San Diego Pride was two days of nonstop fun and Chicago’s Market Days event was outrageously busy. Lots of Key West vacationers stopped by my booth to tell me their fun vacation stories. They talked of amazing snorkel trips, great dinners, new friends, trips to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, and of their plans to return for another visit.

Historic Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park, lying nearly 70 miles west of Key West, draw visitors eager to snorkel and swim in the cool, clear surrounding waters. (Photo by Rob O'Neal)

I answered so many questions about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Many people thought that, if oil had hit anywhere in Florida, it was here in the Keys — but it has not had any physical impact on the state except in the far northwestern Panhandle region, which is hundreds of miles from our clear Keys waters. We are truly blessed that we’ve been out of harm’s way.

Back in Key West, the recent Bone Island Bare It All Weekend was a great event for our naturist men friends. The pool parties were jammed tight, the Equator’s toga party would have made Rome blush, and adult film stars performed with drag queens — it was a sight to see. Bone Island Weekend’s naked shoppers left with bags of clothing (I guess they can’t be naked all the time!).

Pool parties are a prime attraction at Key West's sizzling annual Tropical Heat festivities.

This event will be staged again the first weekend in December, so pack your bags (or your small carry-on, ‘cause you don’t need a wardrobe for this party).

Tropical Heat always takes place on the third weekend of August, and this year it was over the top. (Make your plans for next year soon, since the gay properties are generally packed.) This year’s Tropical Heat kicked off at the Island House with an all-male party featuring adult entertainers, an open bar and food.

Other events included a midnight skinny-dipping pool party at the Bourbon Street Pub Garden Bar with a live DJ, and daytime pool parties at Big Ruby’s, Alexander’s and the Island House. Next year’s event will be even bigger.

Keys fishermen harvest large numbers of lobsters, some of them startlingly big, from local waters. (Photo by Steve Panariello/Florida Keys News Bureau)

It’s been busy on our weekends here with block street parties, nighttime ghost tours, snorkel trips, and a full moon just before “mini lobster season” in late July.  We have eaten our fill of fresh locally caught lobster … fruits of the sea!  I prefer the Keys’ yellowtail snapper myself, but gee, I won’t turn down a couple of lobster tails.

Speaking of tails, Womenfest starts the day after Labor Day. Great entertainment includes pool parties, snorkeling and dolphin watching, jet skiing and island adventures. Among the headlining performers are Sister Funk, Emily Saliers from the Grammy-winning Indigo Girls, and comedienne Suzanne Westenhoefer.

After Womenfest comes Key West Bear Fest. Bears, cubs, otters, and fans will gather for a honey-filled weekend. Click here to find out about all the activities.

Womenfest headliners include singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Saliers of the popular Indigo Girls.

It’s time for me to take a break, so I’m heading to the National LGBT Bar Association’s annual “Lavender Law” Career Fair and Conference in Miami Beach. Then it’s off to San Francisco for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association’s 20th annual conference. If you plan to be at either event, stop by my exhibit — I’d love to see you and say hi!

(Steve’s current American Airlines mileage ticker: 2,483,787 miles promoting Key West to the LGBT world. Divided by 450 miles an hour, that means 5,520 hours in a can at 30,000 feet!)

Topics: Festivals, Key West, LGBT, Voices Main Archive

Twenty-four years ago, on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, my boyfriend and I left our home in central Florida, drove all night, and arrived at the end of U.S. Highway 1 just as the sun rose.

Key West resident Steve Smith, who has enjoyed the island's magic for more than 20 years, will share insights and adventures with blog readers.

Putting the top down on our car, I wondered what I smelled in the air. It was like a blend of flower blossoms and fresh fruit — sweet, delicious, but hard to identify. Later I discovered that it was a combination of frangipani, mangoes, and royal Poinciana blossoms.

Had I, a fourth-generation Floridian who had never been farther south than Islamorada, discovered a paradise? Well, six months later, with the help of my parents, we loaded a huge rental van and I drove to the island city I would call my home.

Now, 23 and one-half years later, I am just as much in love with Key West as I was that first day. Bicycling to my office I see the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the most delightful mixture of locals and visitors one could ever imagine.

Inga, an elegant "ambassador" for the funky and fabulous island of Key West, sports some delicious rainbow finery.

How does a person define where he or she lives? Over the years I have had rich conversations with men and women who have made Key West their escape for decades. The common denominator they’ve found is the easy welcoming lifestyle, being on an island far away from the real world, and being welcome everywhere they go.

