At some Keys centers, even young children can participate in magical dolphin encounters.

You can solve that dilemma in the Upper and Middle Keys, an area jam-packed with activities sure to make summer days unforgettable for kids and families.

For example …

Make friends with herons, owls, pelicans and egrets at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is a bird rehabilitation facility located in Tavernier at mile marker 93.6. An Upper Keys landmark, it’s home to more than 100 ill, injured or orphaned wild birds — all housed in a natural setting on more than five acres of land. The main attraction is the daily pelican feeding, set for about 3:30 p.m., that typically draws hundreds of wild pelicans hungry for fish.

The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center is open every day during daylight hours. There’s no admission fee, but donations are requested.

Marine life and lively parrots intrigue young visitors to Islamorada's Theater of the Sea.

Swim with stingrays, dolphins or sea lions at Theater of the Sea. A lush 17-acre tropical oasis located in Islamorada at mile marker 84.5, Theater of the Sea is filled with scores of fish and marine life, native birds, colorful and engaging parrots, sea turtles, crocodiles and exotic plants. General admission includes live performances by dolphins, sea lions and parrots, a guided tour of marine-life exhibits and a glass-bottom boat tour of their natural saltwater lagoon.

Theater of the Sea also hosts special swim programs with dolphins, stingrays and sea lions for kids as young as 5 — and dolphin wade programs for kids as young as 3. The park opens daily at 9:30 a.m.

Discover shells, fish tanks and history at Crane Point Hammock in Marathon. Crane Point Hammock is a 63-acre environmental and archaeological preserve that offers a wide range of intriguing activities for kids and families.

Several Keys facilities teach kids (and grownups!) about the exotic-looking featured denizens of the island chain.

The historically curious can visit Adderley House, a simple home built in 1906 by a Bahamian immigrant who was a sponge fisherman, boatman and charcoal maker. Adventure seekers can get up close and personal with the museum’s touch tank that features sea urchins and starfish, or explore a large lagoon inhabited by nurse sharks and tropical fish. Nature lovers can hike along one of the nature trails or visit the Marathon Wild Bird Center, a haven for feathered friends in need.

Located at mile marker 50.5, Crane Point Hammock is open Monday though Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

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For kids (and kids at heart), a world of excitement awaits during “summer vacation” in the Middle and Upper Keys. To discover more “keys” to enjoying the island chain, just click here.

Sure, I had written about how daytime swordfishing, or catching a broadbill in broad daylight, had been fully developed off Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

Andy Newman fights a swordfish in the waters off Islamorada. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

But, after witnessing at least a dozen catches, I simply concluded it was just too much work.

After all, you sit in a big barbershop-like chair, holding a big game fishing rod as thick as a broomstick and a huge reel that looks like it could literally lift the world.

But on Sunday, July 19, after being “ordered” to sit in the chair, I found myself connected to a swordfish that was 1,800 feet away — with little choice but to crank that baby in.

I was out on the Catch 22, owned by Richard Stanczyk and skippered by his brother Scott. I was there simply to catch a few dolphin (mahi-mahi) and help produce a new Video of the Week for the Florida Keys website and the Keys’ You Tube channel.

As Andy battles the fish, strong winds and rough seas result in a saltwater shower. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

But now we were backing down on this fish and I was winding furiously to recover line.

We were 25 miles off Islamorada and, quite honestly, this was not the picture-perfect day that is so typical in the Florida Keys. The wind was blowing strong and the seas were rough. As we chased the fish, water was coming over the boat’s transom and I was getting drenched.

“Aha,” I thought. “So this is what Hemingway experienced to motivate his words for ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.”

As it turned out, the overcast skies and continued saltwater “showering” were a godsend. Had there been bright sunny skies with little breeze, which is the Keys’ traditional summer weather pattern, I likely would have suffered heat stroke.

Fifteen minutes into the fight, I had cranked in almost 1,200 feet of line and the fish leaped across the ocean’s surface.

