If the images below are not displaying, click here to view this newsletter online.


Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau
Stephen Tiffenson of Oakland, Calif., works his “Muthamba the Witch Doctor” entry at the 2004 Pier House Pretenders in Paradise Costume Competition. The 2005 Fantasy Fest has been rescheduled to Dec. 7-10.
Keys Events
Still Slated
Despite Wilma

BY CAROL SHAUGHNESSY
Florida Keys News Bureau

FLORIDA KEYS — With the flexibility and resilience characteristic of Florida Keys residents, event organizers throughout the island chain are back at work on special events following the passage of Hurricane Wilma.

Key West’s Fantasy Fest is among events that have new dates.

Organizers now have the outrageous annual masking and costuming festival set for Wednesday, Dec. 7, through Saturday night, Dec. 10.

Although the festival’s official theme is “Freaks, Geeks and Goddesses,” some Fantasy Fest fans are jokingly referring to the event as “Wilma’s Freaks, Geeks and Goddesses.”

For more information about Fantasy Fest, visit the festival’s Web site by clicking here or call 305-296-1817.

***

The Keys Boogie skydiving weekend comes to Marathon this Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 10-13, bringing jumpers from Florida and beyond to “drop in” on America’s only tropical island chain.

For more information, call 772-388-5672 or visit Skydive Sebastian’s Web site by clicking here.

***

For offshore powerboat racers and their fans, the Key West World Championship is a November ritual that this year will celebrate its silver anniversary Nov. 13-20.

Race organizers project that nearly 100 boats will participate in the event that serves as the culmination of the 2005 racing season for Super Boat International and American Power Boat Association/Union Internationale Motonautique competitors.

Racing is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 16; Saturday, Nov. 19; and Sunday, Nov. 20.

A variety of VIP packages, including lunch during race day and admission to social events, begin at under $200 per person. For complete details and a schedule of events click here or call 305-296-6166.

***

More than 100 pirate re-enactors are to invade the historic port of Key West during the Pirates in Paradise Festival, set for Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25 through Dec. 4.

Among land-and-sea spectacles scheduled during the 10-day buccaneer bash are a maritime battle fought by Key West’s historic tall ships, living history encampments featuring entertainment and wares by pirate re-enactors, a “Literature and the Sea” workshop, swashbuckling events for children and the staged re-creation of the trial of notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

In addition, pirates are to host “The Official End of America’s Hurricane Season Party” on Nov. 30 — the day the National Hurricane Center has deemed the close of the 2005 season.

For a comprehensive schedule of Pirates in Paradise activities click here.

***

Key West’s Goombay celebration, a Caribbean-flavored street festival in the island city’s historic Bahama Village, is to take place from noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3. Originally set for Oct. 21 and 22, the popular event was rescheduled following Hurricane Wilma’s passage.

Each year the festival attracts thousands of people who view and purchase African arts and crafts, sample foods and delicacies from a variety of cultures and countries, and enjoy live musical entertainment ranging from gospel to reggae.

For more information about Goombay and a schedule of festival events click here.

***

Snow will actually fall in the Florida Keys, but only at Founders Park, MM 87 in Islamorada, Dec. 2-3, at the First Annual Florida Keys Holiday Festival, organized by the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber members promise a 30-foot-high community holiday tree with fallling snow through its branches as carolers gather round to sing traditional holiday songs. The event also features a holiday parade with floats, bands and antique cars as well as an arts and crafts holiday bazaar.

More details from the chamber at 1-800-FAB-KEYS.

***

The 2005 Tige U.S. Pro-Am Wakeboard Championship, originally slated for Oct. 21-23, has been rescheduled for Friday through Sunday, Dec. 2-4.

Some of the world’s best wakeboarders are expected to compete in the Marathon competition, the final contest of the 2005 season. The format will be head-to-head rider elimination finals in the competition, which is to be held at Sombrero Beach, near MM 50 in Marathon.

For more information or to register, call 407-405-0121.

***

Visitors and Keys residents are invited to celebrate the joys of art and music at Big Pine Key’s Winterfest 2005: Art & Music in a Natural Key. The event is to be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, MM 31 oceanside.

Highlights include live music, exhibits and booths featuring the original work of artists and craftsmen, raffles of artwork, and vendors offering food and beverages. For information click here or contact the chamber office at 305-872-2411.

***

The December calendar in the Florida Keys & Key West also include a wide variety of events celebrating the holiday season.

