the sea accompanied by backup singer “Mako Ono”  — and they might even glimpse a replica yellow submarine saluting the album’s 1969 release.

The fish-friendly festival is staged by popular local radio station WWUS 104.1 FM, with the station’s musical selections piped underwater via special speakers suspended beneath boats at the reef.

 So what does music sound like underwater?

“It has a very ethereal sound — it seems to come from all directions,” advises festival coordinator and WWUS radio veteran Bill Becker. “The reason is that sound travels five times faster in water than in air, so it reaches both of your ears almost instantaneously, which gives it a very much of a surrounding sound.”

Each year the playlist includes ocean-themed ditties like Jimmy Buffett’s “Fins,” the unfortunately unforgettable theme from “Gilligan’s Island,” authentic humpback whale song and, of course, the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” and “Yellow Submarine.”

Backup singer "Mako Ono" might wield this clambourine sculpted by Lower Keys artist August Powers.

Underwater musicians also jam on aquatic instruments sculpted by Keys artist August Powers. Blending elements of sea creatures and actual instruments, Powers’ creations include a trom-bonefish, manta-lin, drumfish and a clambourine.

(Note to readers: no, the puns won’t stop any time soon.)

Does seeing the Beatles in Lower Keys waters sound a little “fishy”? Well, they’re not the only unusual denizens of the deep that have appeared at the wacky festival. In recent years, participants have spotted a longhaired harp-wielding mermaid, several snorkeling Elvis look-alikes playing underwater guitar, diving diva “Britney Spearfish” and even, prior to the 2008 presidential election, “Barackuda Obama” and “John McClam.”

Get ready to rock the reef at the 25th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival. Event founder Bill Becker can be glimpsed here waving the American flag. (Photo by Bill Keogh/Florida Keys News Bureau)

The Underwater Music Festival offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for divers and snorkelers — but equally important is its ongoing focus on coral reef preservation. Each year, the musical broadcast features diver awareness tips on enjoying the ocean while minimizing impact on the reef environment — and that’s worth promoting, as the Beatles might say, “Eight Days a Week.”

Want to dive into the 25th annual Underwater Music Festival? Look for a Lower Keys dive charter at www.fla-keys.com or www.lowerkeyschamber.com.

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