City declines to renew land lease for Key West ... - KONK Network

KIDS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN • LARRY BLACKBURN | photography

j u n e 2 7 - j u l y 3 

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ontheinside! KONK 

U P F R O N T 

06 

F U N T I M E S 

16 

O U T B A C K 

26 

C O L U M N S 

07 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT 

10 KEY EVENT 

21 IN THE ARTS 

23 AT THE TROPIC 

Life 

Vol. 3 No. 26 

C 

O NTENTS 

KEY WEST GATOR CLUB DOLPHIN DERBY | LARRY BLACKBURN 

n More on page 5

Garrison Bight’s Tarpon Pier gets a ribbon 

City officials and live-aboard residents were on hand for the revamped 

Tarpon Pier at Garrison Bight. Houseboats are back, the largest of liveaboard 

piers in the marina. The $1.4 million project, finished on time and 

within budget, provides electric, water, phone and sewer connections. A 

20-foot section of the old concrete decking fell into the water in 2010 and 

disabled all utility services. The bid was awarded to Ebsary Construction, 

and boats temporarily moved while the new pier and 25 finger piers were 

installed. Above: Mayor Craig Cates, Engineer Doug Bradshaw, Assistant 

City Manager David Fernandez, District II City Commissioner Mark Rossi 

and Ebsary Construction Manager Danny Gonzalez. 

Choice Storage Honored at KW Chamber Social 

Florida Keys Outreach Coalition (FKOC) CEO, the Rev. Stephen Braddock 

presented a Board Appreciation Award to Choice Storage for outstanding 

support of FKOC. The award was presented during the Key West Chamber 

of Commerce Business After Hours social hosted at the new Choice Storage 

facility on North Roosevelt Boulevard. (Above, left to right) Choice 

Storage Manager, Stacey Stansel; Rev. Braddock; Assistant Manager Jim 

Sullivan; and owners Ramon Oyarzun and Charlie Acevedo. | DORIS BUNZEL 

INFO FKOC.org 

n More photographs on page 13 

4 ww.konklife.com 

City declines to renew 

land lease for Key 

West senior center 

by JOHN L. GUERRA 

NEWS WRITER 

Key West residents now know the 

city will not go ahead with a senior 

living facility at Truman Waterfront. 

After years of debate and failure 

of an earlier construction deal to 

materialize, at least two still unsatisfied 

city commissioners must be 

convinced to support construction 

of a $30-plus million facility for the 

city’s aging population. Under terms 

arranged by developer Jeff Sharkey, 

the senior living center would be 

split into 50 apartments for seniors 

who can live without help and 60 

apartments for those needing assistance, 

whether it be housekeeping, 

preparing meals, or light medical 

equipment. 

How much the city will pay 

Sharkey in developer’s fees looks to 

be the final hurdle to a city lease 

agreement. Should commissioners 

agree to pay Sharkey 16 percent of 

the cost of construction — which 

Sharkey estimates at $1.8 million — 

the deal will go through. If not, the 

deal is dead, and the city goes back 

to the drawing board. 

Sharkey wants developers fees in 

two $900,000 increments. The first 

$900,000 would be paid when the 

facility is built; the other $900,000 

paid in 13-15 years, depending on 

the project’s performance, Sharkey 

told commissioners. Sharkey also 

wants $20,000 taken off permits and 

other pre-construction fees, but 

commissioners seemed willing to 

OK that. 

Commissioner Mark Rossi, who 

has pledged to vote against the facility 

if it is operated for profit, asked 

Sharkey if he’d take fewer than 16 

percent. Sharkey, who has built senior 

living facilities in other states, 

said 16 percent is traditional. 

“We’re taking all the risk,” he 

told Rossi. “We have to guarantee 

[investor money] throughout funding, 

building and operating the facility 

forever. The investors take that 

[money] back if there are problems.” 

But commissioners Clayton 

Lopez, Teri Johnston and Tony 

Yaniz just aren’t buying into final 

details that, if agreed upon, would 

close the deal in time for an August 

deadline. Sharkey, who put together 

a mix of federal housing tax credits, 

Wall Street financing and private 

investors, failed to convince the 

three commissioners at the last 

Tuesday’s commission meeting to 

sign off on leasing the land to him. 

Lopez: Promises unkept 

Clayton Lopez, whose district 

includes Bahama Village, joined 

Johnston and Yaniz in expressing 

disbelief that local seniors on fixed 

incomes can afford to rent there. 

Only a handful of units are to be 

priced as low as $300 a month, 

Sharkey told the commission. Rents 

will go as high as $1,300 a month, 

including utilities, on the assisted 

living side. That does not include 

services and items residents must 

pay for. 

Lopez complained that Sharkey’s 

description of the project’s funding 

was still unclear. Lopez, who promised 

Bahama Village residents he’d 

make sure the project brought more 

tax incremental funding [TIF] 

| Continued on page 22 

n TOW COMPANIES WANT EQUITABLE CONTRACT TERMS, page 12

KW GATOR CLUB DOLPHIN DERBY 

LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer 

www.konklife.com 5

L O C A L N E W S & O P I N I O N 

Our government loves owning 

real estate. Three current 

big deals have been selling the Pier 

House property, leasing the Truman 

waterfront for assisted living, and buying 

the old Rowell’s marina in Key Largo. 

In 2009, I calculated the value of land 

owned by the School District alone as 

over $433 million —that’s right, going on 

half a billion bucks. I’m sure the county 

and different cities have proportionate 

holdings. When the government owns 

land, it has two effects on our tax dollars: 

first, we do not collect the property tax 

dollars we would have collected if the land 

were owned by our fellow private-sector 

landowners, over $3.7 

million a year for the 

district’s property. 

