Key West News and Events
There is always something going on in Key West.
To help you plan you Key West visit we have listed some of the more popular up coming events as well as some the area's most interesting news headlines.
Key West Events .
Feb. 25-26: Old Island Days Art Festival. Key West. The 47th annual juried fine art show is set on lower Whitehead Street in historic Old Town. The highly acclaimed show features oil paintings, watercolors, sculpture, photography and other offerings by artists from around the United States. Visit www.keywestartcenter.com/festival.html or call 305-294-1241.
March 3: 50th Annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest. Key West. An island tradition that celebrates the historic importance of conch in the Keys, this unique contest features contestants in several age categories attempting to make “music” with fluted conch shells. Visit www.oirf.org or call 305-294-9501.
March 24-25: Cuban Cultural Exposition & Hot Havana Nights. Key West. The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden presents Cuban-themed events including exhibits of art, crafts and artifacts, lectures, dominos and dancing lessons. Events culminate in a Hot Havana Nights gala with dining, dancing and more. Visit www.keywestbotanicalgarden.org or call 305-296-1504.
April 20-29: 30th Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. Key West. Parades, bed races, parties and a wacky “drag race” commemorate the founding of the Conch Republic on April 23, 1982, in response to a U.S. Border Patrol roadblock that halted traffic in and out of the Florida Keys. Visit www.conchrepublic.com or call 305-296-0213.
April 23: 17th Annual Taste of Key West. Key West. Scores of area restaurants present mouthwatering samples of their cuisine to benefit AIDS Help Inc. The culinary celebration takes place at the Truman Waterfront overlooking Key West Harbor. Visit www.aidshelp.cc/taste.html or call 305-296-6196.
Click Here for a complete list of 2012 Florida Keys Events
*Have an event you would like listed at no charge? Email us at service@tibeachbums.com
Key West News
Key West Seaplanes Private Charter Service Adds New Seaplane to Fleet
Key West Seaplanes, the region's long-established seaplane charter company has expanded it's fleet. This newest aircraft is a custom-designed and custom-built Cessna 206 seaplane created by Wipaire, the world's seaplane authority.
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Florida Keys radio stations hit by layoffs
Clear Channel Communications, which owns five radio stations in the county, let go of four of its on-air personalities last week week and will fill their time slots with programming from other markets.
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Key West's decadent Fantasy Fest ends
A children's carnival closed this island city's annual Fantasy Fest on Sunday. The theme of this year's 10-day festival of masquerade balls, street parties and costume contests was "Aquatic Afrolic."
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Captain Morgan found partying in Key West college dorm
The five-foot tall statue of rum company symbol and Key West icon Captain Morgan was found in a college dormitory room, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported on Tuesday.
Captain Morgan is the symbol used by the rum company of the same name that sponsors Key West's wacky Fantasy Fest parade that takes place Saturday. The Sheriff's Office says a tipster reported that the Captain might be residing in the dormitory at Florida Keys Community College. Sure enough, deputies found him inside a dorm room covered in Fantasy Fest beads, authorities said. None of the students would admit to snatching the Captain but they told deputies he had been making the rounds from room to room, "wherever the party was taking place." Captain Morgan was returned to his permanent post outside the Walgreens. He had no immediate comment on his adventure.
