This Week on the Island

FANTASY FEST!

Suppose you gave a party and 85,000 people came. This was Key West's biggest event of the year. There are only 25,000 of us that live here so we were out numbered over 3 to 1. There were no parking places anywhere. I didn't dare move the Hummer. There was no walking space on lower Duval Street. There were costumes/body painting everywhere.

I live on Caroline Street. Duval is on one end and the city parking lot and city parking garage are on the other end. I have the opportunity of sitting on my porch and watching everyone headed to Duval. The problem is that after it is all over, I get to sit on my front porch and watch everyone headed to their cars. They are loud and drunk. Life is tuff.

Tuesday night Duval was blocked at Hard Rock with a band playing in the street. Wednesday Duval was blocked from the Bull to Sloppy Joe's. Thursday Duval was blocked from the Bull to Front Street. Friday there were booths set up on Duval and Friday night it was next to impossible to move on Duval. Saturday night was the Parade. If you have never see it, it is hard to describe a Fantasy Fest Parade.

Jo and I went to Duval at 5:00 PM for the 7:00 PM parade so we could get a good spot. Duval was blocked on both sides with metal rails so we pulled our chairs up to the rail in front of Hard Rock. The streets were filled with costumed/body painted people walking up and down Duval. There were really some interesting sites to see. If you have a camera (and who doesn't) they will pose for a picture. The streets were cleared at 7:00 PM for the parade. The parade started at 7:00 PM back in Truman Annex. It came down Whitehead to Front and then up Duval. It got to us at about 8:30 PM and lasted to 10:30 PM. At the end of the parade everyone fills the streets and follows the parade. There was a couple from Poland on one side of us and a young couple from France behind us. They got lots of beads from the people in the parade that were throwing beads. I believe they had a good time.

This morning I walked the dogs down Carolina to Duval. There was a mountain of trash in the intersection. There were front end loaders pushing trash up Duval and loading it in large dump trucks. Further down Duval the first block was being hosed down by the fire department.

Key West knows how to party and how to clean up.

Key West, You have got to love it
Doug Bennett