Second, we have 

to pay for the upkeep 

of, for example, the 

underused warehouse 

on United near White. 

RICK 

B O E T T G E R 

C O L U M N i S T 

The worst case for 

us is what happened 

when the City of Key 

West leased the yacht 

club for $1/year. Because it is a leasehold, 

We the People get stuck paying $35,000 a 

year in property taxes, while the yacht 

club doesn’t even pay a business tax, as it 

is a non-profit. Compare that to the other 

yacht club on Peninsular on Stock Island. 

They are paying over $22,000 a year, way 

down from the pre-crash high of 

$203,000 a year, but still $57,000 better 

each year for the taxpayers than the old 

yacht club. 

This makes me worry about the 

99-year lease for the Truman waterfront 

property. Will we get stuck paying the 

property taxes for more rich people, as 

with the yacht club? And assuredly it will 

be rich outsiders filling anything built 

there. That’s what Pritam’s Annex became, 

which arguably is better than 

another decade of letting the land sit 

fallow. And annex owners pay taxes, 

lots of them. 

We simply cannot let the county buy 

more overpriced waterfront property 

while we continue to sit on the disused 

Hickory House. We paid over $3 million 

for it years ago, a windfall profit for the 

previous owners. Now Roman Gastesi 

wants us to spend $6 million for the 

THE LAND RUSH 

Rowell’s property, another windfall profit 

for the company that bought it as a 

deed-in-lieu from the previous owners, 

who paid $6.5 million at top-of-market. 

Really, to be paying 2006 prices, and 

then paying for all the upkeep, to give 

people water access in KEY LARGO? Has 

there been a market survey of potential 

users, or do we rely on folks coming up 

to Roman and telling him what a peachy 

idea it is? Just as they decided on the 

Hickory House? 

The worst and best decisions made in 

the last 10 years have involved the Harris 

School in Key West. The horror was three 

school board members cavalierly turning 

down a sensational offer from Florida 

Forever and the hyper-wealthy Rodel 

Foundation in 2006. The state offered us 

$5.4 million upfront, leasing it to The 

Studios of Key West, now in the Armory 

up the street. Rodel would have spent 

$6.5 million to renovate it. What an 

incredible jewel in the center of the city! 

Then working for the district, I 

watched in shock as three members of the 

board took about three minutes to turn it 

down. The money had to be spent on 

teacher affordable housing, and the two 

Upper Keys’ members said if we can’t get 

affordable housing for us, we don’t want it 

for you. The third voter, from Key West, I 

can only think temporarily lost her mind. 

Good people had worked for years to put 

this remarkable deal together, and it was 

gone in a flash. 

The good decision was also a squeaker. 

In 2009, we sold the school for $4.5 million 

to a wealthy newcomer who bought 

numerous properties in the city. Since 

deposed board member Debra Walker still 

didn’t want to sell but was outvoted this 

time. The same wacky private appraisers 

who told us $3.125 million was a good 

price for Hickory House, and $6 million 

a bargain for Rowell’s, said the Harris 

School was actually worth $7+ million. 

They were wrong again. Since the generous 

Peter Brawn bought the seven parcels, 

the appraiser’s office has lowered its just 

market value estimates by 60 percent, 

while he has paid We the People over 

$200,000 in real estate taxes while slowly 

improving the property. Thanks, Peter, 

and thanks school board! Let us learn. 

■ 

6 www.konklife.com 

U P F R O N T 

C O M M U N I T Y 

Leadership Monroe County recruits 

Leadership Monroe County begins recruitment for CLASS XXII 

5-7:30 p.m. in Salons A & B at the Westin Resort & Marina, 230 

Front St., on June 28. Community leaders in the private and public 

sectors learn about the program that builds relationships for constructive 

alliances throughout the Florida Keys. Sessions held October to 

April throughout the Keys and engage class members in community 

issues including tourism and the economy; environment; education; 

government; emergency management; the law and judiciary; the military; 

health and human services; the arts, culture and media. Applications 

now accepted through August 12. 

INFO 

(305) 289-9400, www.leadershipmonroecounty,org 

FKCC scholarships available 

Florida Keys Community College encourages prospective and current 

students to apply for scholarships for the fall term, which begins 

August 19. Criteria for scholarships range widely to accommodate and 

assist a variety of students. Scholarship descriptions and criteria can be 

viewed at www.fkcc.edu. Applications are to be submitted online; 

most due July 7. ere is no limit to the number of scholarships for 

which a student may apply or be awarded. FKCC is currently accepting 

applications for the following scholarships: 

• Adri Stewart Memorial Scholarship 

• Basic Law Enforcement Scholarship 

• Computer Science Scholarship 

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant 

• First Generation in College Scholarship 

• Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Scholarship 

• Florida Student Assistance Grant 

• General Scholarship 

• Koenig Scholarship for Business 

• Lodging Association of the Florida Keys Scholarship 

• Merit-based Scholarship 

• Merit-based Scholarship for Lagoon Landing Residence 

• Need-based Scholarship 

• Need-based Scholarship for Lagoon Landing Residence 

• Nursing Scholarship 

| Continued on page 22

Trooper 

Raffle for injured pup 

First State Bank of the Florida 

Keys is working with Marrvelous 

Pet Rescues to sell paddle board 

kit raffle tickets at its Key Largo 

Tradewinds Plaza office to raise 

funds for Trooper, a local rescue 

dog who has undergone emer- 

C O M M U N I T Y S P O T L I G H T 

gency surgeries. Trooper was 

found underneath a car with serious 

injuries to his back legs and 

hips. His left leg suffered multiple 

fractures and his right leg had 

to be amputated. Trooper is currently 

being fostered by one of 

the hospital nurses and is on the 

www.konklife.com 7 

K E Y B U S I N E S S I N K E Y W E S T 

road to recovery. 

