Hemingway Days to Honor Ernest in Key West Through Sunday, July 23

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Ernest Hemingway look-alikes, writers, anglers and fans of the late author's work are to converge on Key West now through Sunday, July 23, for the annual Hemingway Days celebration. The festival honors the legacy of the American literary giant who lived and wrote on the island for most of the 1930s.

Events include a look-alike contest for Hemingway hopefuls, prose and poetry readings, the wacky "Running of the Bulls," presentations on Ernest and his influence, and a three-day marlin tournament recalling his passion for angling.

Scores of stocky, bearded men resembling the writer are to compete in Sloppy Joe's Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar, 201 Duval St., a frequent hangout for him during his Key West years. Preliminary rounds are set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 20 and 21, with the finals at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

The look-alikes also star in activities including Saturday's "Running of the Bulls" spoof and a salute to Hemingway on the 118th anniversary of his July 21 birth.

Additional festival events include the 5k Sunset Run/Walk and Paddleboard Race, a DVD premiere of the 2015 performance of "The Hemingway Suite" in Havana, Cuba, a daylong street fair on Key West's Duval Street and Sloppy Joe's annual Arm Wrestling Contest.

Hemingway fans also can visit his former Key West home at 907 Whitehead St., now an attraction open for tours. The property will be the site of "To Have and Have Another," a Sunday evening presentation and soiree hosted by the Key West Art & Historical Society.

Hemingway Days information: hemingwaydays.net

Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY

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