Keys Style, Featuring Gary Dunn

KEYSStyle

2017

| SUMMER EDITION |

PEOPLE • EVENTS • FEATURES

THE

STEEL CURTAIN gary ISLAMORADA'S

dunn

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IMENT A RY

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ABOUT THE COVER Los Angeles Rams running back Wendell Tyler (26) is thrown for a 4-yard loss by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert as Steelers L.C. Greenwood (68), Gary Dunn (67) and “Mean” Joe Greene (75) converge on the play in the first quarter of Super Bowl XIV, Jan. 20, 1980, in Pasadena, Calif.

The Rams led after three quarters, but the Steelers scored 14 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 31-19, their fourth Super Bowl championship in six years.

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A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE CELEBRATING THE UNIQUE LIFESTYLE OF THE FLORIDA KEYS

SUMMER 2017

CONTENTS

16 COVER STORY

GARY DUNN

| Photo by Brian Basham |

In The Eye of A Hurricane

30 Sponging

06 3 Historically Awesome

Inns of Key West

24 Get Cultured

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40 Boondocks

This Edition: Bone Island Welding

In The Florida Keys

Grille, Draft House & Miniature Golf

46 Keys Wide Event Calendar

| PUBLISHER Paul A. Clarin | ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Melanie Arnold | EDITOR Kay Harris | CREATIVE MARKETING STRATEGIST Dannielle Larrabee | WRITERS Kay Harris, Mandy Miles, Gena Parsons, Sarah Goodwin | PHOTOGRAPHERS Brian Basham, Gena Parsons | ADVERTISE 305.292.7777 sales@keysnews.com | FRONT COVER: Associated Press |

A Cooke Communications Florida LLC Publication

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Love history? There's plenty of it in Key West. You can bed down in the upscale hotel where Tennessee Williams put the finishing touches on A Streetcar Named Desire (La Concha Crowne Plaza,) luxuriate at the resort where the U.S. Army based during the Cuban Missile Crisis (Casa Marina Waldorf-Astoria.) You can even sleep in a boutique hotel that went from being a judge's house to a notorious Cuban nightclub (Southernmost House.) Over a dozen historic inns sit at the ready in Key West. But for a truly unique stay in Key West, why not lodge in the home of a former sponger, rum-runner, or cigar- maker? âžť

Y L L A C I R O T S I H E

M O S AWE

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S P E A K E A S Y I N N /// 1 1 7 D U V A L S T R E E T

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These days, Speakeasy Inn is most recognized for its Rum Bar out front. Patrons look relaxed, people-watching on this comfortable porch on the quiet end of Duval Street. Just so happens, rum-drinking is exactly how guests of this house would've spent their days during Prohibition as well.

Notorious rum runner, Raul Vasquez, purchased the house in 1920, opening his speakeasy, the “Florence Club,” in the rear.

According to Vasquez, his bar was named because several of his regular customers had wives named Florence. Vasquez is remembered as a flashy guy who wore lots of gold jewelry (so if the Coast Guard pursued him, he could jump overboard and swim without ruining paper bills.) Some whispered that he ran in the Cuban “underground” opposing the dictator Gerardo Machado.

Back then, the bar was just a counter, a shelf, eight chairs, and one bench stolen off Duval Street, meant for the people waiting for electric streetcars. Vasquez generously allowed customers to serve themselves when he wasn't around, so long as they left a note on the white marble slab left for that purpose. Surprisingly, Vasquez claimed, “No one ever stole a single bottle."

Tonya Colston, Speakeasy's G. M., loves her job among rum-drinkers past and present. “We now serve 300 kinds of rum from all over the world. In that way, we keep the house's history alive. Throughout the bar and inn, we've tried to recreate the same laid-back, convivial atmosphere you'd have found in Vasquez's day.”

Colston is especially proud of some of the inn's little secrets. “If you look closely, you'll notice small historical touches in the rooms. For example, when they had to replace some of the wood in the structure, they used the original Dade County pine to make pieces of furniture.

We're also one of the handful of places on the island to have a basement.”

The most obvious and fun remnant of the Florence Club is a hidden message in the balustrades of the building's porches. Look closely and you'll see the shapes from a deck of Spanish cards, as well as bottles. Vasquez purchased the gingerbread fretwork from Cuba, figuring since he couldn't advertise his club legally, this would let passers-by know to expect cards and booze inside.

The Speakeasy Inn's relative affordability and ideal location surrounded by galleries, wine bars, and cigar shops, make it a perfect stay for history lovers who like their parties on the quiet side. It's also nice for those who like to mix with locals, as many frequent the Rum Bar. But don't expect to buy drinks on the honor system anymore. It's strictly cash or credit. ➻

Opposite Page: Speakeasy Inn railing - The unique, bottle-shaped cutouts in balustrades along breezy porches illustrate the Speakeasy Inn’s past and present.