Raffle tickets $20; three for 

$50. e prize is a 11-foot Triple 

X Paddle Board with adjustable 

paddle, board leash, fin and bag. 

e kit is on display at Florida 

Bay Outfitters. Winner will be 


Marrvelous Pet’s 

Stephanie Clark and First 

State Bank’s Laura Brown

K E Y W E S T 

L O U 

MORMONS AND JEHOVAH 

WITNESSES MOVE OVER; 

CATHOLICS HAVE ARRIVED 

n L E G A L I T I E S W I T H 

Louis Petrone 

My Catholic Church continues to amaze me. 

The new gambit is for Catholics to go door 

to door as do Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses. The purpose: 

To explain to others their relationship with God. 

Organized Catholicism is a dying breed. Few fervent 

Catholics remain to partake in such a task. Interestingly, 

therein lies the reason for this new movement. Described by 

the Church as The New Evangelicization. 

Catholics have been a diminishing breed over the past 100 

years. There are fewer and fewer each year. Participating might 

be a better description. Most are fallen away Catholics. As I. 

The smaller numbers have been a problem in the United 

States and Europe. The white Catholic Church. Once the 

home of the largest number of Catholics, both now have the 

fewest numbers. 

Catholicism has thrived, however, in 

one place. Latin America. The increase 

in actual practicing Catholics has been 

dramatic. Big numbers. Especially in 

Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. 

Pope Francis is the new Pope. An 

Argentinian. Many believe his election 

attributable to the evangelicization 

LOU 

P E T R O N E 

COLUMNIST 

process which worked in Latin America 

to the benefit of the Catholic Church. 

Francis has the knowledge and experience 

purportedly to return the United States 

and Europe to increased membership. 

Pope Francis has wasted no time. He has directed the 

process begin. He has appointed Washington, D.C., Archbishop 

Donald Wuerl as the Vatican’s point man. The Washington, 

D.C., area the testing place. 

The way to an increased membership is for Catholics to go 

door to door and speak to persons of their relationship with 

God. It is Catholicism going public. Prior to this time, 

Catholic activities were inside the parish. Now they are 

moving outside into public pathways. 

The procedure is not only to knock on doors, but also 

confront people on the street. Even have a barbecue and chat 

with your guests about Jesus Christ. As with the Catholic 

Bishop organization that has a $26.6 million budget for 

lobbying, significant funds have been set aside to finance 

the evangelicization campaign. I continue to think such 

monies would be better spent on fishes and bread for the 

world poor. 

The program affects me in many ways. First, it smells 

of a company’s program to encourage the public to buy its 




S P O T L I G H T 

First State Bank of the Florida 

Keys AVP/Business Development 

Officer and Rotary Club of Key 

West’s Brian Barroso, president, and 

race coordinator Bascom Grooms 

| Continued from page 7 

announced 6 p.m. Monday, July 8, at 

Caribbean Club, Paddlin’ & Pup. 

INFO (305) 453-1315 

Marrvelous Pet Rescues is a 501(c)3 non profit 

group dedicated to animal rescues and adoptions 

in the Florida Keys. 

First State Bank helps 

run down criminals 

First State Bank of the Florida Keys 

once again supports the Crime Stopper and 

Rotary Club of Key West’s 4th of July 5K 

Run/Walk held 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 4, 

at the corner of White Street and Atlantic 

Boulevard. 

First State Bank will provide volunteers 

to man a water station and sponsorship 

funds for the charity Run/Walk. Registration 

fee will be $25 and $30 on Race Day. 

The first 200 entrants will receive a specially 

designed t-shirt and be eligible for an 

incredible raffle including lots of great 

prizes. 

Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys is a 

community-based program designed to 

help law enforcement solve crimes by rewarding 

anonymous tipsters who supply 

criminal information that lead to arrests. 

They operate a 24-hour toll free number 

(800-346-TIPS) as well as Internet access 

(www.tipsubmit.com) for anyone who has 

information about a crime or a criminal. 

INFO 

(800) 346-TIPS, 

www.tipsubmit.com

The great thing about 

pancakes is no mater 

where you cook them or how they 

look, these hotcakes always seem to 

leave you with that perfect feeling, 

FULL! 

Everyone has a memory of a 

food, and pancakes fall into the 

Top 10 list, no matter if you got 

breakfast in bed, a Sunday morning 

treat with the family, or you just 

wanted something different and 

treated yourself. 

If you think about it, we don’t 

have pancakes everyday like other 

foods such as milk, eggs, toast and 

such. This treat seems to be held in 

reserve and really enjoyed, and most 

people hold back as they don’t think 

they can cook them. Let’s look 

at the facts to make you have a 

pancake day and understand your 

food before you cook it. 

Yes, Aunt Jemima has been 

making pancake mix for 115 years 

and is the easy way — open the box 

mix and cook. If you make the mix 

yourself, you can control a few 

things that you might be concerned 

about. 

White-bleached flour is in most 

mixes, but you can use whole wheat 

or buckwheat to make it more 

healthy. 

