Florida Keys Events Calendar
Florida Keys Calendar of Events for May, 2012
Key West / January 1 – December 31
Enjoy a fabulous tour of Key West...with a twist. A gay twist that is! Get a unique tour of Key West and learn about our colorful history that includes the famous and the infamous. Departs from the City Hall Parking Lot, located on the corner of Angela Street and Duval Street. Tickets $25, departs 4 p.m. every Saturday. Can be purchased ONLINE or at the trolley, our G&L Visitor Center (located at 513 Truman), and many of our distinguished gay and lesbian guest houses.
Key West / March 17 – November 30
More than 40 species of fish are targeted during these months, with divisions for men, women, junior anglers (ages 10 to 14) and Pee Wees (under 10 years old). In a March kickoff event, anglers target 15 species and $5,000 in cash prizes is split between the top anglers.
Contact: Doris Harris 305-295-6601
Email: kwft@comcast.net
Contact: Doris Harris 305-295-6601
Email: kwft@comcast.net
Key West / April 24 – May 12
What do you get when you take a company of actors, directors and producers and mix in fresh, new ten-minute plays? This evening of shorts typically includes world premiers, lots of laughs and incredible local talent. Visit website for show times and tickets.
Contact: 305-296-9911
Email: info@redbarntheatre.com
Contact: 305-296-9911
Email: info@redbarntheatre.com
Marathon / April 29 – May 2
Tarponian Tournament
For enthusiastic tarpon anglers, silver kings mean springtime. This high-energy, three-evening tournament mandates that teams fish with a different captain each evening. Teams also rotate among the three major bridge channels in Marathon, so any potential "hot spots" are shared among all anglers.
Contact: David Breznicky at 215-542-1492
Email: dbreznicky@breznickyassociates.com
Contact: David Breznicky at 215-542-1492
Email: dbreznicky@breznickyassociates.com
Key West / May 2 – 6
The 17th-annual showcase of musical magic features America's foremost performing songwriters, with concerts staged in intimate, audience-friendly island settings.
Contact: Charlie Bauer 305-304-0814
Contact: Charlie Bauer 305-304-0814
Key West / May 3 – 25
What happens when you trade houses with total strangers and think you've discovered a murder plot? A producer of TV crime shows exchanges her Manhattan apartment with a couple from England. Once in the English cottage, she and her brother (her traveling companion) grow suspicious that something is about to happen to the British husband. A suspenseful comedy in the mold of 'Deathtrap' but with a bit of 'Rear Window' thrown in for fun.
Showtime 8 p.m.
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Box_Office@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Box_Office@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Key West / May 4
"Crime Scene Photographer" is a first-of-its-kind, interactive solve-it-yourself mystery event. Can you solve the mysteries by examining the crime scene photographs? The essential clues are there in plain sight -- but how good is your power of observation? Prizes awarded for the correct solutions. Part of Key West Mystery Fest. Event is located at the Casa Antigua, 314 Simonton Street. Tickets are $30, includes appetizers and open bar.
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: marketing_director@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: marketing_director@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Key West / May 4 – 13
The Key West Mystery Fest is a 10-day festival of mysteries and mystery-related events highlighted by the world premiere of Home Exchange and will include a Clue Dinner Party (a progressive dinner based on the Clue board game), a Classic Mystery Movie Night at the Tropic Cinema, Mystery-themed "Behind the Scenes" at the Waterfront Playhouse, a "Monk Night" at the Tropic Cinema with Andy Breckman (creator of Monk) and Hy Conrad (writer/producer of Monk), a Mystery Writers Panel Discussion and Book Signing, a Mystery Short Story Contest and many other mystery activities. For a complete list of events, visit keyswestmysteryfest.com.
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Box_Office@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Box_Office@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Marathon / May 4 – 6
Anglers vie for more than $25,000 in prizes in this boat team event, with seven different divisions. Teams of up to six anglers can register. Awards of up to $10,000 for the largest bull and cow combined - as well as cash prizes for wahoo, tuna and tripletail, grouper and snapper division winners.