Highlights are to include the Dec. 11 Key Largo Christmas Boat Parade; Schooner Wharf Bar/Captain Morgan Lighted Boat Parade in Key West and New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout the island chain.

For information about the Florida Keys and a complete calendar of upcoming events, explore this web site.

 
Vol. 2, No. 1
November 2005
After Wilma,
Visitors Returning
to the Florida Keys

BY ANDY NEWMAN
Florida Keys News Bureau

FLORIDA KEYS — Visitors are returning to the Florida Keys after a most unwelcome visit from Hurricane Wilma.

Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau
Cars cross the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon leading to the Lower Keys and Key West. All photography accompanying this story was produced after Wilma passed over the Keys.

More than 93 percent of lodging and attractions entities are open, according to Keys chambers of commerce officials.

Travelers with reservations should check with lodging facilities in advance, prior to traveling to the Keys, to ensure operational status. A few attractions and ancillary visitor offerings may need more time before they can service visitors. For the status of many attractions in the Keys, click here.

Hurricane Wilma passed over the island chain Oct. 24. Although Wilma’s winds left little structural damage, it impacted foliage in the Lower Keys. Several residential regions from Marathon through Key West were hit hard by storm surge, that also damaged some sightseeing docks in Key West, officials said.

Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau
Tourists ride on Key West’s popular Conch Tour Train on Duval Street.

“Although conditions are not ideal in some parts of the Keys, we are fortunate that most tourism facilities are open and providing quality vacation experiences,” said Harold Wheeler, director of the Keys tourism council. “I think visitors will understand we are cleaning up as quickly as possible and we appreciate their decision to continue plans to travel here.”

Some key points about the area’s infrastructure for visitors include:

  • The Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) from mainland South Florida is open and traffic is flowing without obstructions. Automotive, aviation and marine fuel in the Keys is in excellent supply and fuel shortages are no longer a problem on the south Florida mainland. Pickup of most storm-related debris, along a number of points on the highway, should be accomplished by the end of November, local government officials said.

    Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau
    Jo Ann Wilmot carries a tray of stone crab claws at Keys Fisheries in Marathon.
  • Many visitor areas in the Keys don’t appear much different than prior to the storm. Ocean Reef, in Key Largo, through Duck Key in the Middle Keys, suffered few visible effects. City of Key West officials have done a remarkable job of cleaning up Duval Street and other areas in Old Town. Shops and restaurants are operating normally there.

  • Florida Keys utility companies report nearly full restoration of electricity, telephone and cable television, with the exception of isolated residential situations requiring contractor work. The freshwater pipeline is operating normally.

  • Key West International Airport has resumed full commercial air service, said airport director Peter Horton. Florida Keys Marathon Airport is open for charter and general aviation.

  • Key West’s port is open, with cruise ships now operating on a normal schedule.

  • Many Florida Keys state parks have reopened. See a full list by clicking here.

  • Most sportfishing and dive charterboats are operating again. The Spiegel Grove is still upright.

  • All three major Florida Keys hospitals are open.

    Dolphin Research Center
    Becky DiCello of Parker, Colo., greets a dolphin at the Dolphin Research Center.

    Nearly all attractions are back up and running as well, including the Dolphin Research Center near Marathon.

    “The dolphins are eager for people to come and swim with them,” said Rita Irwin, vice president of development at the Dolphin Research Center.

    Several special events, such as Key West’s Fantasy Fest, have been rescheduled. Fantasy Fest is now set for Dec. 7-10.

    Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau
    Kay Moore of Alabaster, Ala., enjoys the music of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band during the Parrot Head convention this past weekend in Key West.

    But many events in November and December continue as scheduled including the Key West World Championship Offshore Powerboat Race, Nov. 13-20, and Pirates in Paradise Festival, Nov. 25-Dec. 4. This past weekend, more than 3,000 Jimmy Buffett aficionados, called Parrot Heads, flocked to Key West for their annual “Meeting of the Minds” event and Key Largo’s Island Jubilee staged a barbecue championship.

    For more information on the Keys, call 1-800-FLA-KEYS or explore www.fla-keys.com.

    Live Webcams
    For live Florida Keys webcams, click here.

     

    		•
    Home | Fishing | Diving & Snorkeling | Arts & Culture | Weddings

    Florida Keys Tourist Development Council
    1201 White Street, Key West, FL 32540
    1-800-FLA-KEYS

    This e-mail address was subscribed to this newsletter by the recipient on fla-keys.com.

    To unsubscribe from this monthly newsletter, click here.

    Key West Big Pine and the Lower Keys Marathon Islamorada Key Largo