If your watching your gluten, 

rice flour or almond flour works as 

a great substitute. I make flourless 

pancakes with one blended banana 

and one egg. Yes, it cooks up just 

like a pancake and gives me energy. 

Also you can use water instead 

of milk to keep it lean. 

The basic recipe is two cups 

flour, 2½ teaspoons of baking 

powder, 2 eggs and 1½ milk or 

water. You choose how you pair the 

ingredients, but here are some tips 

to make them come out good, 

cooked right and light. 

You can make your batter real 

smooth. Don’t add baking powder 

after you chill it in the fridge. Add 

the powder right before you cook, 

and they will really puff up. Add 

some carbonated water to the mix 

NOW WE’RE 

COOKIN’! 

Have a perfect pancake day 


instead of tap water, and they will 

be light and tender. Even beer 

works! 

When you are going to cook 

them, make sure your griddle or 

pan is pre-warmed and use some 

coconut oil or corn oil. Then make 

a very tiny test cake to see if it will 

burn or is not cooking enough 

because of your heat. All pans and 

griddles have different thickness, so 

it will really vary on getting the 

heat just right. 

Last, but not least, don’t smash 

your pancake with the spatula as 

it doesn’t cook any quicker. There’s 

nothing worse than a flat pancake. 

Treat yourself or someone 

special to some pancakes and wait 

to see their reaction. It’s worth it! 

■ 

Eat local and always with a friend! 

Aloha 

PAUL 

M E N T A 

EXTREME CHEF 

www.keywestfuel.com

K E Y E V E N T 

July 4 

Fireworks 

light up the 

Florida Keys 

Food, fun and fireworks are 

on tap in the Florida Keys 

during the July 4 holiday. 

Independence Day can be 

enjoyed all along the island 

chain with beachside barbecues, 

picnics, parades and fireworks 

displays. Wxplore the Keys 

celebration options here. 

Key West / July 4 

Annual Hospice/Visiting 

Nurses Association 

July 4 Picnic 

This longtime favorite is set 

to take place at Casa Marina Resort 

& Beach Club, A Waldorf 

Astoria Resort, located at 1500 

Reynolds St. overlooking the Atlantic 

Ocean. Guests are to 

enjoy live music, a silent auction, 

children’s activities and 

free watermelon, popcorn and 

cold drinks. Meal tickets are to 

be sold for a buffet featuring 

hamburgers, hot dogs and traditional 

fixings. Scheduled to start 

at 5 p.m., the event concludes 

with a fireworks show sponsored 

by the Key West Rotary Club. 

INFO 

(305) 294-4310, Ext. 20 

Key West / July 4-6 

Key Lime Festival 

An All-American celebration 

of Florida’s official pie is to be 

staged in Key West over the July 

4 weekend. Scheduled Independence 

Day highlights include 

a Key lime pie–eating 

contest at noon and the 2 p.m. 

unveiling of what might be the 

world’s largest Key lime pie. Visitors 

can savor the fun and slices 

of the giant pie on Greene Street 

just off Duval Street. For information, 

call 305-923-7822. 


n 

COMMUNITY 

10 www.konklife.com

W I N I N G T H E K E Y S 

W I N E A B I T, Y O U ‘ L L F E E L B E T T E R 

Chianti looks easy 

when compared 

to the rest of Italy 

Last week we took a look 

at Italy’s Tuscany region, 

the home of Chianti. This might 

have seemed a bit confusing as they 

have four different names for the 

grape sangiovese and all the strange 

aging requirements, but I’m here to 

tell ya that Tuscany is a piece of 

cake when compared to rest of this 

country. 

As I’ve said many times before, 

without a doubt, Italy is the most 

difficult country to understand 

when it comes to wine. Some of the 

wines are labeled by grape varietal, 

some by the name of the region 

where the wine is made, some just 

by a proprietary name, in which 

case you don’t know where it comes 

from or what it’s made out of. Now 

on top of that, a lot of the grape 

varietals grown in Italy are only 

grown there, and so you’ve got to 

learn a whole new batch of grapes. 

So, then, why even bother to 

learn Italian wines when everybody 

else’s wines are so much easier to 

understand? Simply put, it’s because 

they make some of the wonderful 

wines in the world and some of the 

best values as well. So, let’s take a 

little stroll through this, the oldest 

wine growing region in the world. 

Today we’re going to touch on 

my favorite region, the Piedmonte, 

and this region brings us right into 

the heart of why these wines are so 

difficult to understand. Let’s first 

talk about red wines of Piedmont. 

The two most famous reds are 

Barolo and Barbaresco. So these are 

the grapes they’re made from, right? 

Nope, these are the names of towns 

where the wines are made. But the 

wine needs to be made in these 

towns to be called Barolo or 

Barbaresco, right? Nope, there 

are a number of neighboring towns 

that can also make wines with these 

names. 

So what is the grape that is used 

to make these wines? Nebbiolo. 

ww.konklife.com 11 

Now, it’s important to note these 

two wines are some of the biggest 

and most expensive wines in the 

world. So, what other wines are 

made from the nebbiolo grape? As 

far as we’re concerned, pretty much 

none. Why, if it makes wonderful, 

expensive wines, doesn’t anybody 

else grow this grape? Good question, 

and if you know the answer, 

please let me know. 

The second most important red 

wine of Piedmont is barbera. So, 

where’s the town of Barbera? Sorry, 

wrong. This time barbera is the 

grape varietal. But now, those of 

you who have ever had a barbera 

wine probably have noticed that a 

lot of them say barbera d’Alba or 

barbera d’Asti. What does that 

mean? Well, Alba & Asti are the 

two towns where these wines are 

made. So at least with these wines 

you get the grape and region in the 

name — YEAH! 

