Fight Night In The Keys

Fight Night in the Keys has 7 matches scheduled on March 20th in a harborfront ring at Mallory Square, highlighted by a 12-round fight for the WBC international heavyweight title featuring defending champion Odlanier Solis.

The event is a Key West boxing tradition dating back to Ernest Hemingway’s presence on this subtropical island. In the 1930s, when he wasn’t writing, fishing or relaxing with his compadres, Ernest Hemingway officiated boxing matches in the Bahama Village neighborhood near his Whitehead Street home. He also enjoyed sparring with local fighters.

Fight Night in the Keys, presented by Top Rank Inc. and DEJ Productions, recalls that heritage of sportsmanship while offering spectators the chance to view big-name boxing in an open-air waterfront setting.

The venue at Mallory Square is to open at 6 p.m. EST and the first bout is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $35 per person for general admission and $65 for assigned ringside seats. For $150 per person, boxing fans can enjoy VIP seating, a weigh-in party, pre-fight event and post-event party with food and an open bar.

To purchase tickets, visit www.keystix.com or call 305-292-0486. Tickets are available in Key West at Big’uns Sports Bar, 218 Duval St., and Mr. Cheapee’s Liquors at 423 Caroline St.

Conch Harbor Marina & Retail Center in Key West Announces New Ownership

Conch Harbor Marina and Retail Center, a multi-use destination marina facility, has been sold. The new owner,Conch Harbor Retail Center, LLC. is headed by Key West resident Craig Hunt.

Conch Harbor's location and amenities make it a superior facility, not only in Key West, but also throughout the Florida Keys. "Conch Harbor's location and amenities make it a superior facility, not only in Key West, but also throughout the Florida Keys," said Hunt. "We will be launching new programs with the goal of making Conch Harbor the best marina for locals."

Hunt moved to Key West in 2002 after a 30 year career with the Intercontinental Hotel Group, one of the world's largest hotel companies. He held the position of President of Holiday Inn Worldwide and Vice Chairman of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, then known as Six Continents Hotels. Hunt also is a Captain and an avid fisherman.

General Manager and Partner Gina Kennedy will continue to manage the marina.

In addition to the marina, Conch Harbor includes a retail center that currently houses Dante's Restaurant, 951 Prime Steakhouse, Mama's Flowers, Seaport Realty and Digital Island Media. The marina features 40 boat slips (most have been sold and many remain in the rental program), docks from 37 feet to 185 feet, a 68 space covered parking garage, and a 200-foot fueling dock with high speed fueling service and in-slip sewage pump out.

The marina's ample upper deck space, overlooking both the harbor and the attractive swimming pool area, is ideal for special events. A picturesque walk along the harbor brings visitors to busy Duval Street, the heart of Key West. The facility can be an attractive choice for a mega yachts, cruisers, fishermen and families.

Conch Harbor Marina and Retail Center is located at 951 Caroline St, Key West. For more information, visit www.conchharbormarina.com.

Key West Hotel Recognized By TripAdvisor

Congratulations to Southernmost on the Beach Hotel, located at 508 South St. , Key West, for being named one of the top 10 best hotels in the U.S. for romance in TripAdvisor’s eighth annual Travelers’ Choice Awards.

TripAdvisor’s online announcement of the award quoted a traveler who describes a previous Southernmost on the Beach vacation as “5 perfect nights in Key West.”

Southernmost on the Beach features more than 120 guest rooms and suites, including 80 that each measure more than 400 square feet. Rooms offer private balconies, ocean views, flat-screen TVs and distinctive décor. Amenities include an oceanfront pool bar, fitness center and private tanning pier.

The property is part of the Southernmost Hotel Collection, a group of unique properties on the Atlantic Ocean side of Key West’s historic Old Town. The collection also includes the 19-room La Mer Hotel & Dewey House at 508 South St., a AAA Four Diamond bed-and-breakfast in a pair of historic homes on an Atlantic beach, and the 127-room Southernmost Hotel at 1319 Duval St.

25th Annual Key West Craft Show This Weekend

This nationally recognized Craft Show brings over 100 fine and skilled craft artists to this beautiful historic area of Key West. Exhibitors will set up along Whitehead Street from Greene Street to Eaton, and on Caroline Street through the famous Presidential Gates into the beautiful Truman Annex. Visitors can leisurely browse the beautiful displays of pottery, fabric, glass, wood, jewelry and other colorful handmade works by the selected artists.

The show is sponsored by the Key West Art Center, and was created to complement the Old Island Days Art Festival held in February, and has been recognized by the Sunshine Artists’ Magazine consistently over the last 10 years as one of their top 200 in the nation and is popular with exhibitors and visitors alike.

10 AM TO 5 PM Daily
Whitehead and Caroline Streets
Old Town Key West

For more Key West events visit http://www.gotokeywest.com/

KEY WEST FOOD AND WIND FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

The festival celebrates Key West's lively culinary scene, indigenous ingredients and multifaceted flavors through gourmet galas and tastings, educational food and wine seminars and offbeat food-focused experiences. Festival highlights include a wacky afternoon of bowling with coconuts and Duval Uncorked, a stroll along Key West's Duval Street that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.

Restaurants, bars, galleries and boutiques will welcome revelers with food tastings, samples of fine wine and tasty shopping experiences during the event, set for late afternoon and evening Saturday. The festival schedule also includes a cigar dinner celebrating Key West's Cuban heritage, a laid-back bike tour and tropical ice cream tasting, a "seafood seduction" dinner, tastings and tapas, an outdoor wine market, informative food and wine seminars, the Master Chef's Classic and more. Attendees can purchase VIP passes and tickets for individual events also are available. For a complete festival schedule, event prices and ticket information, visit www.keywestfoodandwinefestival.com

For more Key West events visit www.GoToKeyWest.com

KEY WEST BOAT SHOW & NAUTICAL MARKET

The 8th Annual Key West Boat Show & Nautical Market will be February 27-28th along the Truman Waterfront.

The 1/4 long nautical market will have large selection of new and used boats from Florida Keys boat dealers as well as marine equipment, rods and reels, arts and crafts, and nautical clothing.

Other scheduled attractions include live music, food and ice-cold beverages.

Kids in attendance can take part in the “Fish Florida” program that provides free rods, reels and tackle boxes. They receive their gear after participating in an educational program, that focuses on responsible angling, bait and tackle, knot tying, equipment and casting.

Proceeds from the boat show benefit the Rotary Club of Key West’s scholarship fund. For more information, visit www.keywestboatshow.com

Weather Channel Show Will Feature Florida Keys

"Florida Keys: Keys to Paradise" -- premieres Feb. 14 at 10 p.m. ET as part of a new series Features Extreme Climates and the People Who Call Them Home, hosted by Jim Cantore.

The Show: The Florida Keys' beautiful waters, tropical climate and laid-back lifestyle can all be attributed to why people are attracted to the clusters of islands that make up the Keys. A garden variety of people from tourists, divers and fishermen to treasure hunters, famous writers and presidents have been known to flock here. Jim Cantore meets with quirky; free-spirited souls of the Florida Keys and gives viewers closer look at what really draws people to visit and -- sometimes never leave.