The Navy League, Key West Commissioning Committee is proud to present Key West’s favorite Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band, with American Idol singer-songwriter Kristen McNamara and country artist Cliff Cody at the Key West Coffee Butler Amphitheater on Wednesday, 10 May 2023, 4-9PM. 
 
Gates open at 4PM with DJ Rude Girl playing your favorites, Cliff Cody takes the stage at 5PM, Howard Livingston performs at 6PM, with Kristen McNamara playing at 7:30PM.  Howard and the band return at 8PM with the famous Johnson outboard margarita machine.

Tickets are only $10 for community members, and free for all Active Duty and children
under 12.  Click the QR code for a link to Eventbrite tickets, also available at the door,
or on our website www.higbeecommissioning.org.  Bring a chair or blanket, no outside
food, drinks or coolers, please.  Food and bars will be available for purchase from
Catered Affairs. Come out and meet the crew of the USS Higbee and enjoy a great
night of Key West music’s best.
 
The Navy League, Key West Commissioning Committee is the proud sponsor of the Commissioning of the USS Lenah Sutcliffe HIGBEE (DDG 123), scheduled for 13 May 2023, 10AM, at the outer Mole Pier, Key West, FL.  The HIGBEE, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, is named for Navy Nurse pioneer, Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee.  Nurse Higbee was the first woman to receive the Navy Cross for her exemplary work as Superintendent of the newly formed U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I. May 13th is the birthday of the Navy Nurse Corps.
 
The commissioning ceremony, the culmination of a week of events for the crew of 350, their families, and as many as 5,000 visitors, will be open to all, with limited free tickets still available.  Note: you must apply for your tickets at www.higbeecommissioning.org as soon as possible.

4/13/2023 - Arts Council presents The Connections Project Closing Reception at the Gato Building April 20th
 
The Florida Keys Council of the Arts works to support all the arts, in all the Keys, all the time. The local arts agency launched its eleventh annual Connections Project Road in Key Largo a few months ago and it has arrived in Key West at the spacious lobby at the Gato Building. The reception is Thursday, April 20th from 5:00-7:00 pm. The community is invited to visit the vibrant 24-foot mosaic mural created by local artists and art lovers.
 
After connecting with the art, patrons can also collect art by making a $60 donation for one canvas or a $160 donation for three at the reception or online at www.keysarts.com. Once the show has ended, donors receive a randomly selected piece of the mosaic in the mail. Each work includes an artist statement providing insight into the origin of the work and the artist’s thoughts and inspiration.
Proceeds from Connections Project directly benefit Keys’ artists and arts organizations through Arts Council grants. 
 
The reception is free and open to the public. Free parking is available at the Gato Building located at 1100 Simonton Street, so please join us. Refreshments generously sponsored by First Horizon Bank. The Connections Project is grateful for the continued sponsorship of Royal Furniture. For more information call the Florida Keys Council of the Arts at 305.295.4369 or visit www.keysarts.com.

April 10, 2023 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art & Historical Society is pleased to present its latest exhibition “Out of the Box: The Art of the Cigar Label”.  The exhibition offers a compelling sampling and interpretation of nineteenth and early twentieth century inner and outer cigar labels, showcasing more than 40 lithographs related to the Key West and Cuba cigar manufacturers.  The Society welcomes the public to a special reception on April 28 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front Street, to mark the exhibit opening.

With Cuba’s cigar economy booming in the nineteenth century, people sought similar tobacco-based opportunities outside its borders in order to make financial gains.  Key West’s neighboring proximity to Cuba and its tobacco plantations, a mere 90 miles away, was the ideal place to establish cigar factories.  By using Cuban laborers to roll Cuban grown tobacco, entrepreneurs pioneered the idea of making authentic Cuban cigars in America.  Within a few years, Cuban immigrants arrived by the thousands to seek employment in Key West’s burgeoning cigar industry.

Cigar manufacturers sought out creative avenues to market their own brand of cigars to consumers.  Factory owners turned to a handful of lithographers that were primarily based in New York City and Chicago.  Layering up to 10 colors in a stone-lithography process, and even adding gold leaf embellishments and embossing, vibrant images sold cigars through romantic landscapes, patriotic figures, Grecian representations of women, Spanish and Cuban symbolism, and lush tobacco fields.

“In the early days of large-scale cigar distribution, cigar boxes sat closed on the shelves behind the store counters, with only simple marking to identify the product within,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator and historian for the Society.  “The cigar industry grew increasingly competitive with the introduction of countertop humidors which allowed fastidious connoisseurs to inspect the shape, sizes, and colors of the cigars without concern that they could dry up.  Colorful interior labels became fundamental marketing tools, allowing a brand to stand out amongst its competitors.”

Lithographic companies were given specific descriptions of labels they were to produce, and often sent one of their artists to the factory to discuss elements with the owner.  The domestic clear Havana industry used popular Spanish themes or topics on its cigar labels and, in so doing, smokers came to associate any subject even vaguely Spanish with Cuban tobacco and cigars.  Dozens of Key West cigar factories produced hundreds of different brands, each with its own label, many of these reflecting Key West and Cuban themes.
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“Out of the Box: The Art of the Cigar Label” runs until early October 2023 in the Bumpus Gallery and is sponsored by the Florida Department of State, Division of Arts & Culture and The Helmerich Trust.  For more information, call Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x 507 or [email protected].  Your Museums.  Your Community.  It Takes an Island.
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April 10, 2023 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Art & Historical Society will be offering five one-week summer ArtCamp! sessions at Fort East Martello Museum, 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard.  Beginning June 5, ArtCamp! will provide full-day, in-person, week-long summer camp experiences for curious learners aged 5 to 12.  Campers will experience museum exhibits, enjoy the adjacent Martello Parade Grounds, and engage in fun activities, collaborative projects, and hands-on STEAM activities.