Now, a lot of you have probably 

heard of the town of Asti, even 

though you didn’t know it was a 

town. That’s because Asti is the 

home of Italy’s famous sparkling 

wine, Asti Spumante. Oops, sorry, 

it’s no longer called Asti Spumante; 

it’s simply Asti now. Why? Don’t 

know, but hey, it’s Italy. And on top 

of that, it was originally produced 

in the town of Canelli. So why isn’t 

it called Canelli Spumante? Don’t 

know. And since we know now that 

Asti is the name of the town, you 

can probably figure out there isn’t 

an Asti grape varietal, so what do 

they make it out of? Moscato, a.k.a. 


STEVE 

C A L D E R W O O D 

To receive Smokin’ Vines, a listing of all 

food and booze events in the Keys, send 

name and email to wineslut@me.com

Towing companies 

want equitable 

contact terms 

by JOHN L. GUERRA 

NEWS WRITER 

Towing companies have been wrecking City 

Attorney Shawn D. Smith’s work schedule. 

As the lawyer tries to steer the City Commission 

through the negotiations over a new senior 

assisted living facility and other city business, he 

and other city employees are fielding angry calls 

from Key West towing companies complaining 

about each other. 

“ese guys are taking up time with bickering 

. . . their fights spill over and are taking time up 

of staff,” he told commissioners Tuesday. 

Christine Rodriguez, whose family has owned 

Alex’s Towing since 1961, said towing companies 

that make up the Towing Association of Key West 

are simply asking the city to ensure all companies 

are treated equitably under a city towing contract. 

Here’s the rundown of what’s happening, according 

to Rodriguez: 

For decades, under a contract with the Key 

West Police Department, local towing companies 

have rotated weeks to be on-call to haul cars out 

of illegal parking spots or to remove vehicles for 

other reasons. When police must tow a car, they 

call the towing company whose week it is to serve 

the department. e rotation was divvied up 

among six towing companies until the rules were 

changed in 2012. Last year, the city required towing 

companies to have Class C tow trucks, which 

can tow larger vehicles, if they wanted to stay in 

rotation. at knocked two companies out of the 

rotation, leaving four, said Rodriguez. 

en Arnold’s Towing launched another towing 

company, giving it two companies to inject 

into the rotation. One of the Arnold companies, 

however, did not have a Class C truck, but a Class 

D truck. According to Rodriguez, that should 

have knocked one of the Arnold companies out 

of the rotation. But it didn’t. e city agreed to let 

it stay in rotation without a C-Class truck. us 

the complaints to the city from other towing 

companies. 

During his display of frustration over the calls 

to his office, Smith suggested the commission consider 

a change to the rules suggested by Commissioner 

Mark Rossi that would limit the number 

of the companies in rotation to just two, thus 


I N T H E A R T S 

Letty Nowak holds “Sparks” by artist 

Jacquelyn Sanchez 

Lemonade Stand juried 

Small Works exhibit, 

June 28-July 3 

e Lemonade Stand Art Studio presents the 

international juried Small Works Group Show. 

e exhibition will be open from Friday, June 28, 

through July 14 with an artist reception 6-9 p.m. 

Friday followed by a champagne reception noon 

to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 29. 

Letty Nowak, along with her gallery e 

Lemonade Stand, announced the return of the 

Small Works juried group show with a requirement 

of 10x10-inch or smaller. Exhibition includes 

local artists Dick Moody, John Martini, 

Jim Racchi and Sandy Mezinis. 

All work submitted was judged by a committee 

made up of individuals with various art backgrounds 

from across the country including David 

Case of Sarabeth’s, artist Sue Clay Moloney, Jay 

Scott (former executive director of the Studios 

of Key West) and art dealer and long-time Key 

West resident Hal Bromm, owner of Tribeca’s Hal 

Bromm Gallery and former chair of Sculpture 

Key West. 

“Judging Lemonade Stand’s small works exhibition 

provides a sneak peak at many new works 

by some seriously talented and several internationally 

recognized artists to Key West. For new 

collectors beginning an art collection, both the 

quality and price levels invite serious consideration,” 

said Bromm. 

“My selections were based on emotion and not 

as much on knowledge of the art or artists. I 

thought that was a good thing,” said David Case. 

Artist reception is free and open to the public. 

INFO 

The Lemonade Stand Art Studio, 318 Petronia 

St. Monday-Saturday, 10-4pm 

n 


KWLOU 

LOUIS PETRONE 


product. Like McDonald’s newest burger. Madison 

Avenue advertising and the Catholic Church 

have joined forces. 

The Catholic Church would be far better off if 

it examined why its membership has so dramatically 

declined. Pedophilia did not help. Birth control 

caused Catholics in large numbers in the 

1960s to leave. Abortion leaves many with mixed 

feelings. 

Analyze and correct these missteps rather than 

send out believers who have a tainted product to 

sell. God is an easy sell. Catholicism is not. 

At my age, I have seen many things happen. 

The Catholic Church’s decline one of them. This 

evangelicization program, if a winner, will take at 

least 50 plus years to succeed. I doubt it will succeed. 

I have always believed religion is private rather 

than public. Between me and my God. Between 

you and your God. Quiet and personal. 

As with the Church’s public lobbying, I disagree 

with the new program. Imagine, Catholics 

publicly going after the membership of other denominations. 