The swordfish leaps across the water's surface, putting up a grueling 80-minute fight. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“This is the real thing, Andy,” shouted Richard, who pioneered daytime swordfishing in the Keys with his angling friend Vic Gaspeny.

Five minutes later we could see the leader, but then the fish took another run and dove deep.

I had to give up 500 feet of line. Within about 10 minutes I struggled to regain 250 feet of line — and then the stalemate began.

I’d get a few feet. He’d take it back.

We went on like that for at least half an hour and I really began to feel like Santiago, the main character in “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Finally, seemingly inch-by-inch, I was able to crank that fish to the boat and mate Hunter Baron grabbed the leader. Between Hunter and Nick Stanczyk, Richard’s son, they were able to gaff the 168-pound swordfish and slide it over the side and into the boat.

About 80 minutes after the hookup, there was backslapping and handshakes all around.

Andy, mate Hunter Baron (center) and Captain Scott Stanczyk display the prize catch. (Photo by Nick Stanczyk)

“You know, Andy, anglers from all around the world travel far and wide to catch a prized fish like that,” Richard said. “You caught one in your own backyard.”

I acknowledged Richard and reminded him he had already given me that quote for a story I wrote several years ago.

“You think back to the days of Zane Grey and Hemingway and the idea of going out and capturing one of these big monsters,” he said. “You don’t have to go to an exotic spot anymore for a world-class gamefish. People can come to the Keys, book a charterboat and have a chance of hooking a giant fish.”

My own catch certainly proved that.

Editor’s Note: Islamorada is known as the “Sportfishing Capital of the World” and features the largest offshore charterboat fleet in the Keys. Book at the following marinas:

Bud N’ Mary’s Fishing Marina

Caloosa Cove Resort & Marina

Holiday Isle Resort & Marina

Robbie’s of Islamorada

Whale Harbor Marina

World Wide Sportsman

Adventurer Mel Fisher, shown here with some of his glittering discoveries, proved that the American dream is thriving -- at least in the Keys. (Photo provided by Mel Fisher's Treasures)

Mel, a former California chicken farmer, appeared in the Keys in 1968 and shortly afterward settled in Key West. His luggage consisted of one big dream — that of finding the sunken treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, shipwrecked in a 1622 hurricane somewhere in Keys waters.

The Atocha’s cargo, according to its manifest, included a quarter of a million silver pieces of eight, some 30 tons of silver bars, and other riches destined for the coffers of Spain. Clearly, it was a worthy prize for any man.

Some people never really fit into Key West’s offbeat lifestyle, but others — like Mel — fit in immediately. With his drawling speech and seemingly limitless capacity for rum and Coke, he became a familiar figure on the island.

During the long years of searching for the shipwrecked galleon, there was little money to support Mel and his crew — which included his wife Deo and, eventually, children Dirk, Taffi, Kim and Kane. Still, enough treasure trickled in to keep their enthusiasm alive.

Mel and Deo Fisher were early SCUBA pioneers before they became shipwreck seekers. (Photo provided by Mel Fisher's Treasures)

After all, Mel reasoned, almost any day could herald the discovery of the Atocha’s main body of riches. “Today’s the day,” his well-known phrase of encouragement to his divers, began to appear on T-shirts all over Key West.

At long last, in July of 1985, “the day” arrived.

On July 18, Mel’s son Kane, then captain of the salvage boat Dauntless, discovered a 60-pound ballast stone, barrel hoops, copper ingots, and almost 1,000 silver coins in a deep-water area called Hawks Channel.

Two days later, on July 20, divers Andy Matroci and Greg Wareham dove down to investigate a promising area of the seabed. Facing them was a reef of what looked like stones. The duo went back up for a metal detector and dove down again. The metal detector went wild: it was a reef of silver bars.

Andy reached the surface first and yelled to the salvage boat, “It’s the ‘mother lode’! We’re sitting on silver bars!”