Above: Quaint rooms at the Speakeasy Inn on Upper Duval Street include sturdy bedframes constructed from heavy wood removed from the building during renovation.

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S I M O N T O N C O U R T H I S T O R I C I N N & C O T T A G E S ///

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Simonton Court offers a quiet, lush, 2-acre oasis just a block away from the action on Duval St. Wandering along the brick walkway, which was once an actual lane, it's easy to imagine the charming coral-colored cottages with cozy porches as they must've looked in the late 1800's. Cigar-rollers from Cuba lived in them then. Interestingly, these were some of the first buildings up after the Great Fire of 1886—a fire likely started by a Spanish arsonist targeting Key West's Cuban population.

Back then, the inn was the cigar-making factory, and the 7 cottages housed its workers.

A few of the structures in Simonton Court are slightly later additions, such as a shotgun house called the “Manor House,” and the Bahamianstyle “Mansion.”

Steve Turner, G.M. Of Simonton Court, will gladly point out some of the property's oldest features. “Two of the swimming pools were once cisterns. You can still see the original brick edges, some of which go down six feet or further.

Plenty of exposed Dade County pine can be spotted in the inn and cottages. The tiny brick walkway we now call Hurricane Alley we think used to be Dey & Allen Lane, and at one point it would have been lit by gas lamps, and may have housed the island's post office.”

Turner has been with Simonton Court over 13 years, but still finds himself discovering new things about the place's history. “During a recent renovation, we peeled away the drywall and found some old wooden joinery, carved by hand. It was so cool!” ➻

Opposite Page: At Simonton Court, a collection of colorful cottages encircles an inn that was once a cigar factory.

Left: Lovely and durable Dade County pine still graces the walls of Simonton Court cottages that were built in the late 1800s to house cigar rollers.

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C Y P R E S S H O U S E /// 6 0 1 C A R O L I N E S T R E E T

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Bahamian immigrant Samuel Kemp bought land on Caroline in 1845. The house he built burned down in the Great Fire of 1886, and his descendant, Richard, had the current Cypress House built soon after. The large wooden structural beams cost plenty. Luckily, Kemp was known for his business acumen.

He owned a thriving furniture business.

Later, Kemp and his Greek son-in-law would introduce the sponge-harvesting industry to Key West, which eventually became a major source of revenue for the island.

Kemp was also a fisherman and a naturalist.

He'd always been curious about the small turtles fishermen sometimes brought into the sea turtle cannery. The locals called them “bastards,” thinking these little turtles were what happened when Green and Loggerhead turtles mated. Kemp suspected they might be an undiscovered species, so he sent two specimens to the Harvard Museum of Comparative Biology, and the biologists named the “new” species after him. Hence, the world's smallest and rarest sea turtle, the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) got named after a Key Wester!

door is now the closet door to one of the rooms. There is also a large beautiful wall size book shelf that is now a guest room, but at one point would have been the living room for the house. The original cistern still resides under the house as well, and the original access door to it is still in place! The main staircase still has its original wood and is very inviting. ” At some point in its history, Cypress House acquired a friendly ghost haunting the third floor. “He's believed to be a former caretaker named Noseby,” laughs Vaughn. “He's known to be a prankster, shutting the door behind you, moving your items... never anything too terribly scary.”

Vaughn shares a sentiment universal to Key West's historic inn-keepers: “I love all of the stories I get to share with people, as well as the stories told to me by other folks I never knew.

It is really a pleasure to take care of a building that is such an icon to Key West.” KS

Opposite Page: The Cypress House’s original library now serves as a unique guest room with contemporary furnishings.

Below: Green doors and shutters grace the unpainted exterior of the 3-story eyebrow house built on Caroline Street after the 1886 fire that destroyed much of Old Town Key West.

The Cypress House is a classic Key West “eyebrow house.” Approximately 75 eyebrow houses exist on the island, most constructed in the late 1800's, and few eyebrow houses exist in the rest of the world. The “eyebrow” refers to the rooftop which comes far over the top floors, meant to provide shade in the days before air conditioning, and before the island had irrigation to grow tall trees.

According to Danielle Vaughn, Property Manager, “Cypress House is one of the very few 3 story eyebrow homes in Key West.

You'll see plenty of 2-story eyebrow homes but very few 3. I always wonder if the Kemps were making a statement adding a third floor to this style, or if they just needed the space!”

Vaughn counts off many original parts of the house that still remain. “Mostly the house has its original doors, fixtures, crown molding, archways, door knobs. The original kitchen

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Opposite Page: Former Pittsburgh Steeler defensive lineman Gary Dunn has owned the Ocean View Inn & Sports Pub in Islamorada since 1996.

in the

ye B Y K AY H A R R I S PHOTOS BY B R I A N BA S H A M

[

of a

hurricane

may say “NFL Has Been” but the man inside is anything but.