Open competition in the religious 

marketplace. Except in this instance, the public 

marketplace. 

I suspect the Catholic Church will make more 

enemies than new members. To its detriment. 

Recall that I questioned in an earlier column 

whether the new Pope was equipped to handle 

the United States’ social problems. I doubted that 

he understood the U.S. and birth control, gays, 

and abortion. It appears I may have been correct. 

Instead of studying and reviewing the issues, it 

appears Pope Francis has made a decision to ram 

the Catholic Church’s thinking down everyone’s 

throats. 

Ill advised. A bad move. A wrong sell. 

K E Y S E V E N T 


■ 

Big Pine & Lower Keys, 

July 4 

Celebrate Fourth of July 

The Big Pine & Lower Keys Rotary Club’s annual 

July 4 fireworks take place at Big Pine Park, 

MM 30 bayside, at the end of Sands Road. Live 

music, food and drink accompanied by games 

and activities for adults and kids alike. Fireworks 

show planned at nightfall or about 9 p.m. Admission 

free. Gates open 5 p.m. 

INFO 

(305) 872-0106 

■

CHOICE STORAGE KEY WEST CHAMBER SOCIAL 

ww.konklife.com 13 

LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer

ROTARY FIREWORKS 


14 www.konklife.com

FUNDRAISER AT BOTTECAP 


www.konklife.com 15

Schooner Wharf Bar 

Love Lane 

Gang 

Hog’s Breath 

Larry Baeder 

Robert DeBourg 

j u n e 2 7 - j u l y 3 

i n s i d e ! 

(Clockwise from left) 

Smokin’ Tuna 

Rusty 

Lemmon 

Pier House 

Alex 

Okinczyc


Joal Rush 


4 Charles St., off 200 block 

Duval, (305) 517-6350 

n 

Thursday 

Rusty Lemmon 6-9pm 

Singer-songwriter Rusty Lemmon 

Caffeine Carl & The Buzz 

9:30pm 

Friday 

Joal Rush 6pm 

Nashville-based Joal Rush fresh 

from the Key West Songwriters 

Festival. 

Caffeine Carl & Friends 9:30pm 

Saturday 

Nick Norman 6pm 


Sunday 

Rusty Lemmon 9pm 

Monday 

Joal Rush 6pm 


Tuesday 

Greg & James 6pm 

Joal Rush & Nick Norman 

9:30pm 

Nashville-based Joal Rush fresh 

from the Key West Songwriters 

Festival joins Nick Norman. Both 

singer-songwriters attractions of 



the music scene during Key West 

Songwriters Festival for years. 

9:30pm 

Wednesday 

Rusty Lemmon 6pm 

Joal Rush/Nick Norman 9:30pm 

Schooner Wharf Bar 

202 Williams St., (305) 292-3302 

www.schoonerwharf.com 

n 

Friday-Saturday 

The Doerfels 7pm-Midnight 

Exuberant musical family from 

New York State. Early on these 

young musicians wowed audiences 

and critics with their bluegrass. 

Now they blend country, 

gospel and bluegrass with a 

touch of blues and rock plus originals. 

With an extensive lineup of 

arrangements with banjo, fiddle, 

bass, cello, guitar and humor, 

they form a musical group of astounding 

virtuosity. Even the 

youngest members are veterans 

of the stage. 

Schooner Wharf 

The Doerfels 

Wednesday 

The Love Lane Gang 7-11pm 

Returns for a night! This versatile 

group plays music that spans the 

generations. Emphasis is on 

swing: classics from the 1920s- 

1940s, done in a refreshing new 

style that incorporates the Hot 

Club approach with island flourishes. 

Featuring Dust Bowl ballads, 

jug band stomps, old school 

country, rockabilly and surf music 

mixed in with little-known gems, 

and tunes from the ‘60s, and 

some great original songs. Offbeat 

instrumentation like mandolin, 

accordion, banjo, ukulele, 

washboard and kazoo add to familiar 

guitar, bass and harmonica, 

creating a broad musical palette. 



The Pier House 

Wine Gallery Piano Bar, 

One Duval, 296-4600 

n 

Friday-Monday 7pm 

Singer/pianist Larry Smith 

Jazz, standards, originals, 

singers, instrumentalists. 

Guests join in at 9pm. 

Sunday Showcase 9pm 

Larry Smith showcases the 

talents of singer Alex Okinczyc. 

n 

Monday Jazz Jam Night 9pm 

Featuring drummer Richie 

Ciavolino and bassist Tim 

McAlpine. Requisite for visiting 

musicians. Local instrumentalists/singers 

in improv format. 

n 

Playing the Beach Bar 

Friday Joel Nelson 4-7 pm 

Saturday Bongo D 2-5pm 

Hog’s Breath Saloon 

400 Front. St., (305) 296-4222 

n 

Thursday-Sunday 

The Transients 5:30-9:30pm 

Duo of Matt Nanke on acoustic 

guitar and vocals and Evan Ryan 

on electronic percussion and 

loops. The music is an organic 

mix of the two with no song performed 

the same way twice. 

Think of it as an up-tempo 


The Pier House 

Larry Smith 


acoustic/synth dance beat duo 

from two members of JoBu Band. 

Thursday-Friday 

Robert DeBourg 10pm-2am 

Originally from Brazil and now 

a Tampa resident. 