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

Kane Fisher radioed back to Key West, “Put away the charts. We’ve found the main pile.”

They had found 1,041 silver bars and boxes of coins — 3,000 to a box. Almost immediately, shippers’ marks on the silver bars were matched to the Atocha’s cargo manifest, confirming the identification.

“It was surreal. I had spent most of my life looking for it, and all of a sudden there it was — all these silver bars piled up and sticking up out of the mud, and there were fishhooks snagged on them and lobsters living in the cracks between the silver bars,” said Kane’s brother Kim, who had begun tracking the Atocha with his family when he was 12 years old.

The excavation of what media dubbed “the shipwreck of the century” began. Divers and archeologists eventually recovered more than $400 million in gold and silver coins and bars, breathtaking religious artifacts, jewelry, weapons, pottery, navigational instruments, contraband emeralds and other incredible items.

Kim Fisher, son of the late Mel Fisher, displays a 23-karat gold bar recovered during the ongoing search for the remainder of the Atocha shipwreck. (Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Now, 25 years after the discovery of that “main pile,” people flock to Key West’s Mel Fisher Maritime Museum to view the Atocha treasure and artifacts housed there — and marvel at the triumph of the human spirit that their recovery represents.

Yet according to the vessel’s cargo manifest, much more remains to be found. After Mel’s death in 1998, his son Kim took over the family enterprise — and today he and his own son Sean supervise the ongoing search for the portion of the legendary shipwreck that still awaits discovery.

“We’re looking for the sterncastle of the Atocha,” explained Kim, who looks (and sounds) a lot like Mel. “There’s a lot of treasure still out there … 100,000 coins, 300 80-pound silver bars …”

The Atocha’s story — and the quest — continue.

These strange "undersea creatures" were spotted in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary during a past Underwater Music Festival. (Photos by Bill Keogh/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Unless, of course, it’s the second Saturday in July.

That’s the timeframe for the annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, an engagingly weird event that draws as many as 600 divers and snorkelers to boogie to the beat of music beneath the waves.

Staged by a popular local radio station, the submerged songfest takes place at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary about six miles south of Big Pine Key.

The station’s playlist — ocean- and water-focused ditties ranging from the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” to humpback whale songs and the themes from “Gilligan’s Island” and “Titanic” — is broadcast to participating divers and snorkelers (and a whole lot of curious fish) on special speakers suspended beneath boats at the reef.

A few years back, divers and snorkelers at the Underwater Music Festival came across a patriotic parade -- on the ocean floor.

While you might think music would be distorted underwater, it’s actually surprisingly clear. Plus there’s an ethereal “surround sound” feeling that comes from the sound waves’ transmission through the water.

Adding to that ethereal quality are the bizarre reef denizens that can be spotted during the event. Unsuspecting divers and snorkelers at past festivals have encountered an underwater brass band complete with tuba, marchers in an ocean-floor patriotic parade, and the “Divas of the Deep” — a trio of female divers costumed as Ella Fish-gerald, Tuna Turner, and (wait for it) Britney Spearfish.

One memorable year even Elvis himself decided to take the plunge, though he wasn’t wearing blue suede fins at the time. Elvis impersonator Neil Goldberg, dressed in a white caped jumpsuit and flashy gold chains, “performed” underwater on a bright red guitar for a mesmerized crowd of “sea fans.”

“The fish seem to be Elvis fans — they’re ‘all shook up’,” The King quipped after resurfacing.

Elvis impersonator Neil Goldberg performs for "sea fans" at a recent Underwater Music Festival.

For the 2010 festival, scheduled July 10, rumor has it that “Alice in Waterland” and her fictional friends will be on hand. Organizers are staging an offbeat salute to the classic tale “Alice in Wonderland” and the 2010 film it inspired, with underwater appearances by divers costumed as Alice, the “Mad Haddock,” “Cheshire Catfish,” and other take-offs on the story’s memorable characters.