It’s been 30 years since Gary Dunn was a star defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the man is still larger than life, holding court at his business, the Ocean View Inn & Sports Pub in Islamorada.

THE SIGN OUTSIDE

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Left: Gary Dunn shows off his Super Bowl ring from 1979, as his Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 35-31.

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nterviewing Dunn is an experience not unlike being in the eye of a hurricane- you never know in which direction he’s going to head next, but wherever he goes, you know it will be exciting

Hurricanes have played a big part in Dunn’s life.

He’s a third-generation Hurricane as his grandfather was the founding president of the University of Miami. He and his father, Eddie Dunn, are the first father-son duo to be enshrined in the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. Both were outstanding players on the Miami football team, with Gary moving on to the big leagues after graduating in 1976, drafted by the Steelers, the only team he played for in 11 seasons, winning two Super Bowls.

And if it weren’t for a hurricane – Donna in 1960 – the Ocean View Inn & Sports Pub that Dunn and former Miami roommate and NFL pal Dennis Harrah bought back in 1996 wouldn’t be where it is today. It was destroyed by the hurricane and rebuilt in the early ‘60s “where all the wood from it landed, which turned out to be one of the highest points in the Keys,” said Dunn. Harrah has since moved back to California, leaving Dunn as the sole owner of one of the most eclectic and beloved hangouts in the Keys.

Today, Dunn’s son, Eddie, is a walk-on for the Hurricanes under new head Coach Mark Richt, potentially following the family legacy. Only Dunn’s daughter, Iris, “left the fold” and is in college at Western Kentucky on a soccer scholarship.

Both are graduates of Coral Shores High School, and are much of the reason why Dunn moved to Islamorada rather than going back to his hometown of Coral Gables - after his NFL paying days were over.

“I’ve been coming to the Keys to fish all my life,” said Dunn.

When he retired, it seemed like a good place to live. He and his wife Caron, had Eddie and Iris, and they wanted to stay in Islamorada to raise their kids.

“The schools are good here, everybody works hard, the kids are respectful, and this community has some of the best people,” he said.

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Below: Former Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Gary Dunn tells a million football stories from his Islamorada bar, Ocean View Inn & Sports Bar. “…back in the 70s,” he said. “We were just happy to play.”

When his son graduated from Coral Shores in 2015, more than $5 million in scholarships were awarded to the class of 167.

“IT WAS INCREDIBLE,” DUNN SAID. “EVERYONE HERE IS SO NICE AND THE LOCALS ARE VERY CLOSE AND SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER.”

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Standing at an imposing 6’3, despite a blown knee awaiting a fourth surgery in three years (12 knee surgeries total), and weighing a bit more than 300 pounds, it’s no stretch to imagine this man wearing No. 67, cracking heads and sacking quarterbacks.

“My first sack in my rookie year was Joe Namath. I headed back to the sideline, all full of myself, and Joe Greene- yeah, Mean Joe – pulls me aside and tells me, ‘We don’t hit Joe like that. He’s good for the league."

Dunn was a nose tackle, playing with QB Terry Bradshaw and the famous “Steel Curtain” - Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White. He

has two Super Bowl wins and the rings to prove it from 1978 and 1979. He was drafted in the 6th round, and in his rookie season, he made .. wait for it… $28,000.

“We didn’t have free agency back then.

You were drafted by a team and stayed with them unless they wanted to trade you. Free agency is great for the players today with their multi-million dollar salaries, but back in the ‘70s, we were just happy to play.”

The game was different then and so were the players. They were loyal to their teams and to each other, but that didn’t stop them from playing pranks on each other and generally, just having a great time.

Today, Dunn is happy with the life he has in Islamorada, the laid back atmosphere of his sports bar and small inn, and overjoyed with his wife and their kids and the success they are now enjoying as they learn to make their own way in the world. But thanks to their Dad, they had a wonderful education and a great childhood in the Keys.

Dunn may call himself an NFL “has been” but he’s still larger than life and a Hurricane to be reckoned with. KS

Above: Gary Dunn talks about his pro football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Islamorada bar owner was drafted in the 6th round of the 1976 NFL Draft.

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| Contributed Photo |

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get

CULTURED

by Mandy MILES| Photo by Brian BASHAM

THIS EDITION:

BONE

ISLAND welding

INDUSTRY SPARKS ARTISTRY. A white, Dry Erase “job board” inside Bone Island Welding details

the company’s 30 or so ongoing, upcoming and recently completed projects – everything from the aluminum swim ladders and wrought iron gates one would expect in a Key West welding shop, to the more intriguing mechanical bulls and stripper poles. Seriously, they’re on the board at the front of the shop.