Contact: Jack Carlson or Byron Goss at 305-289-0199
Contact: Jack Carlson or Byron Goss at 305-289-0199
Islamorada / May 4 – 6
A tournament honoring the memory of Nick Sheahan, a Florida Keys student, funds from this event benefit community scholarships for graduates of Coral Shores High School - more than $30,000 to date. Hosted at Tavernier Creek Marina, entry fee for adults is $100, $25 for kids.
Contact: 305-393-3709
Email: nicksheahan88@gmail.com
Contact: 305-393-3709
Email: nicksheahan88@gmail.com
Key West / May 5
Celebrate the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby and the 2nd annual Derby Day at the Tropic; from 3:30 - 7 p.m. the big race will be on the big screen along with plenty of Derby fun, including a hat contest, games of chance, and mint juleps. Partial proceeds benefit the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys. Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased at the Tropic Box Office (416 Eaton Street) or online. Space is limited.
Contact: 877-761-FILM (3456)
Contact: 877-761-FILM (3456)
Islamorada / May 5
A free, outdoor performance at Founders Park, mile marker 87, at 4 p.m. Performances are outdoors; please bring blankets or lawn chairs. Admission free for all concerts. This is the last performance of the season.
Contact: Donna Heiner 305-853-7294
Email: heinerdonna@yahoo.com
Contact: Donna Heiner 305-853-7294
Email: heinerdonna@yahoo.com
Marathon / May 6 – 11
This angling challenge with a 26-year history of fish tales and foolery helps fund the Ronald McDonald Summer Camp program for disabled youngsters. Captains are drawn during the kickoff event, and anglers fish with a different captain each of the three days of fishing, in what is a hugely popular tournament format.
Contact: Bob Traa 609-645-1840 ext. 115
Contact: Bob Traa 609-645-1840 ext. 115
Key West / May 6
Will it be Miss Scarlet or Professor Plum? Come dressed as a suspect from the popular board game Clue and win a prize for solving who killed Mr. Boddy at this progressive dinner. Part of the Key West MysteryFest. Event time 7 p.m.
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Marketing_Director@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Contact: Box Office 305-294-5015
Email: Marketing_Director@waterfrontplayhouse.org
Key West / May 10 – 13
During this ocean paddleboard race, participants will enjoy a challenging 12-mile course over crystal blue waters, circling Key West through scenic mangroves, passing by the Historic Seaport district and more. The race begins and ends on Smathers Beach.
Contact: 305-797-1174
Contact: 305-797-1174
Marathon / May 11 – 12
6th Annual Mother’s Day Dolphin Tournament
Several cash prizes are awarded to anglers in this one-day tournament. Top cash prize for the heaviest fish is $5,000, with prizes also presented to second- through fifth-place finishers. This event benefits Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys.
Contact: Christine Todd Young 305-797-5779
Email: ExecDirector@HabitatMiddleKeys.org
Contact: Christine Todd Young 305-797-5779
Email: ExecDirector@HabitatMiddleKeys.org
Marathon / May 12
Don't miss this high-action racing event in Marathon for the ONLY beach-launch boat race of its kind. Watch as boats race along a nearly 400-meter course parallel to Sombrero Beach. Free to watch races, family fun on the beach all day. The Awakening the Dragon Ceremony kicks off the event at the launch lagoon at 8:15 a.m.; Flower Ceremony returns at 11:30 a.m. featuring breast cancer /survivor teams; race action begins at 9 a.m. with qualifying heats and the 2,000-meter endurance race is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m.
Contact: Karen Bowers 305-766-1053
Email: lunarchik@earthlink.net
Contact: Karen Bowers 305-766-1053
Email: lunarchik@earthlink.net
Big Pine & the Lower Keys / May 13
The Sheriff's Animal Farm is open between 1-3 p.m., bring the family to visit the animals on the farm: horses, cows, pigs, goats, bunnies alligators, tropical birds, sloths, a lemur, emu, turtles, tortoises and more. The farm is located on Stock Island, off College Road, at the Sheriff's Office Headquarters complex. Free admission, donations to the farm appreciated.
