KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Just as swallows fly to Capistrano each year, stocky white-bearded Ernest Hemingway look-alikes make an annual pilgrimage to Key West. As many as 125 aspiring “Ernests” are expected at the island city to compete in the “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest set for Thursday through Saturday, July 23-25.

The contest takes place at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, 201 Duval St., Ernest Hemingway’s favorite watering hole when he lived and wrote in Key West throughout the 1930s. Now in its 29th year, the look-alike challenge is a highlight of the annual Hemingway Days festival that celebrates the legendary author’s literary achievements and colorful lifestyle.

Look-alike contestants come from throughout the United States — and some from Europe, South America and other faraway locales — to vie for the title of “Papa.” Most costume themselves in khaki safari outfits or wool fishermen’s sweaters, emulating the author’s best-known look. Entrants often compete for several years before earning the “crown,” as did 2008’s Tom Grizzard of Leesburg, Fla., who emerged victorious on his eighth attempt.

Grizzard, with a piercing gaze and thick beard that heighten his resemblance to Hemingway, is a one-time fishing guide who has participated in Havana’s Hemingway International Billfish Tournament.

Though he shares Ernest’s passion for angling, Grizzard doesn’t aspire to literary greatness. After his 2008 triumph, he admitted that his writing was limited to appraisals for his commercial real estate business.

During the 2009 contest, Grizzard is to join other previous winners in judging the Hemingway hopefuls that parade across the stage at Sloppy Joe’s.

Preliminary rounds are set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 23 and 24.

Just before Thursday night’s preliminary, the Hemingway Look-Alike Society plans to make its annual scholarship presentation to Florida Keys students. Established in 2000, the scholarship program is funded primarily by contributions from “Papas” and their supporters.

The contest’s final round is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, when the new “Papa” is chosen to join Grizzard and other past winners as informal ambassadors for Key West and Hemingway Days.

Beside the contest, a variety of other look-alike events are scheduled during the festival. Fans of Ernest’s exuberant lifestyle can meet the bearded brethren at a welcome party beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort, 3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd.

In addition, Hemingway buffs will want to cheer for their favorite “Papa” at a 3 p.m. “fish-off” Friday, July 24. The catch-and-release challenge, which requires fishing with traditional handlines, is to be held dockside at the Conch Republic Seafood Co., located at 631 Greene St. in Key West’s Historic Seaport.

Chief among the look-alike events is Sloppy Joe’s “Running of the Bulls,” inspired by the world-renowned event in Pamplona, Spain, but executed with a quirky Key West twist. Featuring a breed of “bull” indigenous to the island city, the extravaganza begins at 1 p.m. Saturday outside Sloppy Joe’s.

Before the run, from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, the “Papas” will pose for “Papa-razzi” during a photo opportunity for fans outside the bar.

Many look-alikes conclude their festival fun by proving their physical strength in Sloppy Joe’s annual arm-wrestling championship. The action is set to begin with a noon registration Sunday, July 26, and medals and prizes await winners in multiple weight categories.

For information about Sloppy Joe’s “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and other look-alike events, visit sloppyjoes.com. For more Hemingway Days information, visit hemingwaydays.net.

For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539), or explore this Web site.