“We do repair work and custom metal fabrication,” said owner Vinny Argiro, who learned to weld during a decade-long stint as a union-backed boilermaker in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “We can work with aluminum, stainless, carbon steel and then non-ferrous metals like copper, brass and bronze.”

| Opposite Page: Custom industrial hanging chandelier for the "Side Bar" located on Duval and Angela Street. Strip lights placed inside of the piece pulse seven different colors | Above Top: Dave Silvestri working on an aluminum swim ladder he had just fabricated to a client’s specifications | Bottom: The Bone Island Welding crew of Dave Silvestri, Sioux Murphy and owner Vinny Argiro are ready to work on anything aluminum, stainless, carbon steel and non-ferrous metals like copper, brass and bronze | 25

| Contributed Photo |. SUMMER 2017 26 . KeysStyle

| Opposite Page: Bone Island Welding owner Vinny Argiro puts the finishing touches on a project in his Stock Island welding shop | | Below: The Blue Hooker coffee table cutout for a local private sport-fisher and custom lighting like the Rotating Rocket Racer light |

Toward the back of the shop, behind the work table and welding torches, opposite the rusty, but remarkable cab of a 1946 International pickup truck, industry and utility give way to artistry and imagination.

“Metals each have their own personalities,” Argiro said, thumbing through his phone to find a before-and-after photo of an old bronze rudder from a longforgotten sailboat. “We found this rudder in a Dumpster at 3-D Marina on Shrimp Road. It was covered with rust and growth and encrustation, but we knew it was solid bronze.” The next photo showed an unrecognizable “after” photo. The rudder was immaculately restored, brilliantly shined and personalized with the words “Ocean House” artfully and precisely cut out of the metal.

“That’s hanging now in a guest house in Maine that’s called, obviously, the Ocean House,” Argiro said.

“The owner of that house is friends with the owner of this building,” he said, gesturing to his shop on Suncrest Road that runs behind We Cycle and the businesses that face U.S. 1 on Stock Island.

There’s also a lamp made from a giant marlin fishing lure with a four-sided lamp shade made of thin sheets of metal that tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea.” Each side features a cut-out figure depicting the old man in his boat, the giant marlin, sharks and the devoured marlin. And when the lamp is lit, the light shines through the cut-outs, casting the same shapes on the surrounding walls.

Several other cleverly fabricated lamps are on the “art table,” next to a shelf of raw materials.

“That’s what we call the ‘Pile of Style,’ said Bone Island welder Sioux Murphy. “Anytime we find a cool piece of metal that could become something else, we toss it on the pile.” The trio, which also includes welder Dave Silvestri, are self-proclaimed “Dumpster divers” who also have their friends and neighbors trained to set aside particular metal items that have artistic potential for the torch-wielding welders. The crew also has access to a high-tech plasma cutting table that cuts, or carves, through metal, making it whatever shape and size is entered into an attached computer.

“The art is usually just stuff that I want to do, although I have had some pieces commissioned recently,” said Argiro, who has created a series of industrial-looking metal lights for the new Side Bar nightclub on Angela Street. The lengths of metal have jagged slashes in them, allowing the colored LED lights that are inside the metal pipes to shine through the openings in a spectacular array. There are also etched metal signs for several charter fishing boats in town. And Murphy recently restored ancient wrought iron gates to which she welded handcrafted metal swirls and adornments. It’s a profession with which Argiro has a connection. He was a charter fishing captain when he first arrived in Key West in 1989.

“I fished down here until 2003,” he said. “But all my relatives were boilermakers up in Pittsburgh and they got me a job with the union up there, so I was a union boilermaker for eight years or so, and that’s where I learned welding.”

“That’s what we call the ‘Pile of Style” - Sioux Murphy

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| Contributed Photo |

When Argiro decided to return to Key West a few years ago, he started Bone Island Welding with a mobile welding truck that gives him and his crew increased access to off-site projects. They were able to park the truck behind a Duval Street restaurant and bring their welding tools into the kitchen to fix a part on a commercial dishwasher.

“I think the mobile truck makes us one of the most versatile welding shops in the area,” Argiro said. “And with this, compared to charter fishing, I can still work on windy days. And the art stuff versus the job-board stuff is sort of like the difference between charter fishing and fun fishing.

When you’re doing a charter, you’re being paid to

catch fish, hopefully the specific kind of fish the client wants. You have to produce; you have to make it happen. But when you’re out fun fishing on your own, you can go after whatever you want, whenever you want with no pressure. That’s when the artistic stuff happens.”

Above: A wash tub with mason jars becomes a hanging chandelier Opposite Page: Custom pin up lamp made from a metal dress form with silhouettes of Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page, Lucille Ball and Liz Taylor, as you rotate the shade

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Argiro has been selling his work at the monthly Artisans Market in the parking lot of the Restaurant Store on Eaton Street, and through the Bone Island Welding Facebook page, and of course, through word of mouth.