Goofy as it seems, this good time has a serious purpose: preserving the Florida Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem. The musical broadcast incorporates diver awareness announcements by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary officials, offering tips on how to enjoy the ocean while minimizing your impact on the reef and marine environment.

So if you’re a music “afishionado,” dive into the doings at the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival. And even if you can’t come down and take the plunge, you can share the spirit — by “singing out” about reef preservation.

Nick Aldacosta's grin can't hide his wicked sense of humor or world-class storytelling skill.

“That reminds me of a story,” he’ll say with a disarming grin. No matter how outrageous or embellished the details, his tales are indeed true and his listeners are drawn to the punch line like a billfish to bait.

Nick’s own life story is equally engaging, spun from his early years on shrimp boats, docksides and charter vessels. Born in Fort Myers, Fla., he’s been a Marathon resident since he was just a year old.

His father was a shrimp fisherman, and at age 3 Nick started learning the ways of the water.

As a small boy he “caught” his first fish, a mangrove snapper.

“My dad tied a fishing line around my waist and told me, ‘When something pulls on the line, run.’ Well, that fish nearly pulled me off the table on the shore, so I took off running, pulling that fish right outta’ the water,” Nick said with a laugh. “I must have run 15 or 20 miles, that fish trailin’ behind me.”

At age 13, Nick was rigging baits, shaking weeds off fishermen’s lines and selling live mullet for $5 a dozen out of his mother’s Falcon station wagon, running between the Seven Mile Bridge and Bahia Honda. By the time he was 21, he owned Nick’s Sporting Goods.

A younger Nick Aldacosta (seated), circa 1980s, and a small fishing buddy admire their catch after a day on the water.

Though his descriptions of his on-the-water activities during the Keys’ no-holds-barred 1970s fall somewhere between shady and chivalrous, during that time Nick’s charter fishing business aboard Nautical Wheeler came to fruition.

His fishing pals were raucous, rich and famous. They included actor Lee Marvin and sportfishing legend Ron Hamlin, who authored “Tournament,” a fictional angling tale whose character Wink Andros bears an uncanny resemblance to Nick Aldacosta.

Nick’s wife Annette Walsh, who with him owns and operates Annette’s Lobster & Steak House in Marathon, caught his fishing fever and achieved an elusive grand slam shortly after they were married.

“We’d only gone out for the morning in a 14-foot skiff,” NIck said. “We had crackers on the boat, and that’s it.”

The “morning” evolved into a compelling 13-hour episode of fishing. Without fuel, bait or appropriate rods for what lay ahead — a grand slam needs to be completed on the same boat, within 24 hours — they borrowed mullet and tarpon rods from fisherman friends.

Nick siphoned needed gas from his “mullet wagon,” an indescribably ugly convertible with a plywood bait box in place of the trunk. (Nick freely admits that, on a particularly rum-soaked night when the car was still reasonably intact, he left a customer’s tarpon in the trunk. When its scales fell off and the stink grew unbearable, he simply cut off the car’s back end.)

Nick and his wife, Annette Walsh, stand flanked by the grand slam tarpon, permit and bonefish that, along with pictures of Captain Nick's angling days, grace the walls of their restaurant.

After Annette landed the necessary permit and bonefish, the duo targeted tarpon, the final fish in the coveted grand slam.

“She hooked a 150-pound tarpon and fought it an hour and a half, until releasing it at 8:30 p.m. — the fish were all released,” Nick said.

Replicas of the grand slam fish still hang on the walls of the restaurant.

More than 30 years, three vessels and three mullet wagons later, Nick Aldacosta still loves taking people fishing.

Not long ago, sitting at the edge of the restaurant’s bar where patrons and passersby could hear him spin a yarn, he quipped, “I’m not in the fishin’ business; I’m in the entertainment business. I just fish for fun.”