Using the art, history, and creativity of the Florida Keys as a jumping-off point, campers have the chance to engage in fun, inspired activities that will ignite their imaginations!  Whether your camper enjoys piratical pursuits, creative expression with found objects, storytelling, or choosing their own adventure—or perhaps all four—the Key West Art & Historical Society offers a variety of options for summertime learning and exploration.

“We are thrilled that ArtCamp! will be back again this year at the museum,” says Kassandra Collett, education specialist for the Society.  “We will incorporate several learning opportunities that engage campers in play and discovery, which is so important for their growth and development.  Each day will be a fresh, new experience, both exploring inside the museum and spending time outside.  We look forward to welcoming returning campers as well as meeting many new families.”

ArtCamp! will be staffed by the Key West Art & Historical Society’s experienced educators and learning experts.  Five weekly sessions will be available throughout the months of June through August, beginning June 5 through August 4.  The camp day will run from 9:00am to 3:30pm.

The program kicks off with campers discovering what life was like for eighteenth century Caribbean pirates.  There will be numerous pirate-themed activities, crafts, and codebreaking which will culminate in campers finding treasure in our local waters.  Later camps include “Art in Nature,” a Wreckers Camp that will transport campers back in time to live a day in the life of a wrecking captain during Key West’s golden age, “Crafting with Beads,” and the ever-popular “Adventure Camp” in which campers are invited to work together on puzzles and projects to bring balance back to a mythical world.
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Summer ArtCamp! registration begins on April 12, 2023.  The cost is $200 per week for Society members and $250 per week for non-members.  Supplies for each camp are provided by the organization.  Space is limited, early registration is encouraged.  For additional information about ArtCamp!, visit www.kwahs.org/childrens-programs, or contact Kassandra Collett at 305-295-6616 x504, [email protected].  ArtCamp! is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, with additional support provided by The Helmerich Trust.  Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island.

​April 10, 2023 - Mayor Teri Johnston and the Key West City Commission topped off National Public Health Week with a proclamation recognizing our local Health Department.

“The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts,” reads the proclamation.

The department recently released the Monroe County’s Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan that reveals our community’s priorities: health in all policies, access to care, and mental health and substance abuse.

“Although it’s Public Health Week,” said Dr. Carla Fry, Health Department Administrator, “every day is a public health day. We have 95 tireless employees who work primarily behind the scenes to be sure your day is going to be a good one because you’ll be healthy.”
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Accepting the proclamation with Dr. Fry were Natalie Aguilar, Carmel Cox, Jessica Lariz, Jennifer Lefelar, Lisset Ivey, Marvin Gifford, Dana Portillo, Christela Brevil, Alison Kerr, and James Rachal.

Key West, The Florida Keys - The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is looking for artwork for the 13th West ART in the Annual 2023 Key GARDEN Exhibit showcasing local art that conveys a sense of nature using natural, recycled, and/or repurposed materials, placed throughout the Garden that can withstand the wind & weather (and large is OK).

This year’s exhibit is April through July 31, 2023. Applications due by April 23, 2023, and available by contacting Jackie Sanchez at (305) 393-3430, Susann D’Antonio at (305) 304-6005, at the Garden Visitor Welcome Center, or by contacting Misha at [email protected].
Installation starts April 10th - Opening Reception Saturday April 30th 1 - 3 PM

Emphasizing harmony with nature, the return of ‘Art in the Garden' showcases local art & sculptures with artistic expressions. These works are earth-friendly in the selection of materials and themes and include recycled, repurposed, and natural material.

​The Garden is located 5210 College Road on Stock Island, just over Cow Key Bridge and is open every day 10am – 4pm. Call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden for directions and details. The Garden is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation and is publicly owned and operated as a passive, natural resource-based public outdoor recreational site. 

​April 10, 2023 - The Key West Woman’s Club (KWWC), a volunteer service organization founded in 1915, lives up to its motto “Qui Non Proficit Deficit” by assisting Key West and Monroe County non-profits with ongoing contributions from fundraising efforts by its membership. KWWC members are dedicated to bettering the quality of life in our community. The KWWC awarded Patricia Neyra and Diane Eliopoulos the prestigious Woman of the Year at the KWWC April 5th awards luncheon.

​MONROE COUNTY, FL – Two Monroe County Fleet Management employees have been named finalists in the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) 100 Best Fleets professional awards. Generator Mechanic Lyle Tabb was named a finalist for Technician of the Year with 35 other technicians, and Monroe County Director of Fleet Management Director Daryl Greenlee was named a finalist as Fleet Professional of the Year with 42 other professionals. The awards spotlight the most progressive, dedicated, and talented leaders in the fleet industry.
 
Nominees were selected from public and commercial fleets throughout the United States and are judged on experience, education, training, and performance, and show teamwork, leadership traits, initiatives, and technical capabilities. The top three winners will be announced on April 17.
 

April 6, 2023 - For many people in our community, they’re nameless, faceless voices. Some of us are lucky enough to never have to talk to them. But when we need them, they're always there. These voices calmly extract information from people whose lives are suddenly turned upside down. These voices ensure that help arrives quickly. They are the unsung heroes behind all emergency responders: the telecommunicators.
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Next week – April 9th through the 15th -- is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. These dedicated professionals are on hand 24 hours a day to ensure that any emergency or crisis is dispatched quickly. Every day they calmly and professionally ensure that help is on the way.

“This week is a chance for the community to thank these men and women who work tirelessly during emergencies,” said Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg. “Please take a moment to thank these important members of the community who deal with each crisis with dedicated professionalism.”