Contact: 305-293-7300
Contact: 305-293-7300
Key West / May 14
29th Annual Queen Mother Pageant of Key West
Enjoy this annual fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Assoc. & Hospice of the Florida Keys, as Le Te Da (1125 Duval St.) and Duval Street are taken over! Contestants compete in comical and ever-entertaining categories as evening gown, talent and interview to name the new Queen Mother. Doors open at 7 p.m., the over-the-top, absolutely fabulous show starts 8 p.m. Tickets at the door are $25 per person, or call ahead to reserve and eight-person table.
Contact: 305-296-9741
Contact: 305-296-9741
Islamorada / May 16
The History of Diving Museum continues its 2012 Immerse Yourself! series with a free special event: "Women Divers: A Military and Civilian Perspective." This month's seminar is presented by Karen Kohanowich, program officer of NOAA's Undersea Research Program. Karen Kohanowich, CDR (ret), is a pioneer for her achievements in science, salvage diving, and underwater exploration. She will discuss the wide range of accomplishments of women in the sea, and provide an update on an exciting initiative taking place at NOAA'S Aquarius, an underwater ocean laboratory located at a depth of 60 feet in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Starts at 7 p.m. at Diving Museum, mile marker 83 in Islamorada. Immerse yourself in the fun!
Contact: 305-664-9737
Email: info@divingmuseum.org
Contact: 305-664-9737
Email: info@divingmuseum.org
Key West / May 16 – June 2
Marky Pierson directs the cast and crew of Key West Burlesque in this stew of has beens, icons, and legendary songs on this wild ride into the depths of TV and movie-land. A rip-roaring Burlesque comedy. Visit website for show times and tickets.
Contact: 305-296-9911
Email: info@redbarntheatre.com
Contact: 305-296-9911
Email: info@redbarntheatre.com
Key West / May 17 – 20
A tribute to Jose Marti, Cuba's foremost patriot and poet, and a celebration of Cuba's 1902 independence from Spain is to be scheduled at the San Carlos Institute, a not-for-profit Cuban heritage center and museum, where Marti launched the final drive for Cuba's independence in 1892. Marti so loved the San Carlos that he called it "La Casa Cuba." Events tickets also available at keystix.com.
Contact: 305-294-3887 or 786-251-3399
Contact: 305-294-3887 or 786-251-3399
Key Largo / May 17 – 20
Enjoy the food, entertainment and ambiance of Key Largo during this singers and songwriters event. Featuring "on the water" venues, unique entertainers and local musicians. Presented by the Upper Keys Business Group.
Contact: Sue Finney 305-394-3736
Contact: Sue Finney 305-394-3736
Key West / May 18 – 19
Key West's political history is highlighted in panel discussions, a reception and tours of the Little White House where Truman spent many working vacations during his presidency.
Contact: 305-294-9911
Contact: 305-294-9911
Key Largo / May 18 – 20
A "truckload" of cash and prizes topping $50,000 attract anglers to one of South Florida's largest-drawing tournaments. The angler who lands a fish exceeding 63.9 pounds, the current event record, wins a two-year lease on a 2012 Honda Ridgeline RT pickup truck valued at more than $10,000.
Contact: 305-453-9794; Charles Mountain 561-512-4455
Email: mountain1111@aol.com
Contact: 305-453-9794; Charles Mountain 561-512-4455
Email: mountain1111@aol.com
Key Largo / May 18 – July 20
Presented by Friends of the Key Largo Cultural Center, visitors are welcome to participate in the new Ocean Life Lecture Series; topics include Florida Everglades (May 18); World Oceans Day (June 8); Coral Reefs & Human Systems (July 20). Meet-and-greet- reception at 6 p.m., lecture begins 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Held at the theater inside Murray E. Nelson Cultural Center, MM 102.
Contact: Linda Kaplan 305-396-7000
Email: Linda@fklcc.org
Contact: Linda Kaplan 305-396-7000
Email: Linda@fklcc.org
Islamorada / May 19
Own a piece of fly fishing history! The auction is to feature the entire collection of the International Game Fishing Assoc. (IGFA) Hall-of-Famer Billy Pate, including trophies, fly rods, reels and flies. World-record mounts, books, photo albums and more can be viewed during an exclusive preview party Thurs., May 17 ($25 pp) from 5-8 p.m. and again Friday, May 18, during a public preview set from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Public preview also available Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Auction starts promptly at 1 p.m. at the residence of Billy Pate, 80908 Overseas Highway (MM 80.9 bayside).
