World Sailfish Tournament April 13-17

Elite anglers from the U.S. and abroad will battle the mighty sailfish in Florida Keys waters during the 8th annual World Sailfish Championship, April 13-17.

Key West's most prestigious tournament features 3 days of fishing, social and charity events, and participation from celebrities. According to tournament chairman and founder Chris King, the 2009 purse was more than $1 million and he expects the 2010 purse to exceed that figure as well.

The event kicks off on Tuesday April 13th with the kick-off party at 5:30PM and a free concert in famous Mallory Square featuring Nashville artist Randy Houser. The first day of the actual Key West fishing tournament is on Wednesday, April 14th with boats heading out to the waters at 7:00AM. The night wraps up with a Seafood Extravaganza in Mallory Square.

The 2nd day of fishing, Thursday April 15th, wraps up with an after party at Cowboy Bill's Honky Tonk Saloon featuring mechanical bull riding. Friday is considered the "lay day," a break between fishing days and features an early afternoon dock party at the A&B marina and a late afternoon cocktail party at the Mel Fisher Museum. Saturday April 17th is the third and final day of fishing, which wraps up with the awards banquet at 7:00PM

Social events include the Sunset Key Seafood Extravaganza at Mallory Square, the Coach's Party at Mallory Square featuring silent and live charity auctions, boat manufacturers' dockside parties and more. The Florida Viking Yachts Dealers Awards Banquet, presented by Galati Yacht Sales and HMY Yacht Sales, follows Saturday's fishing.

The entry fee of $7,500 per boat enables five anglers and a captain to fish, and includes six VIP social passes. For more information and a downloadable registration form, visit www.worldsailfish.com. Information also can be requested by calling 866-550-5580.

1st Annual Floriday Keys Ocean Festival March 27th

The first annual Florida Keys Ocean Festival will take place in Key West this Saturday, at NOAA's Eco Discovery Center. The event will celebrate the marine environment of the Florida Keys. Free giveaways, special appearances, kids' games, prizes and drawings are just some of the highlights of the event, which takes place Saturday, March 27 at Truman Waterfront in Key West.

The event will be fun for all ages, but kids will appreciate the range of activities and exhibits aimed at their age group. For aspiring anglers, there will be a Kids' Fishing Clinic. Kids can learn the basics of Key West fishing from pros, while keeping in mind marine conservation and environmental practices. Also for kids, the festival will feature Touch Tanks that give kids the opportunity to touch real live sea creatures.

The first twenty five kids to sign up for the fishing clinic will receive a free rod and reel. Or sign up for the Kids' Treasure Hunt at the Mote Marine booth. And check out the Passport to the Ocean game, which features prizes and chance drawing.

Adults can browse the works of art by marine artists whose work will be on display throughout the Eco Discovery Center's gorgeous new building on the Key West waterfront. It's also a good time to check out the Eco Discovery Center's permanent exhibits, designed and maintained by NOAA employees for the public. The center is open to the public all year, with free admission and parking.

There will also be free live entertainment throughout the course of the day. Local musicians Corey Heydon, Scott Kirby and Chris Cook will supply the music, and at 5:30 Grammy nominated Nashville singer & songwriter James Slater will be there to entertain.

Mote Marine Laboratory has carried out important marine research since its founding in 1955. Today, it performs public outreach as well as research, fund raising. It's an independent, non-profit organization which receives funding through Federal, State and local grants, as well as private donations. There are seven centers throughout the state of Florida, with one in the Florida Keys, about 24 miles from Key West.

The event is sponsored in part by Mote Marine Laboratory, Fury Water Adventures, the Eco Discovery Center, Bud Light, Cowboy Bill's Honky Tonk Saloon, Coca Cola, Centennial Bank and WLRN. For more information on this and other Key West events, check out website, below.

Hemingway's Key West House Named Literary Landmark

Ernest Hemingway's Key West home, where the American author lived in the 1930s, has been designated a literary landmark.

On March 14th a ceremony was held designating the site a Literary Landmark. The designation was given by a division of the American Library Association. Hemingway lived in the house from 1931 through 1939 and wrote many of his manuscripts in the property's second-story writing studio. The Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author owned the property until his death in 1961.

Hemingway, who lived in the Spanish-colonial home with his second wife Pauline and their two sons, owned the property until his death in 1961. It became a museum honoring the Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author in 1964. He worked on many of his best-known manuscripts in the Key West property's second-story writing studio.

"Hemingway was probably our first and most popular writer to take residence in Key West," said Dave Gonzales of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum. "He lived here only nine years, but wrote 70 percent of his lifetime works in that nine-year period — the most prolific period of his life."