“This job is definitely the most fun I’ve had welding,” Dave Silvestri said, putting the finishing touches on the aluminum swim ladder he had just fabricated to a client’s specifications. KS

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SPON GING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS b y gen a p a r so n s

Primitive and sedentary, sponges tightly cling to the hard bottom in the shallow, warm waters surrounding the Florida Keys. For nearly two centuries, fishermen have plucked their soft, porous bodies to be sold to customers desiring a gentle way to wash everything from babies to floors. Once a thriving industry, disease and the advent of artificial sponges plunged Florida sponges into a niche market appealing to discerning customers willing to pay a premium price for a superior natural product.

The first shipment of sponges from Key West arrived in New York City in 1849, setting the stage for a sustainable trade that, by the 1890s, consisted of hundreds of boats harvesting almost a million dollars’ worth of sponges annually, accounting for one-third of the Florida commercial fisheries. Sponge auctions in Key West began shortly after the Civil War and were held continuously until 1947.

| Opposite Page: Sheepswool sponges are the softest and most desirable | 30 . KeysStyle . SUMMER 2017

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Above: Manny Morales-Viera pulls a sponge from the ocean floor off Stock Island.

Right: Skiffs filled with sponges float behind a fishing boat in Boca Chica Bay.

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Photo by Rob O'NEIL

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“IT’S A STEADY 34 . KeysStyle . SUMMER 2017

| Above: The shallow waters of the Florida Keys are ideal for sponging |

FISHERY�

- Jim Cantonis 35

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Photos by Rob O'NEIL

| Above: Sponging requires calm, clear water so the fisherman can spot his quarry and expertly place the hook | | Next Page: Sponges on Greene Street circa 1900.Scott DeWolfe Collection |

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Key West and Tarpon Springs became global sources of high - quality sponges, pitting islanders of Bahamian and Cuban ancestry against fishermen of Greek descent on Florida’s West Coast. The 1953 movie "Beneath the 12Mile Reef," starring a young Robert Wagner and partially filmed in the Florida Keys, depicted the fierce competition among sponge divers.

Harvest in the Florida Keys peaked in 193637 at 600,000 pounds and the market value topped out at nearly $3 million immediately following World War II. By comparison, in 2016, 171,823 pounds of sponges worth $243,190 were harvested in Monroe County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A fungus outbreak in Keys waters in 1939, the introduction of the synthetic sponge in the 1940s, and a die-off from red tide on the west coast in 1947-1948 put an end to large-scale sponging operations in Florida.

Diving for sponges is now prohibited in Monroe County. Today’s fishermen ply their trade slowly gliding in a small skiff across calm waters, a long, clawed pole at the ready to hook and retrieve the prized catch.

“The beautiful thing about sponges is, when they’re harvested, a new young sponge grows back in their place about 70 percent of the time. Other than stone crab, it’s the only thing that’s taken from the waters that’s not a onefor-one taking.”

Their remarkable regenerative nature led Dr. H. F. Moore, head of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries at the turn of the 20th century, to try cultivating sponges around Sugarloaf Key where there was a complete absence of fresh water, freedom from sand, and water shallow enough for easy planting and harvesting. With aluminum wire, he tied small chunks of sponge to concrete discs, then carefully placed them into the water. Those concrete discs are still being found today in Sugarloaf Sound.

Moore’s experimentation with the renewable resource convinced Charles Chase and British investors, in 1910, to open the Florida Keys Sponge and Fruit Company at what is now mile marker 17 on the Overseas Highway. After only a few years, Chase shuttered operations due to slow growth rate, poaching and the loss of investors with the onset of World War I. Never again would sponge farming be attempted in the Florida Keys. KS

“It’s a steady fishery,” said Jim Cantonis, whose family has operated Acme Sponge and Chamois Co. in Tarpon Springs for decades, processing and marketing Florida sponges.

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THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT SPONGES IS, WHEN THEY’RE HARVESTED, A NEW YOUNG SPONGE GROWS BACK IN THEIR PLACE - Jim Cantonis

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GRILLE, DRAFT HOUSE AND MINIATURE GOLF

BOON DOCKS âžť

From humble beginnings, Boondocks on Ramrod Key has risen to become a family friendly entertainment center offering food and drink, world class musicians, charity events, uniquely local gifts and the only miniature golf course in the Florida Keys.

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W

hen Lanny Gardner discovered the location in 2001, Boondocks was a quaint sandwich shop little more than a brief pit stop between Key deer - populated Big Pine and the commercial mecca of Key West. It was the Saturday following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Lanny immediately called his childhood best friend John Myers with a proposition.

“I SAID, ‘THIS WORLD IS MESSED UP RIGHT NOW. I THINK I’D DO ABOUT ANYTHING,” MYERS RECALLED.

And since it’s the Keys, the 19th hole is a popular watering hole of its own, offering a chance to relax before and after playing a round with a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail, with plenty of non-alcoholic options too.