Contact: Richard W. Oliver 207-985-3600
Contact: Richard W. Oliver 207-985-3600
the Florida Keys / May 19 – 20
The fifth annual Keys 100 feature three ultra-marathon road races - an individual 50-mile, individual 100-mile and a 100-mile team relay - between Key Largo and Smathers Beach, Key West. Proceeds benefit the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys.
Contact: Bob Becker 954-439-2800
Email: bob@ultrasportsllc.com
Contact: Bob Becker 954-439-2800
Email: bob@ultrasportsllc.com
Islamorada / May 20 – 23
Outback Golden Fly Tarpon Tournament
Special flies, accurate casts and a bit of luck are the recipe for winning this prestigious challenge, using only a tournament-furnished tippet not greater than 20-pound test. Eligible tarpon must measure at least 48 inches in length to earn release points, and weigh at least 70 pounds for weight points.
Contact: Betsy Bullard
Email: fishnfever@bellsouth.net
Contact: Betsy Bullard
Email: fishnfever@bellsouth.net
Marathon / May 24 – June 3
Paradise Quilters to Showcase at Marathon Community Theatre
Original artwork by members of the Paradise Quilters will be on display at Marathon Community Theatre in conjunction with the playhouse's presentation of "Forever Plaid" from May 24 thru June 3. Paradise Quilters, with over 70 members from the Middle Keys to Key West, is dedicated to the quilting arts. The group holds a semi-annual quilt show as a major fundraiser. This event enables the group to bring nationally known teachers to The Keys to introduce local quilters to new techniques and stimulate creativity. Much of that creativity will be on show at the Marathon Community Theatre for this exhibit.
Contact: Bonnie Greenberg at 305-743-0408
Email: gm@marathontherater.org
Contact: Bonnie Greenberg at 305-743-0408
Email: gm@marathontherater.org
Marathon / May 24 – June 3
This goofy musical revue centers on four singers killed in a car crash in the 1950s on their way to their first big concert, and they're fulfilling their dreams posthumously. Anyone purchasing two tickets to a play on any Thursday, other than opening night, will receive $5 off the price of the two tickets. Both tickets must be purchased and paid for in one transaction. This offer is not valid with any other discounts. Visit website for details, tickets and showtimes.
Contact: 305-743-0994
Email: gm@marathontheater.org
Contact: 305-743-0994
Email: gm@marathontheater.org
Islamorada / May 24
This month, the Art Walk is moved to the fourth Thursday, for some very special guests; the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District features national and local artisans who are showcased in galleries at Morada Way between mile marker 81 and 82, as well as "culinary art" and live music from 6-10 p.m. Free admission.
Contact: Daniela Woody 305-664-9100
Email: Daniela@MoradaWayArts.org
Contact: Daniela Woody 305-664-9100
Email: Daniela@MoradaWayArts.org
Key West / May 25 – 28
The Southernmost Car Show is presented by the FCPOA (First Class Petty Officer Association) Naval Air Station, Key West. This is an annual benefit Car Show & Festival Weekend that commemorates the birth of the U.S. Navy (Oct. 13, 1775). This year honors the 237th birthday of the Navy with many activities surrounding the car show on Sunday, May 27. Free and open to the public.
Contact: (305) 467-8196
Email: oscar@southernmostcarshow.com
Contact: (305) 467-8196
Email: oscar@southernmostcarshow.com
Key West / May 26
11th Annual Yamaha Dolphin Masters Invitational
Headquartered at Key West's Historic Seaport, competitors vie for first-place honors and more than $13,000 awaits the angler scoring the highest total combined weight of three dolphin catches. Other prizes include four-night tropical fishing vacation for four, among many more. The tournament is open to all anglers, entry fee is $750 per boat. There is no limit on the number of boats that can register.
Contact: John Stuempfig 305-304-7674
Email: wave.whacker@hotmail.com
Contact: John Stuempfig 305-304-7674
Email: wave.whacker@hotmail.com