Saturday-Sunday 0630 

Moose & Bulletproof Blues 

10pm-2am 

0701-0706 

Robert DeBourg & The Flats 

10pm-2am 

Debourg’s music is influenced by 

his Brazilian background and 

adds to the band’s sound as it 

plays music from the ’80s and 

’90s including funk, Latin, pop 

and reggae. 

0701-04 

Larry Baeder 5:30-9:30pm 

Blues guitarist Larry Baeder and 

his band featuring singer Dora 

Gholson. Original songs as well 

as R&B. 

0705-06 

The Moose & Bulletproof 

Blues Band 5:30-9:30pm 

Ellard-James “Moose” Boles is a 

veteran blues singer, writer and 

musician. Moose has played and 

recorded throughout the U.S., 

Canada and Europe with such 

performers as Lou Reed, Greg 

Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughn, 

David Bowie, Buddy Miles, 

James Cotton, Lonnie Brooks, 

Junior Wells, C.J. Chenier, 


DIVER DAN AT CAMILLE’S 



KEY WEST BOTANICAL GARDEN & FOREST 

KEY WEST MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM & SPECTACLE 2013 



Thursday, June 27 to Wednesday, July 3 

Key West Happenings 


Florida Keys Council of the 

Arts Cultural Calendar: 

Send in events by ursday 

noon to Florida Keys Council 

of the Arts to email address: 

calendar@keysarts.com 

ART EXHIBITS 

Member’s 5th Annual Summer Salon Show & Exhibit, 10 AM 

The Studios of Key West, 600 White St. 296-0458. tskw.org 

Lively & vibrant show that honors TSKW members, including: 

Reconnecting the Interior Landscape by Gina Adams and “Welcome” 

by Tom Charette, on view in the Sculpture Garden. 

Thru July 12. 

LITERARY 

Sunday, June 30 

Key West Literary Scholarship Deadline: Key West Literary 

Seminar, Arlo Haskell, 293-9291. Priority deadline for applications 

to the Key West Literary Seminar’s Scholarship Program is June 

30. Teachers, librarians, & writers are eligible to apply for financial 

assistance. Seeking applicants whose professional roles & personal 

skills allow them to have a positive impact upon readers of all 

ages; and for emerging writers committed to improving their craft 

among the KWLS community. Kwls.org/awards/ 

FILM 

Saturday, June 29 

Kids Saturday Movie Club – Lemony Snicket’s (2004), 10:30 AM 

Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St. 877-761-3456. tropiccinema.com 

Bicycle give-away this morning! 

Wednesdays 

Ibis Bay “Dive-In” Movie, Start time: Sunset 

3101 N. Roosevelt Blvd, Michael Shields, 394-3804. 

MUSIC 

Nightly Entertainment - Tavern ‘N Town, 

Marriott Beachside, 3841 N. Roosevelt Blvd. Featuring Rob Distasi, 

Mike Emerson, Bobby Nesbitt, Carmen Rodriguez & Michael 

Thomas. 

Thursday, June 27 to Saturday, June 29 

In the Cabaret, 5 PM 

The Gardens Hotel, 526 Angela St. 294-2661. Gardenshotel.com 

On the Piano: Thursday, John Benson, Saturday, Bobby Green. 

Friday-Sunday, June 28-30 

‘The Love Lane Gang’, 7 PM 

McConnell’s Irish Pub & Grill, 900 Duval St. Mandolin, accordion, 

banjo, ukulele & washboard add to familiar guitar, bass, & harmonica, 

creating a broad musical palette such as swing, old school 

country, rockabilly & bluegrass. 

Sunday, June 30 @ 6 PM, Salute, 1000 Atlantic Blvd. 

Fridays to Mondays 

Larry Smith & Guests, 7 PM 

The Pier House Resort Wine Galley, One Duval St. 296-4600. keywestislandnight.com 

Featuring jazz, popular standards, & his original compositions. 

Sunday, June 30, Alex Okinczyc. Mondays: Jazz Jam, 9 PM. 

Sunday, June 30 

Jazz in the Gardens: Ed Whiting Trio, 5:30 PM The Gardens Hotel, 

526 Angela St. 294-2661. Eclectic mix of originals, soulful jazz 


KONKLifes BiG SAViNGS are here! 

Get YOUR 

SAViNGS 

here! 

521 Fleming St. 

15% off

W I N I N G 

t h e K E Y S 

STEVE CALDERWOOD 


moscato bianco, a.k.a. moscato 

Canelli. Like I said, It’s Italy. 

Even as we talk about Asti, I can 

hear a lot of you out there hissing 

because of that sweet, flabby trash 

that was imported in bulk by Gallo 

and the like. But find a good bottle, 

and you’ll be rewarded with a fruity 

sparkler full of apricots and peaches. 

It’s worth it! 

There is 

one other famous 

white 

wine that 

comes from 

this region — 

Gavi. Go 

STEVE 

C A L D E R W O O D 

ahead, what’s 

your guess? 

Town or 

grape? To 

those of you who said grape . . . 

ehhhhhh, wrong answer. It’s the 

town of Gavi, and the grape is 

cortese. Occasionally you’ll see a 

wine called Gavi di Gavi (Gavi of 

Gavi) which means it came from 

within a certain area around Gavi. 

This wine was originally called Gavi 

dei Gavi, which translates to the 

Gavi of Gavi. Even the Italian government 

thought that was a bit too 

much. 

Finally, as a treat for those of you 

who got through all of this, here’s 

your fun fact about Italy. Which 

country is older — the U.S.A. or 

Italy? Believe it or not, the U.S. is almost 

100 years older than Italy. Italy 

didn’t become a country until 1861. 