With three certified chefs, Boondocks serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch buffets referred to as southern cooking done Keys style. The newly revamped menu features the addition of tuna nachos and five new salads along with the everpopular Bang Bang shrimp, fresh fish entrees and a half sandwich/soup or salad combo. Diners can eat in the restaurant and bar or downstairs on the petfriendly patio where Fido gets his own menu.

Having opened seven restaurants and a catering company in New York and Pennsylvania, Myers had the food service knowledge to complement Gardner’s business acumen, but it is Gardner’s late father that both men credit with having the vision.

A builder by trade, Larry Gardner planned and executed the continuing expansion, resulting in what is now the largest Tiki hut and longest U.S. 1 business frontage in Monroe County.

Most bars and restaurants stop at offering food, drink and the occasional musical act. Not Boondocks, which opened its 18-hole miniature golf course in January 2006. It’s the only mini golf course in the Keys, and a favorite spot for tourists and locals alike.

Greens weave around palms and hibiscus, taking players’ golf balls perilously close to streams and ponds.

In the center, a cool cave provides a brief respite from the year-round warmth and humidity. Two giant waterfalls make for creative water hazards on the caveman themed course, and at the end, players place their golf ball in a slot for a chance to win a free snow cone or soda at the course’s snack shack.

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Televisions ringing the elevated bar and filling a wall behind the patio’s stage draw sports fans. The patio also hosts weekly bingo, trivia and a variety of fundraisers.

“In our 16 years in operation, we have helped to raise

more than half a million dollars for local charities and individuals who need a helping hand,” Myers said. “We have the facility to do it, so it’s giving back to the community.” KS

| Opposite Page: Boondocks miniature golf course | Photo by Andrew Perkins |

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| Above: Boondocks entertainment center photographed at night is dazzeling | 44 . KeysStyle . SUMMER 2017

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EVENT CALENDAR KEYS WIDE

FIVE TO TRY KEY WEST

JUNE 10

STOLI COCKTAIL CLASSIC Winners from bars in 17 North American cities are to create an original cocktail that reflects the island’s sunny community spirit.

BIG PINE

JULY 8

UNDERWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL This submerged songfest broadcasts music underwater positioned above the reef.

MARATHON

JULY 4

MARATHON BEACH PARTY & FIREWORKS SHOW For one of the Keys’ largest and longest fireworks displays.

ISLAMORADA

JUNE 9 - 10

FIFTH ANNUAL LADIES DOLPHIN TOURNAMENT Female angler teams to compete for the highest aggregate weight of three dolphin fish.

KEY LARGO

JULY 4

FIREWORKS SHOW ON BLACKWATER SOUND The Sound provides the perfect nighttime mirrorlike surface to make the fireworks seem like a 3-D viewing experience designed to dazzle.

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KEY WEST

JUNE 10

FIFTH ANNUAL VFW FISHING TOURNAMENT

Sponsored by the Southernmost VFW Post 3911, this family oriented tournament offers cash prizes for dolphin, wahoo, tuna, snapper and grouper, along with prizes for heaviest fish by a lady angler, heaviest fish by a juvenile angler, pee-wee and active service member. All proceeds benefit disabled and veterans in need throughout Monroe County.

(305) 304-1182

JUNE 10

KEY WEST ISLAND SWIM: FKCC SWIM AROUND KEY WEST

The officially sanctioned event is a 12.5-mile swim clockwise around the island of Key West that is open to all age groups.

Individual swimmers and relay teams can compete. The route takes swimmers through the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, ending where they began at Higgs Beach.

305-809-3562

fkccswimaroundkeywest.com

JUNE 10

STOLI KEY WEST COCKTAIL CLASSIC

mystery and crime fiction authors and true-crime experts. Highlights include presentation of the 2017 Whodunit Mystery Writing Competition and Award, a ghost tour hosted by Heather Graham and a panel on ‘How to Commit a Perfect Murder.’

305-587-9392

www.mysteryfestkeywest.com

JUNE 22-25

KEY WEST AFRICANA FESTIVAL

Regional winners from LGBT bars in 17 North American cities are to compete to create an original Key West cocktail that reflects the island’s sunny community spirit. The hotly contested final round starts at 7 p.m. on an open-air stage in the 700 block of Duval Street, with national and regional celebrity judges. www.OUT.com/ KeyWestCocktailClassic

Three-day destination retreat, festival and academic conference focusing on Thought, Culture and Wellness within the African Diaspora. Thought: Workshops on topics of cultural, physical and spiritual wellness. Culture: Music, art and cultural tourism, exploring Afro-Caribbean culture in Key West. Wellness: Workshops on healthy living, physical wellness and relationship wellness. keywestafricanafestival.com

JUNE 16 -18

JULY 1 - 4

Open to authors, aspiring authors and non-writing mystery-buffs alike - 2017 headliners are John Hemingway, grandson of Ernest and author of ‘Strange Tribe,’ Keynote Speaker Clifford Irving, and Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter past-President Randy Rawls. Lisa Black, James O. Born, Nancy J. Cohen and Heather Graham are the featured presenters among a criminally stellar hit-list of some two dozen high-profile and award winning