Key West landscape "artists" put finishing touches on a giant rainbow flag atop "Mount Trashmore." (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

But this was no ordinary rainbow flag. For one thing, it measured 125 feet by 60 feet and required 87 gallons of paint. For another, the landmark they painted it on was a dormant landfill nicknamed “Mount Trashmore” — the highest and most visible landmass in the Florida Keys.

Big as their flag is (and according to my trusty calculator, it measures 7,500 square feet), it’s far from the largest rainbow banner ever displayed in Key West.

That title goes to a flag created in 2003 — one so massive that it stretched the entire length of the island city’s 1.25-mile Duval Street, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to its startling length, the 2003 flag had another claim to fame. It was sewn in Key West by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist who created the original rainbow flag in 1978, to commemorate the internationally recognized gay and lesbian symbol’s 25th birthday.

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)

To construct the Key West flag, Gilbert (whose friends call him “the gay Betsy Ross”) spent three months on the island. He and a handful of dedicated helpers sewed approximately 17,600 linear yards of fabric — no easy feat, since that fabric weighed more than three tons!

Those of us who were lucky enough to witness the flag’s debut, the highlight of Key West’s PrideFest 2003, will treasure the memory for a very long time.

It took about 2,000 volunteers to unfurl the flag from one end of Duval Street to the other. The crowd that gathered to help and watch included gay and straight couples, people of widely varying colors and ages, families with children, and even people in wheelchairs.

Nancy Mathys of Key West couldn’t see the flag, but she was determined to be part of its unfurling. Holding her white cane, guided by a male companion, she stood in line with other volunteers waiting to carry Gilbert’s massive creation as it was pulled out of its support truck.

“I think it’s wonderful that so many people have come out,” Nancy said as she waited. “It’s a special day to be part of all this.”

Gilbert's flag stretches down Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in a sea-to-sea proclamation of pride and diversity. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

As well as honoring the rainbow flag’s birth, the Key West flag recreated Gilbert’s original eight-color design. Pink and turquoise, which couldn’t be reproduced commercially in 1978, were sewn into the mammoth banner along with the now-traditional red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet.

“I started crying when the father of the flag was speaking,” said Kelly Davis of Nashville as she watched volunteers carry the flag down Duval Street. “It’s touching how everybody’s just getting along in the community — this flag stands for everybody’s freedom.”

When the rainbow banner was completely unfurled, the crowd chanted “Gilbert, Gilbert” and “Key West, Key West” as Gilbert Baker dipped one end into the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, Key West’s PrideFest organizers and community leaders dipped the other end into the Atlantic — making the flag a sea-to-sea representation of Key West’s pride and diversity.

“The rainbow flag is loved and cherished all over the world,” said Gilbert during the day’s celebrations. “It represents an idea of equality and justice for everyone.”

May that idea prevail as long as the flag is flown.

Sam Champion, "Good Morning America's" weather anchor, lounges at the beach in Key West during his live broadcast May 31. (Photos by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

As he waded off the beach at Key West’s Casa Marina Resort during the live broadcast, Sam had an important message for GMA’s millions of viewers.

“These coasts are clear,” he said before stretching out in a SunKat, which looks like an oversized floating lawn chair, at the water’s edge.

Behind him, kayakers and paddle-boarders enjoyed the water while a small black-and-white dog (I am not making this up) floated by on a boogie board under his owner’s watchful eye.

For those of us who love the Keys, the GMA broadcast was a welcome chance to show that, contrary to relentless rumors, the only oil on our beaches is suntan oil.

Even so, the Keys’ tourism economy has taken a substantial hit. Owners and operators of resorts, inns, fishing charters and dive shops have answered thousands of phone calls from potential visitors nervous about conditions in the Keys, and received countless cancellations.

The super-talented Monks of Phunk provided an island-flavored musical accompaniment throughout the broadcast.

That’s why the “Good Morning America” broadcast by Sam Champion and his “champion” crew was so important.

