Nov. 1, 2005 - FLORIDA KEYS - With the flexibility and resilience characteristic of Florida Keys residents, event organizers throughout the island chain are back at work on special events following the passage of Hurricane Wilma.

Key West's Fantasy Fest is among events forced to reschedule by Wilma.

Organizers of the outrageous annual masking and costuming festival have announced that its new start date is to be Wednesday, Dec. 7, with events continuing through Saturday night, Dec. 10.

Although the festival's official theme is "Freaks, Geeks and Goddesses," some Fantasy Fest fans are jokingly referring to the event as "Wilma's Freaks, Geeks and Goddesses."

Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 3-6, several thousand fans of internationally recognized singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett are to hold the 14th annual Parrot Heads in Paradise "Meeting of the Minds" convention in Key West.

Most convention activities are open only to registered members of Parrot Head clubs, but the public is invited to attend the Margaritaville Street Fest, planned for 1-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in front of Buffett's Margaritaville Store and Café at 500 Duval St.

Corvettes in Paradise, the largest car show of its type, is set for Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Key Colony Bay Hotel, MM 53 oceanside in Marathon. Hosted by the Florida Keys Corvette Club, the event features Corvettes competing for awards in nearly 20 different classes. Organizers are calling the show a post-Wilma morale booster for Corvette aficionados and the Keys community.

The 21st annual Key Largo Chamber of Commerce Island Jubilee is set for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5th and 6th. Pre-festival events are to begin Wednesday, Nov. 2, with a concert by legendary jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson.

Island Jubilee is to take place at Harry Harris Park, MM 93.5 oceanside in Tavernier. The festival shows off one of Keys locals' favorite arts and crafts fairs, to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday is to feature the Great Key Largo Barbecue Championship sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, the world's largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts. Sunday's main event is to be the Conch Regatta Cardboard Boat Race, with "vessels" launched from Harry Harris Park.

For more information on Island Jubilee events, contact the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at 305-451-4747.

The Keys Boogie skydiving weekend comes to Marathon Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 10-13, bringing jumpers from Florida and beyond to "drop in" on America's only tropical island chain. The event is hosted by Skydive Sebastian, a world-class recreational and educational skydiving center located in Sebastian, Fla.

For offshore powerboat racers and their fans, the Key West World Championship is a priority November ritual that this year will celebrate its silver anniversary Nov. 13-20.

Race organizers project that nearly 100 boats will participate in the event that serves as the culmination of the 2005 racing season for Super Boat International and American Power Boat Association/Union Internationale Motonautique competitors.

Racing is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 16; Saturday, Nov. 19; and Sunday, Nov. 20.

A variety of VIP packages, including lunch during race day and admission to social events, begin at under $200 per person.

More than 100 pirate re-enactors are to invade the historic port of Key West during the Pirates in Paradise Festival, set for Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25 through Dec. 4.

Among land-and-sea spectacles scheduled during the 10-day buccaneer bash are a maritime battle fought by Key West's historic tall ships, living history encampments featuring entertainment and wares by pirate re-enactors, a "Literature and the Sea" workshop, swashbuckling events for children and the staged re-creation of the trial of notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

In addition, storm-weary pirates are to host "The Official End of America's Hurricane Season Party" on Nov. 30 - the day the National Hurricane Center has deemed the close of the 2005 season.

Key West's Goombay celebration, a Caribbean-flavored street festival in the island city's historic Bahama Village, is to take place from noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3. Originally set for Oct. 21 and 22, the popular event was rescheduled following Hurricane Wilma's passage.

Each year the festival attracts thousands of people who view and purchase African arts and crafts, sample foods and delicacies from a variety of cultures and countries, and enjoy live musical entertainment ranging from gospel to reggae.

The 2005 Tige U.S. Pro-Am Wakeboard Championship, originally slated for Oct. 21-23, has been rescheduled for Friday through Sunday, Dec. 2-4.

Some of the world's best wakeboarders are expected to compete in the Marathon competition, the final contest of the 2005 season. The format will be head-to-head rider elimination finals in the competition, which is to be held at Sombrero Beach, near MM 50 in Marathon.

For more information or to register, call 407-405-0121.

Visitors and Keys residents are invited to celebrate the joys of art and music at Big Pine Key's Winterfest 2005: Art & Music in a Natural Key. The event is to be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, MM 31 oceanside.

Highlights are to include live music, exhibits and booths featuring the original work of artists and craftsmen, raffles of artwork, and vendors offering food and beverages.

Eighteen-year-old piano prodigy Natasha Paremski is to be the featured guest artist for the opening performances of the Key West Symphony Orchestra's eighth season. Paremski is to appear with more than 70 of the United States' preeminent classical musicians in the island city Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10.

The symphony is to perform at 8 p.m. both evenings at the Tennessee Williams Theatre, located at 5901 W. College Road on the campus of Florida Keys Community College.

The December calendar in the Florida Keys & Key West also include a wide variety of events celebrating the holiday season.

Highlights are to include the Dec. 11 Key Largo Christmas Boat Parade.

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Oct. 27, 2005 -
Florida Keys Welcomes Visitors Back Beginning Friday

FLORIDA KEYS - The Florida Keys are slated to reopen to visitors Friday, after tourists were evacuated more than a week ago due to Hurricane Wilma. Keys government officials conferred with representatives of the tourism industry Wednesday to make the decision.

Visitors who have reservations should check with lodging facilities in advance, prior to traveling to the Keys, to ensure operational status. Landscaping at some resorts has been significantly impacted and some attractions and ancillary visitor offerings may need more time before they can service visitors.