A wacky talent show, pie-eating and cooking contests and other tasty temptations await Key West visitors during the fourth annual Key Lime Festival. A Key Lime martini Sip and Stroll, Key lime rum sampling and distillery tour as well as a new Key Lime Pie Hop are among events to kickoff the four-day tasty fest. www.keylimefestival.com

FIFTH ANNUAL FOURTH ANNUAL MYSTERY FEST KEY WEST KEY LIME FESTIVAL

JULY 8 - 11

DEL BROWN PERMIT TOURNAMENT

Anglers fly-fish on the flats in a challenge that honors the late angling pioneer Del Brown, who caught and released more than 500 permit off the Keys. Professionals and guides are allowed to compete as well.

KEY WEST

305-360-6969

www.delbrown.com

JULY 13 - 15

JULY 22

friends. Activities generally include dance parties, poolside gatherings, sailing and snorkeling, live music, comedy performances and more.

305-294-4603

www.womenfest.com

BIG PINE

HEMINGWAY 5K SUNSET RUN & Come commemorate the anniversary PADDLEBOARD RACE

This is the original and oldest ongoing 5K Run in Key West and takes place as part of the the annual Hemingway Days Festival. The race course is a scenic flat course that runs past Key West’s most famous landmarks including the Ernest Hemingway Home, the iconic Southernmost Point and the famous Green Parrot Bar.

305-296-6533

www.keywesthalfmarathon.com

melfisherdays.melfisher.com

JULY 18 - 23

HEMINGWAY DAYS

The 37th annual celebration of the legendary author’s work and lifestyle features literary readings, the Running of the Bulls, a short story competition, fishing tournament, 5k Run and Paddleboard Race, Sloppy Joe’s Look-Alike Contest and a birthday “party” commemorating Ernest’s July 21st birthday.

305-296-2388 (Look-Alike); 305-797-0579 (Literary)

fla-keys.com/hemingway-days

JULY 19 - 22

HAVANA CLUB KEY WEST MARLIN TOURNAMENT

Anglers ply the waters once fished by novelist Ernest Hemingway, vying for $50,000 in guaranteed cash prizes. Held in conjunction with Key West’s annual Hemingway Days festival, the event awards $25,000 to the first-place team. Teams can enter one fun fish (dolphin, tuna, wahoo or released sailfish) per day to add to their point total.

305-304-0317

www.keywestmarlin.com

305-240-0727

AUGUST 16 - 20 TROPICAL HEAT

The Key West Business Guild presents this all-male celebration that typically includes pool and dance parties, on-the-water adventures and a fashion show that raises money for a local non-profit organization.

305-294-4603

www.tropicalheatkw.com

AUGUST 31 SEPTEMBER 4

MARATHON MARLIN TOURNAMENT

First- through third-place teams are to compete for marlin division trophies as well as fun fish awards for the three heaviest dolphin fish, wahoo and tuna.The top-scoring team in the tournament is to be entitled to free entry into the following week’s Key West Marlin Tournament.

305-304-0317

SEPTEMBER 1 - 3

MEL FISHER DAYS

of Mel Fisher’s famous 16-year search for the Spanish galleon Atocha and the discovery of the Atocha Mother Load . Annual Dock Party at Schooner Wharf Bar on Saturday, July 15th, with tours of salvaging vessels, raffle, silent and live auctions and live entertainment. Private tours of the Fisher Family Conservation Laboratory July 13 & 15.

JULY 14 -16

HEROES SALUTE TRIBUTE WEEKEND

JULY 8

33RD ANNUAL UNDERWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL

The nationally-acclaimed submerged songfest is held at Looe Key Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The marine musical event is set 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and staged

by Keys radio station US1 Radio 104.1 FM. The music is broadcast underwater via Lubell Laboratory speakers suspended beneath boats positioned above the reef.

305-872-2411

www.lowerkeyschamber.com/ festival.php

Each fall, Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key hosts an annual Heroes Salute program to honor military, fire and rescue, law enforcement and medical personnel; a special Labor Day Weekend event is planned to include an All-American barbecue, heroes tribute, country music concert and fireworks show.

1-877-484-9342

SEPTEMBER 21 - 24

MARATHON INTERNATIONAL BONEFISH TOURNAMENT

This challenge recognizes individual and team champions scoring the largest bonefish and permit, and the top anglers in fly and grand slam

MARATHON

EIGHTH ANNUAL KEY WEST BREWFEST

More than 150 beers and microbrews are on tap at this “tasty” annual event that benefits the charitable efforts of the Key West Sunrise Rotary Club of the Conch Republic. Events from beer dinners, beer brunches, happy hour parties, pool parties, late-night parties, seminars and the Signature Tasting Festival Event are some of the offered activities.