As well as watersports, the GMA live segments featured music by the fabulous Monks of Phunk, consisting of seasoned Keys musicians Keith Ricks, Chris Case and Matt Watson.

The Casa Marina’s executive chef, Erik Malzahn, tempted Sam with a taste of Key lime pie. While many pie lovers debate the merits of whipped cream topping versus meringue, Erik sidesteps the issue by using both.

Bobby Mongelli, owner of the popular Hogfish Bar and Grill, displayed a selection of Keys-caught seafood for Sam and his audience, ranging from stone crabs and sweet pink shrimp to whole yellowtail and blackfin tuna. (Sam and the crew became Hogfish fans after spending an evening sampling the laid-back emporium’s smoked fish dip and hogfish sandwiches.)

Hogfish Bar and Grill owner Bobby Mongelli (right) shows Sam examples of fish and seafood caught in Keys waters -- the "raw" material for tasty temptations prepared by Hogfish chefs.

Also displaying bounty found in Keys waters was Sean Fisher, grandson of legendary shipwreck salvager Mel Fisher, who showcased more than $4 million worth of gold, silver, emeralds and artifacts recovered from the shipwrecked 1622 Spanish galleons Nuestra Señora de Atocha and Santa Margarita.

Sean even draped a gold chain from the Atocha wrecksite around Sam’s neck — a chain weighing nearly three pounds!

In addition to the live shots, GMA aired a pre-taped segment spotlighting the negative economic impacts along much of the Gulf coast from the oil spill — despite an absence of physical impacts in most locations including the Keys.

Sam Champion models a gold chain recovered by Mel Fisher and his crew from the legendary Spanish treasure galleon "Atocha."

Among those interviewed for that segment were Captain Mike Weinhofer of Compass Rose Fishing Charters, Cece Roycraft of Dive Key West, Adelheid Salas of the Southernmost Hotel Collection, Casa Marina’s Kevin Speidel and Monroe County Commissioner Heather Carruthers, owner of Pearl’s Rainbow.

Throughout their visit, it was very clear that Sam Champion and his crew were captivated by Key West’s easygoing island vibe. In fact, the whole gang was spotted shooting a vignette while standing waist-deep in blue water off the Southernmost Hotel Collection’s Atlantic Ocean beach — fully clothed, toting camera gear, and looking like they were having a great time.

David Horan wields a large propane torch to brown the meringue of Key West's gargantuan Key lime pie as "Attila" (holding the microphone) supervises. (Photos by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The pie, a gargantuan version of the Florida Keys’ signature dessert, was estimated to weigh approximately 450 pounds and serve 1,000 people. It was so big, in fact, that Key West Mayor Craig Cates and the pie’s creators had to use a blowtorch to brown the traditional meringue topping.

“It contains 360 eggs, the juice of 1,080 Key limes, 20 pounds of sugar, 20 pounds of pastry and 90 cans of sweetened condensed milk,” said Sandy Higgs, who has helped mastermind more than a few of the giant confections — and who, despite an easygoing attitude and ready sense of humor, refers to herself as “the Attila of the 7-foot Key lime pie.”

The colossal pie’s pastry crust was baked in four quarters in a pizza oven at the recently opened Bobalu’s on Southard Street (the only oven in Key West large enough for the task).

Key West Mayor Craig Cates takes his turn at the blowtorch to finish the pie's mouthwatering meringue.

“Baking a seven-foot Key lime pie is a little bit more challenging than baking a regular Key lime pie,” said Sandy with magnificent understatement.

Once the four sections were assembled, the massive crust was filled with a smooth-textured “pudding” containing the condensed milk, egg yolks and the juice of the tiny yellow Key lime.

The pie was then trucked down to Mallory Square, where Sandy and its other creators fired up the blowtorch.

“The meringue on the pie is the original recipe — it’s not whipped cream; it’s egg meringue,” she stressed. “’We were fortunate enough to have Mayor Craig Cates brown the meringue with the propane blowtorch.”

