Group photo caption: Winners of the 2023 Robert Frost Poetry Contest for kids and teens attend a winners’ ceremony at Hugh’s View, The Studios of Key West. Back row, from left: Rose Centonze (Second Place Teens), Dzyre Nesbitt (Third Place Teens), Tania Hull (First Place Kids), Kaden Savedra (Third Place Kids), Zyaire Allen. Front row: Emilia Serissky, Sam Mendez, Isaiah Ruiz (First Place Teens). Not pictured: Lily Sobchenko (Second Place Kids), Antonio Gomez, Naomi Johnson, Jeremiah McLoud. Photo by Johnny White. Congratulations to the winners of the Robert Frost Poetry contest for kids & teens! The winners and their families and friends gathered on Saturday, May 27 to celebrate the amazing accomplishment of placing in the top 3% of entries. The contest, administered by The Studios of Key West, received over 400 entries this year and honored 12 students with awards. The winners were also able to read their poems aloud to the crowd of over 50 proud supporters.
The winners and honorable mentions are from Key West to Key Largo, and range in age from 6 to 17. Kids 6-12: Tania Hull (First Place,12), Lily Sobchenko (Second Place, 12), Kaden Savedra (Third Place, 12), Zyaire Allen (12), Sam Mendez (6), Emilia Serissky (9). Teens 13-18: Isaiah Ruiz (First Place, 13), Rose Centonze (Second Place, 14), Dzyre Nesbitt (Third Place, 15), Antonio Gomez (16), Naomi Johnson (16), Jeremiah McLoud (13). Read the winning poems at https://tskw.org/kidspoetrycontest/ Through funds established by the Jeane and Jessie Porter Fund at the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, the contest for children and teenagers was created, nurturing and developing the interest of budding poets, and their vital connection to the creative spirit of the Florida Keys.
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June 6, 2023 – (KEY WEST, FL). Raise a toast to Florida Keys art and history with Key West Art & Historical Society Curator and Historian Cori Convertito, Ph.D., on Thursday, June 15, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. during her popular “Happy Hour with the Historian” program at Comedy Key West, 218 Whitehead Street. Enjoy a complimentary draft beer, glass of house wine or a soft drink while Convertito presents on the evening’s topic, “With a Rebel Yell: The Life & Art of Stanley Papio” which will explore the rebellious welder-turned-metal-artist who transformed other people’s junk into spectacular works of art.
Stanley Papio was 34 years old when he settled in Key Largo in 1949. He had worked a series of odd jobs across Canada and the United States; his favorite of these was welding. He started his own welding business along U.S. 1 at Mile Marker 101 and encouraged people to leave old cars, washing machines, trailers, motors, and pieces of scrap metal in his yard. Papio once remarked that “a bunch of junk is a welder’s glory. Buying new stuff is not a welder’s way”. He breathed life into this old junk. Trash piles assumed new identities. Car fenders became alligators. Dishwashers became people. Eventually, he constructed his own folk art environment using bed springs to create a fence around his property. He re-named his welding shop “Stanley’s Art Museum,” and charged 25¢ admission, thus creating a lawn of folk art for travelers on the nearby highway to view with astonishment and amazement. “Papio was a quirky Keys character who settled in Key Largo before most of the large hotels and businesses were established,” says Convertito. “As the population swelled and encroached on his property, complaints were logged with the local authorities by the newly arrived residents that his welding business was an eyesore. Annoyed with the neighbors, Papio grabbed the discarded appliances and cars on his property and created caustic and satirical pieces of artwork representing his neighbors as a way of fighting back.” The imagination and resourcefulness of Papio is what inspired the Key West Art & Historical Society’s annual Stanley Papio Kinetic Sculpture and Art Bike Parade. Each spring, the Society encourages the community to take objects that would otherwise be discarded and create art with parts that move for a parade that travels the length of Duval Street. Happy Hour with the Historian is limited to 70 attendees; reserve your spot now at kwahs.org/rebelpapio - $12 for KWAHS members, $15 for non-members. This project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, with additional support provided by The Helmerich Trust and Comedy Key West. For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. Holly Joy Eddleston recently presented a $500 check to the Florida Keys Wildlife Society from the proceeds of her book Can a Key Deer Save Christmas? The book has been so successful that this is the second $500 donation Holly has made to the Society.