800-354-4455

www.keywestbrewfest.com

SEPTEMBER 6 - 10

WOMENFEST KEY WEST

Thousands of singles, couples and groups of women flock to Key West each year for this renowned celebration for lesbians and their

JULY 4

MARATHON BEACH PARTY & FIREWORKS SHOW For one of the Keys’ largest and longest fireworks displays, families gather for a full day of activities in Marathon for a patriotic parade that begins around 10:30 a.m.

This daylong celebration features food, drink, kids’ crafts and entertainment, capped off after dark with fireworks.

divisions (for the top spin or fly angler who releases the largest bonefish, permit and tarpon “slam”). The event is one of the few tournaments where anglers can fish without a professional guide.

305-304-8682

305-743-5417

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ISLAMORADA

vessel (non guided) and charter (guided) divisions. Open to adults, teens and junior anglers.

305-522-4868

www.islamoradaclassic.com

JULY 10 - 12

ISLAMORADA FLY DOLPHIN TOURNAMENT

This new two-day fly fishing event features three-person angler teams, competing for cash and prizes.

JUNE 13 - 15

LADIES TARPON FLY TOURNAMENT

The Ladies Tarpon Fly is an all release, fly fishing invitational that has attracted many premier lady fly anglers and guides throughout its history. Whether your favorite species is tarpon or you are looking to put another feather in your cap, the tournament participants range from the expert to the novice who is trying to improve her fishing skills.

2017 will mark the tournament’s 40th anniversary.

JUNE 23 - 24

7TH ANNUAL UNIV. OF AUGUST 18 - 19 MIAMI SPORTS HALL OF INAUGURAL ISLAMORADA FAME CELEBRITY DOLPHIN GRAND PRIX OF THE SEA TOURNAMENT Don’t miss as Powerboat P1 brings Anglers can fish with some favorite former Miami Hurricanes All-Stars in the one-day tournament that features cash prizes for the heaviest dolphin. Other attractions include a charity auction and more.

305-598-2525

www.canesfish.com

917-607-8779

www.facebook.com/keystarpon

JUNE 16 -17

LADIES, LET’S GO FISHING OFFSHORE/INSHORE ANYONE CAN WIN TOURNAMENT!

Hosted by the Florida Keys Elks Lodge, this event welcomes female angler teams to compete for the highest aggregate weight of three dolphin fish. Cash and prizes are awarded to first- through third-place finishers, and for the largest dolphin caught. floridakeyselks1872.com

954-475-9068

www.ladiesletsgofishing.com

JUNE 19 - 23

GOLD CUP TARPON TOURNAMENT

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JULY 4

FIREWORKS SHOW ON BLACKWATER SOUND

Blackwater Sound provides the perfect nighttime mirrorlike surface to make the annual fireworks display AquaX and Superstock races to seem like a 3-D viewing experience Islamorada! Experience non-stop designed to dazzle. The show is to racing action as Sea-Doo, Yamaha, take place on the bayfront in Key and Kawasaki personal watercraft Largo at 10 p.m., July 4. The best racers, along with P1 Panther race seating can be found at Jimmy boats, compete at speeds averaging Johnson’s Big Chill, Sundowners 75 mph. This event is family friendly and Senior Frijoles restaurants, and free to the public.

Caribbean Club and Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort, all located 407-985-1938 www.p1aquax.com around mile marker (MM) 104 bayside. Reservations are suggested because seating is limited; contact restaurants directly.

JUNE 9 - 10 www.keylargofireworks.com FIFTH ANNUAL

LADIES DOLPHIN TOURNAMENT

Intended for novice anglers, enjoy a weekend of learning and a nonintimidating, fun competition!

Species include legal inshore and offshore fish. This is a casual tournament with prizes for heaviest offshore fish, longest inshore fish and drawings for prizes of those who caught fish, plus bonus drawings.

This annual challenge appeals to “tarpon addicts,” and both experienced and novice anglers can apply to compete. Held the third Monday in June each year, the event is limited to 25 anglers by invitation only. Proceeds are to benefit the Florida Keys’ fishing industry’s Guides Trust Foundation. www.goldcuptt.com

305-522-4868

KEY LARGO

JULY 28 - 29

LIONFISH DERBY FOR DIVERS

Teams of up to four divers compete for cash and prizes. Derby divers who successfully remove invasive lionfish from sanctuary waters can win for most, largest and smallest lionfish. The Upper Keys derby is held at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Visit REEF website to register; teams of up to four people can join. Divers can participate in a derby from their own private vessel or join a professional dive operator’s charter.

305-852-0030

reef.org/2017UpperKeysDerby

JULY 7 - 9

ISLAMORADA SUMMER CLASSIC

A family-formatted boat tournament series is to feature nine target backcountry and oceanside species -- dolphin, grunts, jacks, shark, snapper, snook, tarpon, tuna & trout. Trophies are awarded to the top boats in weight and release categories, as well as private

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