The creation of most Key lime pies, of course, doesn’t require such extreme preparation methods.

Key West City Commissioner Mark Rossi (left) and pie creator Bob Bernreuter slice up the mammoth Key lime pie for crowds in Mallory Square.

The famed pie is believed to have originated in Key West in the late 1800s. According to the owner of Key West’s Curry Mansion Inn, a woman named Aunt Sally — the cook for estate owner William Curry — made the first one. On the other hand, Key West historian Tom Hambright surmises that Aunt Sally likely perfected a delicacy that was the creation of area fishermen.

Today, some chefs use graham cracker crust and whipped-cream topping instead of pastry crust and meringue. There’s a quite a debate among Key lime culinarians about which is the “real” way to make the luscious dessert.

In any case, few people visit the Keys without sampling at least one slice of the tart, creamy treat — and on July 1, 2006, its significance was officially recognized.

That’s the day Key lime pie became the official pie of the State of Florida — the result of a vote by the state legislature and subsequent ratification by Florida’s then-governor, Jeb Bush.

As the legislature (and the recent pie-eating crowds in Mallory Square) discovered … how sweet it is.

Broadcaster and family man Bill Becker delights in spending time with his wife Bernadette and their granddaughter Bella.

A native of New York, Bill earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marine biology. Though he wrote for his high school newspaper, he had no radio experience until he came to the Florida Keys and his love of science led him into broadcasting.

After graduating in 1971, he accepted a job offer from the Lower Keys’ Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Seacamp.

“It was my sole job offer in 1971,” Bill admitted, “so I drove down with all my belongings in a 1964 Chevy and I worked there for 10 years.”

He taught marine biology to kids and, through outreach programs, became involved in local organizations. He even served as president of the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce.

That’s when he caught the attention of David Freeman, a local insurance agent with a broadcasting background who had started a small Key West station. David asked Bill to do 15-minute on-air segments about his work at Seacamp.

“I would record my segment on cassette with a hand-held tape recorder and mail it to David, who would play it every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.,” said Bill. “It could barely be heard in Big Pine, but still it gave me the bug for radio — I felt I was creating something positive that people appreciated.”

As passionate about ocean waves as he is about airwaves, Bill takes a break for a bit of beach-combing in the Marquesas Keys.

When U.S. 1 Radio started up in 1980, Bill went to the station and offered to do local news. That was the beginning of his career there — a career that has lasted to this day and made him the most recognized voice in the Keys.

Since that beginning, U.S. 1 has been a primary local news source for Keys residents and visitors. In fact, when Hurricane Georges affected the Lower Keys in 1998, Bill and his fellow staffers stayed on the air throughout the storm — even when a neighbor of Bill’s called to report that half the roof of the Becker house was gone.

Powered by the station’s sturdy generator, nicknamed Zippy, the intrepid team provided information and comfort to listeners during and after Georges. In 1999, U.S. 1 received a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for their outstanding coverage.

“Attending the black-tie event to receive the award, and meeting the giants of broadcast news like Walter Cronkite, was a very humbling experience,” recalled Bill.

In addition to being a respected radio newscaster, Bill is a pretty good on the washtub bass.

His work has involved him in other historic moments, too. For example, he simulcast live from Key West’s Mallory Square in 1982 when the Florida Keys seceded from the Union and formed the independent Conch Republic.

In addition, Bill co-founded of one of the Lower Keys’ signature events: the annual Underwater Music Festival that spotlights coral reef preservation. Each July, the quirky underwater broadcast draws hundreds of diving and snorkeling enthusiasts and national attention.

Today, Bill broadcasts the news and hosts U.S. 1’s 90-minute “Morning Magazine” each weekday morning, showcasing local issues and events. He’s quick to praise the station’s evening newsman, Ezra Marcus, calling him “a real television and radio pro.”