Holly is a Junior in High School and splits her time between Duck Key and Rhode Island. Her book is about a Key deer who helps Santa and his reindeer deliver gifts in the Florida Keys. And Eddleston is well on the way to publishing a second book featuring other iconic Keys wildlife. Holly first learned about Florida’s Key deer while living on Duck Key. One night on a drive back from Key West with her family, she encountered a small group of Key deer peacefully grazing on Big Pine Key. She was later surprised to learn that there are fewer than 800 in existence. That fact, along with their incredible cuteness, gave her two ideas: to create a Christmas story that showcases Key deer, and inspire others to support their protection. She hopes this story teaches children about the beautiful Florida Keys islands and the many amazing animals that live here and need conservation. The book, available in either hard or soft cover, can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the Nature Store at the Nature Center on Big Pine Key. June 5, 2023 – (KEY WEST, FL). Martha Hubbard, culinary director and executive chef of Key West’s Unity Table at Williams Hall, will be signing copies of her highly acclaimed cookbook “Old Island Eats” at the Key West Museum of Art and History on June 21, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Hubbard creates community among friends and strangers though the power of food. Her new cookbook is a collection of vintage, original Key West recipes and a selection of Hubbard’s own recipes and menus from decades of cooking for the island. A nibble pulled together from whatever’s in her pantry, her refrigerator and her imagination is as carefully curated as her layered, gloriously extravagant, multi-course dinners at Unity Table. “Key West Museum of Art & History is honored to bring Chef Martha’s new cookbook exclusively to our museum store for a month,” says Dan Ayers-Price, Director of Retail Operations. “The book has a small-island charm with an emphasis on local, seasonal foods that have formed our culinary foundation for decades.” Each recipe with its workbook-style tips and suggestions showcases Hubbard’s extraordinary gift for creating wonderful food that even first-time cooks can replicate. The cookbook is thoughtfully accessible for beginners and thoroughly challenging for experienced cooks. Her recipes walk you through each step, offer suggestions for substitutions and serving and inspire new ways of approaching familiar recipes. You’ll find perfect recipes for Key West favorites, like Key Lime Pie, Key West Pinks, Grits & Grunts and Queen of All Puddings. For more information about the cookbook signing, contact Dan Ayers-Price at 305-295-6616 x509 or dayers@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The native plant Nursery at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden will be holding its monthly native plant sale from 9am to noon Saturday, June 17, 2023. Master Gardeners will be on site to answer any plant questions and plants that are available for sale are listed on the Garden’s website.
Special Sale on Florida privet (Forestiera segregata) for June – 25% off 3-gallon plants. The Nursery contains 160 species of native plants available including Native & Cuban palms, Tomato and Pepper plants. The total nursery inventory totals more than 2,000 plants which attract birds, butterflies and other pollinators in 1-gallon to 15-gallon pots. Key West Botanical Garden members receive a 15% discount. The Garden is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation and all proceeds directly benefit the Garden’s conservation program. The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island. For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden. Florida privet The community will see some changes in the way the City of Key West conducts City Commission meetings. Beginning with the June 8th meeting, there will be a morning session to address the consent agenda, presentations, discussion items, and proclamations. This session begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall. The evening session, which begins at 5 p.m. the same day, will include ordinances and other public hearing items. The Mayor and City Commission will have the ability to move any item from the morning session to the evening session for discussion. Public comment will be part of the morning session. However, evening commenting can be requested of the commission. In addition, the commission will continue to accept and take into consideration the e-comments submitted by the public on the City’s website. By resolution, the Commission voted to approve the change in procedure. Instead of meeting twice a month, they will meet on the second Thursday of the month. There will be no commission meeting in the month of August. Key West Division Chief of Emergency Management Gregory Barroso convened a briefing of the City’s emergency management command staff on the first day of hurricane season to ensure everyone is refreshed on hurricane plans and preparedness. After the briefing, Barroso and City Manager Albert Childress met with the National Weather Service’s Meteorologist in Charge Chip Kasper and Warning Coordinator Meteorologist Jon Rizzo for a discussion of protocols. |
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