History Heats Up at Key West Firehouse Museum with Fiery Key Lime Pie Challenge and Rare Centennial Flag Display

On Friday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Key Lime Festival co-founder David Sloan will welcome zest-questers to the Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum where he'll be serving up samples of his fiery 5-Alarm Key Lime Pie. Attendees can also view a rare 13-star American flag created for the nation’s Centennial celebration in 1876. (Photo: Rob O’Neal)

A rare 13-star American flag created for the nation’s Centennial celebration in 1876 will be on public display during the Friday, July 3 “5-Alarm Pie Challenge,” at the Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum. It will also be available for viewing at the same location on July 2 and 4. (Photo: David Sloan)

KEY WEST, Florida — What do a spicy slice of Key Lime pie, a rare 13-star American flag displayed publicly for the first time in 50 years, and the nation’s 250th birthday have in common? They’re all coming together during this year’s Key Lime Festival.

As part of the July 1-5 Festival’s patriotic and flavorful Independence Week offerings, the Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum, located at 1024 Grinnell Street, will host the fiery “5-Alarm Pie Challenge” and showcase a rare Centennial-era American flag.

On Friday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the historic museum will welcome culinary adventurers for the “5-Alarm Pie Challenge,” where Florida’s official state pie gets a decidedly fiery makeover. Specially prepared by historian and “Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook” author David L. Sloan, the confection features cayenne-spiced graham cracker crumbs, habanero cream, and a jalapeño topper. Complimentary samples will be available while pies last, with donations to the Firehouse Museum gladly accepted.

While America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and Key West marks 20 years since Key Lime pie became Florida’s official state pie, visitors will also have a rare opportunity to view a 13-star American flag created for the nation’s Centennial celebration in 1876.

The flag, which has been in David Sloan’s family for six generations, will be exhibited publicly for the first time in half a century at the Firehouse Museum on July 2, 3, and 4. Measuring approximately 12 by 18 feet, the banner was last displayed during America's Bicentennial celebration in 1976, when four generations of the Sloan family gathered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, to fly it at a reunion. Since then, it has been carefully preserved and largely unseen.

Visitors to the museum can also explore exhibits chronicling Key West's firefighting heritage and experience the attraction's new haunted-history audio tour.

Other Festival events include a kick-off party on Duval Street, the July 4 World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, a spirited Key Lime Pie Hop, and more.
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The Key Lime Festival, founded in 2013 by Sloan and Wonderdog Studios founder Marky Pierson, is a family-friendly celebration presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys.
For more information and a complete festival schedule visit www.keylimefestival.com.