Vol. 2, No. 4

February 2006

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Photo by Rob O’Neal/FKNB

Suzanne Campbell and her son, Kieran, inspect “Pulling III,” a metal sculpture created by Jack Howard-Potter.

Sculpture Key West
Presents Fine Art
in Civil War Fort
and Other Settings

BY CAROL SHAUGHNESSY
Florida Keys News Bureau

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – Approximately 100 large-scale sculptures in steel, stone, wood, marble and other materials are on display in Key West through March 17, during the 11th annual Sculpture Key West exhibition. Most pieces are set in a unique outdoor “gallery” in the Atlantic-front state park that surrounds the Civil War-era Fort Zachary Taylor.

More than 80 artists, hailing from the United States and other countries including Argentina, the Netherlands, Cuba and Germany, are represented in the exhibition.

Among them are leaders in the national and international sculpture world such as Robert Chambers, Ron Fondaw, Susan Rodgers, Diana Shpungin, Nichole Engelmann and part-time Key West resident John Martini.

Sculptures are placed inside and outside the historic fort, in its surrounding moat, in the park’s waterfront field and wooded areas and along the shoreline. Some pieces stand in other settings including the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, 5210 College Road; the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House, 281 Front St.; and Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.

Many pieces, particularly those at the park, are designed to be viewed from air and sea as well as land, making them visible to boaters and arriving and departing airline passengers.

Featured artworks in the 2006 exhibition include Bradley Lezo’s “Duct Ducklings,” a flock of huge metallic ducks made of heating duct material; Mike Ross’ “Color Fields,” an interactive kinetic sculpture designed to bathe the viewer in colored light; and Doug Makemson’s “Henry,” a nine-foot steel pooch perched in Key West’s Bayview Park.

Sculptures in the park can be viewed from 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Viewing of the exhibition is free with park admission, and visitors receive programs and maps pinpointing the location of each piece.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is accessible from an entrance on Southard Street past Thomas Street. Daily park entrance fees, which include a pass allowing visitors to leave and return, are $1.50 per person on foot or bike, $3.50 for a motorized vehicle and one person, $6 for a vehicle and two people and 50 cents for each additional passenger.

For information about Sculpture Key West, call (305) 295-3800 or click here.

Photo by Pete Bacheler

Patrons enjoy the 2004 Nautical Flea Market.

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys – Free admission and bargains galore are on tap for attendees of the Upper Keys Nautical Flea Market set for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26, at Founders Park, mile marker 87 in Islamorada. The 11th annual edition, organized by the Upper Keys Rotary Club, is expected to draw hundreds of marine- and watersports-related vendors as well as thousands of buyers seeking great deals on new and used boats, marine equipment, electronics, fishing tackle, dive gear, nautical arts and crafts and more.

“Whatever you need in the world of marine products will most likely be available at blow-out pricing,” predicted event chairman Randy Chaney. “We’ll also have food booths and beverages, as well stuff to keep kids entertained.”

Saturday hours are set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while gates are to open Sunday at 9 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.

The Upper Keys Nautical Flea Market has evolved into the second largest event of its kind in Florida and is staged as the Rotary’s major fundraiser. More than a half-million dollars has been amassed in past years to pay for college scholarships for local high school graduates as well as to purchase equipment for Upper Keys schools.

Click here for more details.

Artist’s rendering of the new McCoy Terminal Complex.

BY CAROL SHAUGHNESSY
Florida Keys News Bureau

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – A recent groundbreaking ceremony for the McCoy Terminal Complex at Key West International Airport marked the beginning of a project valued at approximately $30 million that is to nearly quadruple the historic airport’s current terminal space.

Airport director Peter Horton said the new terminal is needed to serve more than 600,000 passengers arriving and departing Key West each year. With five commercial carriers, the airport currently accommodates 100 arriving and departing commercial flights daily.

Photo by Rob O’Neal/FKNB Keys officials, including Mayor Sonny McCoy (third from right), break ground to mark the beginning of construction.

Horton reported that the McCoy Terminal Complex is to incorporate a new two-level building as well as an adaptation of the current terminal facility. The new terminal, slated to open in July 2007, should encompass almost 80,000 square feet, compared to the current facility’s 21,000 square feet.

The complex is to include a second-level ticketing area for departing passengers, a restaurant with views of arriving and departing aircraft, gift shops and restrooms, and a two-lane Transportation Security Administration screening area. A skyway is to lead to a departure area featuring a 400-plus-seat waiting area for departing passengers, with restrooms and a food and beverage area with table seating.

The new terminal’s name honors Florida Keys Mayor Charles “Sonny” McCoy, who was also mayor of Key West for a decade, and his late wife Merili, a longtime Key West city commissioner.

At the groundbreaking, McCoy recalled the many times Key West played a pivotal role in aviation history. Among them, he said, was a January day in 1928 when the island city was the departure point for the first over-water international passenger flight — which marked the birth of Pan American Airways.

For more travel information on the Florida Keys:
www.fla-keys.com