Hurricane Wilma passed over the island chain Monday morning. Although, Wilma's winds left little structural damage, several residential regions were hit hard by storm surge, emergency management officials said.

Fortunately, officials say many Keys hotels and visitor facilities have quickly recovered and are opening for business, something that is pertinent to the area's tourism-based economy. Tourism interests have already lost an estimated $40 million in sales since the visitor evacuation, according to Florida state sales tax figures.

Although there is still evidence of hurricane damage, such as downed trees and other debris, tremendous progress has been made to restore infrastructure.

• The Overseas Highway from mainland South Florida is open and traffic is flowing without obstructions. There is fuel, but it is limited in some areas of the Keys and very limited in areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Fuel supplies are expected to improve as electricity is restored to power gas station pumps in those counties.
• There has been tremendous progress with restoration of electricity in the Keys. The Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, that services the Upper and Middle Keys, is reporting about 28,000 of 31,000 of their customers that have been restored as of Wednesday afternoon, according to CEO Tim Planer. Keys Energy Services spokeswoman Lynne Tejeda estimates almost 26,000 of the company's 28,000 accounts in the Lower Keys and Key West are now with power.
• All three major Florida Keys hospitals are open.
• Florida Keys Marathon Airport is open to general aviation during daylight hours only and Key West International Airport is expected to resume commercial air service Friday, said airport director Peter Horton.
• One of three piers at the Key West Cruise Port is damaged, but the other two survived. Cruise ships are expected to begin returning to Key West next Tuesday.

"We've made cleanup of Duval Street and other primary tourist areas in Key West a priority," said Key West City Manager Julio Avael. "We are doing our best to take care of the needs of our residents who have suffered, while maintaining the economic lifeblood of our community."

Some hotels in the Upper Keys are making special rates available to hurricane-affected residents in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Proof of residency is required. For information, contact the Key Largo and Islamorada Chambers of Commerce respectively at 1-800-822-1088 and 1-800-FAB-KEYS.

Key West Fantasy Fest organizers have announced the new dates for the 2005 event that was postponed due to Wilma. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 7, through Saturday night, Dec. 10, and its theme has been slightly adapted to now be called "Wilma's Freaks, Geeks & Goddesses."

For more information on the Keys, call 1-800-FLA-KEYS or visit www.fla-keys.com, where a more detailed destination status is to be posted chronicling the recovery of the Florida Keys.

Oct. 26, 2005 -
Florida Keys Continue Recovery Efforts

The Florida Keys Overseas Highway is in excellent shape and now open for residents travel.

Although the core of Wilma passed to the north of the island chain, officials there were significant impacts to the infrastructure. However, remarkable progress has been made to restore services.

About 70 percent of 59,000 electricity customers in the Keys have power restored. The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority reports a main waterline break in the City of Key West. Officials are working to identify the problem in order to effect repairs.

Key West International Airport reopened Wednesday for emergency aircraft, operating during daylight hours only. Both the runway and terminal building are in excellent shape.

Communications in the Keys have dramatically improved since the storm passed through Monday.

Keys tourism and government officials are to meet Wednesday to decide on when visitors can return to the Keys. Key West Fantasy Fest officials are to meet Wednesday to determine a new start date for the annual masking and costuming celebration

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Oct. 24, 2005 -
KEYS TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO VISITORS DUE TO IMPACT FROM HURRICANE WILMA

Because of Hurricane Wilma, vacationers with immediate plans to travel to the area must postpone their vacations until the risk has passed and officials announce the destination is ready to accommodate visitors.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has established a temporary roadblock on U.S. Highway 1, to prohibit traffic from entering the Keys until the Overseas Highway is cleared of debris.

Sections of the Overseas Highway are impassible at this time with flooding and debris. Efforts to remove the debris and open the road are a priority, officials said.

Although the core of Wilma passed to the north of the island chain, officials are initially reporting significant impacts to the infrastructure. However, they add, there appears not be major catastrophic structural damage thus far.

Key West International Airport Director Peter Horton reports his facility's runway is under water, but expects the water to recede. He also said the Key West terminal was in fine shape, with only a few inches of water on the floor. A modular building, that housed offices for Cape Air, has been destroyed

Communications in the Keys are limited. Many phones are down.

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Oct. 22, 2005 -
Visitors asked to temporarily delay vacations to the Florida Keys until threat from Hurricane Wilma ceases.

Due to a possible threat from Hurricane Wilma, vacationers with immediate plans to travel to the area must postpone their vacations until the risk has passed and officials announce the destination is ready to accommodate visitors.

Given the track of Wilma, a preliminary announcement as to the date visitors can return is expected by Monday evening. That information will be available on this Web site as soon as possible. Because of Wilma's threat to South Florida, local emergency management officials issued evacuation orders for all Keys visitors Wednesday. As a precautionary measure, they added the same order for residents Saturday.

"We understand the inconvenience of having to ask our visitors to leave, but their safety is our first priority," said Monroe County Emergency Management Director Irene Toner. "We certainly hope they return once the risk has passed and all is okay."

Given the current forecast track, the core of the hurricane should miss the Keys, but tropical storm force winds (39 to 73 mph) are expected to begin to impact the Keys late Sunday night or early Monday morning, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said.

Several events scheduled for this weekend, including Key West Fantasy Fest and the U.S. Wakeboard Championship in Marathon, have been delayed. Information regarding the rescheduling of these and other events is available by clicking here.