After nearly 40 years in the island chain, Bill appreciates his tranquil existence on Sugarloaf Key with his wife Bernadette — and two daughters and a granddaughter close by.

“I live on a wonderful wooded acre with a pool, a pond and a great garden that I get to tend to year-round,” he said. “I have a great life.”

The first thing I tell them is simple: Key West is not normal.

In Key West, you might spot dogs riding in bike baskets and cats wearing video cameras. Normal? Not exactly.

In a normal city, locals don’t head for the nearest laundromat when they crave a great sandwich. They don’t drive around in cars painted like flamingoes or giant chile peppers or mobile coral reefs. They don’t wear tiaras to lunch.

In fact, Key West is gloriously, outrageously abnormal — a place where wild chickens roam the streets and dogs are favored customers at more than one bar. A place where nobody thinks it’s strange to spot a man painted entirely silver pedaling down the street on an equally silver bike (actually, he’s a local icon, but that’s another story).

What else should “outlanders” know about the island city?

Wandering pirates, old-timers say, were among Key West's early settlers -- and some can still be spotted.

EVERYBODY GETS ALONG. Key West has a warm, welcoming atmosphere that probably stems from its patchwork heritage. Early settlers included Cuban cigarmakers, New England shipbuilders, Bahamian salvagers, Navy men, southern merchants, and even a few wandering pirates. The current population ranges from recovering hippies to people fleeing the “real world” (see above) and émigrés from virtually all over the world. Despite their outward differences, they generally get along just fine.

NO PANTYHOSE. Though parts of the island resemble a New England fishing village, with its gingerbread-trimmed Victorian houses and tidy picket fences, the laid-back atmosphere bespeaks its Caribbean roots. Businessmen don’t wear socks in Key West — let alone ties — and some don’t even wear shoes. The typical island woman shudders at the thought of struggling into pantyhose.

BASKET HOUNDS ABOUND. Bicycles and scooters are favored modes of transportation through the streets of Old Town. And why not? Summer or winter, the breeze is likely to carry the spicy scent of seaweed, saltwater, and frangipani blossoms — something that can’t be enjoyed from a closed car. It’s not unusual to see a bicyclist ride by with a parrot on his or her shoulder, or a dog in the bike basket. These are called basket hounds — a breed believed to be indigenous to Key West.

Each year during Hemingway Days, "ernest" competitors vie for the Hemingway look-alike title. Normal? Maybe not ... but a whole lot of fun! (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

CREATIVITY RULES. Key West’s creative heritage is a definite part of its charm. Known as a haven and inspiration for writers since Ernest Hemingway’s ten-year residence in the 1930s, the island is home to scores of published writers — including several Pulitzer Prize winners. An annual literary seminar, a Hemingway Days celebration, writers’ groups and a world-class local bookstore all testify to the island’s affection for authors.

THE WORLD’S LONGEST STREET. Many of the most interesting art galleries, shops and restaurants can be found on Duval Street, Key West’s fabled main street. Stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, Duval has been called “the longest street in the world.” People who stroll the street can find everything from garden sculptures to sundresses to sinfully good tropical drinks in its colorful establishments.

Being a treasure hunter -- like the late icon Mel Fisher -- is regarded as a perfectly "normal" occupation in Key West. (Photo courtesy of Mel Fisher's Treasures)

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS? NOT LIKELY! In Key West, it’s perfectly acceptable to state your occupation as “treasure hunter,” “poet,” “drag queen,” “street performer” or all of the above — without eliciting laughter, a disbelieving stare, or even raised eyebrows. I can’t think of any other place in the world where that’s true.

No, Key West is NOT normal. A bastion of lovely lunacy, it’s separated from mainland Florida by 42 bridges, more than 100 miles … and an attitudinal shift that must be experienced to be truly understood.

So what’s the best thing to tell curious real-world friends about Key West? To head south to the offbeat island, of course, and discover it for themselves!