What makes this island so intoxicating? I will try to share my thoughts with you as we travel together. There is magic here … the same magic that was here in the 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s remains today. This is a place where it does not matter who or what you are, where you live or work, or who you sleep with.

I’m a lucky guy. My job takes me across the world promoting Key West to the LGBT market, encouraging gay men and women to visit our island, enjoy our hospitality, make new friends, and plan their next visit to our little piece of paradise.

I’m the ultimate brochure fairy — I fly all over the world telling my new friends how special our island is and how important it is to visit us.

Traveling with Steve, readers will discover the offbeat magic that characterizes Key West.

Recently I was at San Diego Pride, held in Balboa Park. What a great group of California and Arizona people I met. (Yes, Arizona — they say San Diego is Phoenix’s beach!?! Who would have known?)

I do my best to share my experiences with gay men and women around the world. Now I will be sharing my stories with you, the readers of our blog. Join me in my journeys and you can be part of the magic that makes Key West so special.

Next time I write you, I want to tell you about Bone Island Bare It All weekend, Market Days in Chicago and the upcoming fun events in Key West, my home — and I hope, soon to be your home away from home.                      – Steve

Topics: Key West, LGBT, Voices Main Archive

In early June, Key West landscaper John Mumford and artist Rick Worth decided to set the stage for the island’s 2010 PrideFest celebration by painting the rainbow flag on a local landmark.

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.

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

Lately new friends from the real world (loosely defined as everywhere outside Key West) have been asking me what the island city is REALLY like. After all, it’s been my beloved home for 30 years, so they figure I must know.

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!

Topics: Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

Drag racers don’t usually wear hot-pink feather boas, sparkling silver gowns or feather-trimmed boots — unless they’re contestants in Key West’s Great Conch Republic Drag Race, a madcap marathon that takes place each April.

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

That’s because this rowdy race isn’t designed for high-octane dragsters, but for high-heeled drag stars — female impersonators strutting their stuff complete with big hair, pancake makeup, false eyelashes and elaborate gowns or mini-dresses. (According to race organizers, however, tiaras are optional.)

Each year, more than a dozen daring divas compete in the offbeat event, which is presented by Key West’s Bourbon Street Complex to benefit the Florida Keys’ nonprofit Helpline organization.

“Officials” in black-and-white dresses designed to resemble checkered flags direct the action, while contestants race down a portion of Duval Street, the island city’s aptly nicknamed “main drag.”

In past years, they’ve even had to navigate an obstacle course of tires and trundle unwieldy shopping carts past the crowd. That crowd, by the way, usually numbers several hundred people (and they can get downright fierce about championing their favorites).

Navigating the course along Duval Street can be pretty "tiring" -- particularly for racers in towering heels.

The lively lovelies, handicapped based on the height of their heels above the regulation minimum three inches, are judged on their speed. Judges are also influenced by style (such as it is) — and generally aren’t above accepting a bribe or two to benefit Helpline.

While the energetic entrants TRY to sprint down the course, footwear malfunctions can slow their pace to an uneven stagger. (Sandals and stilettos are carefully prepped for the event, but it’s a rare race that doesn’t include at least one crash.) And a broken heel, the ultimate tragedy, can end a contestant’s dreams of victory.

Past years’ “athletes” have included a Lady Godiva wannabe with towering patent-leather boots, a perfectly-coiffed Barbie Doll clone and a goddess-sized diva whose purple grass skirt didn’t quite match her magenta curls. My personal favorite was a 2009 entrant fetchingly attired in a flowing pink gown, filmy wedding veil and full beard.

Some lively lovelies wear sporting attire with their heels -- a smart choice given the course's peculiar challenges.

The drag challenge is part of Key West’s annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration that commemorates the Florida Keys’ 1982 secession from the United States — a symbolic action prompted by a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint improperly erected at the head of the island chain.

The 10-day celebration also features a gaggle of other events showcasing the Keys’ independent and eccentric spirit.

Highlights include a sea battle with tall ships and weapons that range from water cannons to flying vegetables, the so-called world’s longest parade down Duval Street from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and an open-air bed race billed as “the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on.”

The 2010 Conch Republic Independence Celebration is set for April 16-25, with the drag race Saturday, April 17. If you’re in Key West at that time, “drag” yourself over to Duval Street and check out the action. Chances are you’ll have (ouch — wait for it) one “heel” of a good time.

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

Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore.

