Athletes to Compete in 12.5-Mile Swim Around Key West

The annual Swim Around Key West, the only sanctioned, insured and US Coast Guard permitted race around Key West will take place June 12th. Long-distance swimmers will compete in a 12.5-mile open-water swim around the island of Key West. In addition to traversing the waters of the Atlantic and Gulf, swimmers will pass Key West landmarks including the Southernmost Point marker.

Swimmers must provide their own support crews and boats, but can’t touch the boats except for teams making relay changes. Lifeguards and kayaks will be positioned throughout the course for safety.

The entry fee for swimmers registered by June 9 is $90 per solo swimmer, $150 per two-person relay team, $230 per three-person team, $310 per four-person team, $400 per five-person team and $460 per six-person team. Those registering after June 9 must pay an additional $15 per person.

The Swim Around Key West benefits the Florida Keys Community College swim program, Key West High School swim team and the Keys’ Bone Island Swim Club.

All events take place at Higgs Beach 1000 Atlantic Avenue Key West FL 33040

Friday, June 11, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Pre-Race Party

Saturday, June 12, 2010
Race Check-in 6:00 to 7:00 am
FKCC Swim Around Key West Starts 7:30 am
Post-Race Awards/Party 6:00 to 8:00 pm

For more information visit www.fkccswimaroundkeywest.com

Key West Songwriters Festival

More than 150 leading American songwriters will perform their hit songs and preview new ones during the 15th annual Better Angels Key West Songwriters Festival Wednesday 28th - May 2nd.

The popular festival includes over 36 shows in relaxed audience friendly venues like island bars and clubs and resorts that allow music fans up-close access to music makers.

Performances will include the Raul Malo Band, formed by the founder of the Mavericks, Randy Houser, Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen, and Kim Carnes - best known for her classic “Bette Davis Eyes.”

Many writers return year after year to perform their tunes for appreciative audiences, preview new melodies and share the stories behind their songs. Among the extraordinary lineup are Jamey Johnson, award-winning performer and co-writer of such chart-toppers as George Strait’s “Give It Away”; Luke Laird, who wrote “So Small” for Carrie Underwood; and longtime festival favorite Chuck Cannon, who penned “I Love the Way You Love Me” for John Michael Montgomery.

Festival’s highlights include a free kickoff performance at 8 pm Wednesday, April 28, with Houser and his band on the sunset pier at Ocean Key Resort, a concert under the stars with Grammy winner Malo, 9 pm Saturday May 1, also on Ocean Key Resort’s sunset pier, and a 2 pm Saturday matinee with James Slater and friends at Key West’s historic San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval St.

Music lovers can enjoy the talents of seven or eight featured songwriters at each of four performances set for Thursday and Friday evenings. Shows begin both nights at 8 pm at the San Carlos Institute and 9 pm. at Key West’s Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St.

The festival benefits the Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation dedicated to supporting and redefining music education.

"Taste Of Key West" Event To Benefit Charity

The 15th annual "Taste of Key West" will take place 6-9 pm April 19th, and features a feast prepared the the island's top chefs.

The showcase of culinary artistry will features “tastes” from more than 50 local restaurants. To complement the cuisine, fine wines from 100 vineyards and wineries are to be provided by Republic National Distributing Co.

The one-night open-air event benefits the Florida Keys’ AIDS Help Inc., and takes place at the Truman Waterfront, located at the end of Southard Street past Truman Annex.

Admission is free. Attendees purchase food and wine tickets for $1 apiece, and commemorative wine glasses for $6, then “spend” their tickets on beverages and delicacies. Each sample costs between three and eight tickets.

Free parking is to be available at the Truman Waterfront. Free shuttle service between selected Key West locations and the waterfront is to be provided every 30 minutes by Old Town Trolley. Plans call for the last trolley to leave the waterfront at 9 p.m.

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."

Key West Annual Arts and Crafts Festival February 27th and 28th

The 45th Annual Old Island Days Art Festival features artists from all over the country and Canada who come to the southernmost island of Key West to showcase their art to enthusiastic locals and tourists this weekend.

The event takes place In the "Old Town" section of Key West, on Whitehead Street from Green Street to Eaton Street and partly on Caroline Street. Here, the streets are lined with historic properties that have been converted into hotels and inns. Just footsteps away from the Art Festival are historic spots as the Audobon House, Truman's Little White House, and the Mel Fisher Museum. Just a few blocks down the road is the Key West Historic Bight Marina, where dozens of boats provide Key West snorkeling, sunset cruises, and much more.