SONGWRITERS UNITE

The 21st annual Key West Songwriters Festival invades May 4-8.


How does the southernmost town in the United States get a whole lot more Southern? Easy: by hosting the biggest, baddest, countriest songwriting festival in the world. Now in its 21st year, the annual Key West Songwriters Festival sees our tiny island inundated with the best in the business, from Nashville to Austin and everywhere in between. And if the […]

Country superstar Jake Owen to headline songwriters fest




Country superstar Jake Owen, along with headliners Robert Earl Keen, Rhett Akins, Natalie Hemby and over 200 other musicians, will be performing in this year’s Key West Songwriters Festival, much to their fans’ delight. The festival continues nonstop for five days and nights, showcasing live music concerts, and more personal, up-close performances, with some fascinating, poignant and sometimes humorous stories […]

An insider’s look at Key West



The most traveled and visible street in Key West is only the beginning, the surface, of what the town has to offer. Ask the locals about their favorite spots, stroll through quiet neighborhoods or down alleyways off Duval and you’ll begin to dive deeper into the quieter, more diverse and less readily apparent offerings. Here are eight spots that you […]

Getting around Key West



1. Southernmost Point The corner of South Street and Whitehead Street southernmostpointwebcam.com The city of Key West erected this now-famous concrete buoy in 1983 to denote the southernmost point in the continental United States. 2. Conch Tour Train 303 Front St., Key West, FL 33040 (305) 294-5161 or (888) 916-8687 www.conchtourtrain.com The Conch Train has been winding its way through […]

Queen Mother Pageant: A crown above the rest




Since its beginnings more than three decades ago, the Queen Mother Pageant, set for Monday, May 9, at 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of Duval, centered in front of LaTeDa, has always been a cut above the rest. Conceived to choose an ambassador between the gay community (it wasn’t even GLBT or LGBT then) and the larger community of […]

WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO



SPECIAL EVENTS 2016 Key West Songwriters Festival Through May 8Check Kwswf.com for a completeschedule7 p.m. May 5Jake Owen on the Duval Street Stage200 block of Duval Street Kentucky Derby Key West Party Noon May 7Aqua Nightclub711 Duval St.Aquakeywest.com 33rd Annual Queen Mother Pageant 8 p.m. May 9LaTeDa1125 Duval St.Lateda.com Sheriff’s Animal Farm Open House 1-3 p.m. Sunday, May 8Monroe County […]

Its namesake never saw it, but Audubon House still worth a look




It’s midway through the tour of Key West’s stunningly pretty Audubon House and Tropical Gardens that the truth comes out: John James Audubon — famed naturalist painter, whose lifelike paintings of bird portraits line the walls of the museum — never actually lived in the Audubon House. But don’t let this spoiler keep you from visiting; indeed, a visit to […]

DRAG LIFE

Towering Inga tops them all


Imagine a living, 6-foot-plus tall Barbie doll with the same relative bust-to-hip ratio and requisite long, flowing blond hair. That’s the Inga whom I have seen perform, admire and got to know almost two decades ago. She is a Swedish bombshell who arrived in Key West on Aug. 5, 1997, looking like a model for haute couture, albeit with more […]

MUSIC SCENE

Love and Theft steal the hearts of their fans


The country music duo Love and Theft will once again be gracing the stages of Key West during the Key West Songwriters Festival this week. This will be their sixth trip to Key West for this unique event, having already played the main stage two other times to a swooning, cheering crowd of die-hard fans. The band loves Key West […]

KEY WEST GALLERY GUIDE



For a comprehensive guide and map to Key West’s finest art galleries visit keysarts.com/artist_ connections/gallery_ guide.pdf Special events this week: The Historic Armory Studios 600 White St.(704) 819-2487Conchead2@yahoo.comPaintings by Michael J. PhillipsOngoing SALT Gallery SALT Island Provisions830 Fleming St.SALT Island on FacebookOpening 6-8 p.m. May 7Featured artist A.D. Tinker Key West Art and Historical Society Custom House281 Front St.Kwahs.orgRoberta Marks: […]