While most visitors to Key West catch on to that fact fairly quickly, the island city’s New Year’s Eve celebration should provide definitive proof for anyone still in doubt.

Sushi, a.k.a. Key West resident Gary Marion, stars in the "drag queen drop" that welcomes the New Year in Key West. (Photos by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Granted, the festivities include a ruby slipper. But instead of adorning Dorothy’s dainty foot, the sparkling shoe is a supersized power pump — and it serves as a chariot for legendary drag queen Sushi.

For more than 10 consecutive years Sushi, otherwise known as Key West resident Gary Marion, has starred in the New Year’s Eve festivities at the Bourbon Street Pub/New Orleans House complex at 724 Duval St. — while perched in a gigantic red high heel suspended high above the street.

This year will be no exception. Seconds before midnight on Dec. 31, the shoe bearing the lavishly gowned and coiffed Sushi will be lowered from the second-story balcony of the complex toward thousands of cheering spectators below.

Sushi reaches the end of her descent to Duval Street during the revelry welcoming 2009.

As midnight strikes and 2010 officially begins, she will land and pop the cork on a ceremonial bottle of champagne.

Even if you can’t make it to Key West this year for America’s southernmost New Year’s Eve celebration, you can still share in Sushi’s “shoe-nanigans” through the magic of cable TV.

In what has become a tradition over the past seven years, CNN plans to be in Key West with correspondent John Zarrella as a facet of the network’s live New Year’s Eve coverage hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin.

While Sushi presides over the revelry from her “throne” in the second-story shoe, the unflappable John Zarrella, a favorite of Key West audiences, will offer street-level commentary.

Appearances on CNN are just one high-profile outlet for the multitalented Sushi. She’s also the leader of an acclaimed troupe of drag performers called the 801 Girls who strut their stuff at the 801 Bourbon Bar on Duval. A skilled costume designer, she’s even been prominently featured in a book titled “Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret.”

CNN correspondent John Zarrella provides live on-air commentary each year from the Key West festivities.

But it’s her role as a New Year’s Eve icon that has earned Sushi the most widespread fame. For starring in the island city’s “drag queen drop” — an offbeat take-off on New York City’s traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square — she has even been mentioned in the “New York Times.”

“I never thought, growing up, that I’d be on television in a giant red heel,” confessed Sushi. “That’s not something that a young kid aspires to. But I’m so thankful that we live in a country that lets us do whatever we want to do as long as we don’t hurt anybody else.”

Topics: Events, Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

“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, LGBT, Local Color, Quirks

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, History, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Quirks

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, LGBT, Local Color, Quirks

To travel throughout the Florida Keys, an arc of islands drifting effortlessly off the southernmost tip of Florida’s mainland, you must drive across 43 bridges.

Some extend mere feet; one is an astonishing seven miles long. All stretch between small islands of vastly diverse character, and all boast the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other.

Yet even after you navigate the 43rd span, there’s one more bridge to cross. It’s a bridge from one culture to another. The Keys combine the features of a welcoming American small town with those of a Caribbean destination rich in manana mindset and irreverent humor.

I crossed the last bridge in 1977, and since then have spent happy years learning about the Keys’ seafaring past and living their freewheeling present. As a thirty-year resident with an enduring passion for the area, I have a true insider’s perspective about the place.

I also have a wide knowledge of things that only a long-time resident would know. Like the secret ingredient in America’s tastiest Reuben sandwich (fresh-caught Keys lobster — really). Like which gravestone in the picturesque Key West cemetery bears the inscription “I told you I was sick.” Like where you can dive into an underwater music festival, paint with a dolphin, feed flashing tarpon or be greeted by a canine concierge.

Those might be small things — but they’re part of the indefinable Florida Keys magic that burrows its way into the bones and the blood, turning casual visitors into long-term residents.

Here in the Keys, the setting sun merits a nightly celebration. Treasure hunting is a legitimate (and respected) occupation. And if you ride your bike down a quiet street at dusk, you’ll catch a scent of nighttime blooms and saltwater that can’t be found anywhere else on earth.

That’s the atmosphere I hope to communicate in this blog. Here you’ll find insights into the Florida Keys’ places and personality, characters and camaraderie, history and heart.

There’s a Keys legend that says once visitors get sand in their shoes, they’ll come back to the islands again and again. Become a reader of this blog, and chances are you’ll sense the Keys’ offbeat, magical appeal — and you too will feel the grit and promise of sand in your shoes.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Marathon, Quirks, Voices Main Archive