Before that, the Italian peninsula 

was just littered with a bunch of 

kingdoms and city-states, such as 

Rome, the Duchy of Milan, the 

Kingdom of Sardinia. This little tidbit 

of information goes a long way 

when trying to understand the wines 

of this country. 

That’s it for this week, so until 

the next time — wine a bit, you’ll 

feel better. 

To receive Smokin’ Vines, a listing of all 

food and booze events in the Keys, send 

name and email to wineslut@me.com 

■ 


(Left to right) Jody Gross, 

VNA/Hospice president and 

CEO; Scott Duszynski, Keys 

‘Federal Credit Union president 

and CEO; Natalie Maddox, 

VNA/Hospice fundraising 

coordinator. 

Keys Federal Credit 

Union supports the 

29th annual picnic 

e Keys Federal Credit Union 

supports the 29th Annual Visiting 

Nurse Association & Hospice of the 

Florida Keys July 4 Picnic with a 

sponsorship of $1,000. Join Keys Federal 

Credit Union in supporting VNA 

and Hospice at the Casa Marina on 

ursday, July 4, for live entertainment, 

kid’s activities, picnic buffet, 

silent auction, fireworks and more. 

Keys Federal Credit Union is a notfor-profit 

financial institution open to 

everyone who lives or works in the 

Florida Keys. Save money with lowcost 

portfolio of products including 

mortgages, FREE checking and auto, 

boat and personal loans. 

INFO 

(305) 294-6622, www.KeysFCU.org 

U P F R O N T 


• Rotary Club of Key West — 

Crime Stoppers Law Enforcement 

Scholarship 

• Russel Sullivan Memorial Scholarship 

• Student Ambassador Scholarship 

• Wyland Marine Science Scholarship 

INFO 

FKCC Foundation, 

foundation@fkcc.educ, 

(305) 809-3281 


K O N K L I F E 

JOHN GUERRA 


money to the neighborhood, wasn’t 

convinced the project would help many 

of the people he represents — African 

American families who have lived in the 

village for generations. 

TIF money pays for Bahama Village 

renovation projects, including improvements 

to the Douglass Gym, the Petronia 

Street Corridor, and construction at 

Nelson English and Willie Ward parks 

near the community pool. 

“I need someone to explain this to me 

and draw this out like I’m a six grader,” 

he said, his voice rising. “It is so convoluted. 

“I must be able to explain to my 

constituents that we’re getting less than 

what was initially promised. I’m still 

concerned about the people who are so 

supportive of this not understanding 

that they’ll never be able to live there.” 

Johnston: No guarantee 

Johnston also doesn’t buy the promise 

of affordable housing for Key West’s 

older population the facility is supposed 

to provide. It is against the law to promise 

units to one segment of the population 

at the exclusion of another, she 

argued. 

“Based on federal [income] guidelines, 

you can’t guarantee that one Key 

West elder will live in that facility,” 

Johnston told Sharkey, who came to the 

podium to field questions and comments 

from commissioners. “This has been 

marketed for Key West elders to age in 

place, but we can’t say [for certain] that 

one person can live there.” 

Sharkey agreed he could not guarantee 

Key West residents would move in. 

“We can’t prioritize any groups, but in 

the past with applicants, we qualified the 

ones that fit the income level and we’re 

going to be good rentors,” he said. “We 

will market this directly to Key West residents. 

That’s all we can do.” 

Yaniz: Built it somewhere else 

The commissioner who has scoffed 

the loudest at Sharkey’s plans to provide 

affordable housing for Key Westers is 

Commissioner Tony Yaniz, whose rich, 

Conch accent, for lack of a better term, 

has been unrelenting against using the 

Truman Waterfront site. He has repeatedly 

argued that the facility should be 

built next to the Key West Housing Authority’s 

Senior Citizens Plaza, the high- 

rise apartment complex on Kennedy 

Drive. Yaniz, using stats based on residents 

living in the Senior Citizens Plaza, 

argued that no one living at the Plaza 

could afford the Truman Waterfront facility. 

“There are 198 residents at [the 

plaza],” he told fellow commissioners. 

“When we look at those 198 residents, 

two or maybe three can afford independent 

living, and none could afford the assisted 

living side [at the Truman 

Waterfront]. The spirit of the referendum 

[to seek a lease at Truman Waterfront] 

was for the working people of this 

community to have a place.” 

According to Housing Authority Director 

Manny Castillo, there are “hundreds 

of people” on the city’s waiting list 

to get into Senior Citizens Plaza. A housing 

expert Yaniz brought forth at the 

meeting told commissioners a multistory 

facility like the one proposed by 

Sharkey could be built at Senior Citizens 

Plaza for less money. 

Weekley: Stop screwing around 

“I don’t see this as a commercial venture 

for the city,” Commissioner Jimmy 

Weekley told Yaniz. “Let’s not be foolish 

where we blocked affordable housing off. 

Medicare, Medicaid, there are subsidies 

that can help pay rent. Let’s not put 

blinders on and not see what the entire 

community needs. If it’s not built here, it 

may not be built on Kennedy Drive, either. 

Let’s quit playing around. 

[Sharkey’s] taking the risk. If this project 

fails, he’s not getting that money. The 

$900,000 in developer’s fees will go to 

someone. Let’s just move forward.” 

K O N K L I F E 

JOHN GUERRA 


reducing the number of companies complaining, 

Rodriguez believes. 

“I think they’d reduce the number of 

providers out of frustration,” Rodriguez 

said. “ey’re tired of the arguing. It’s 

not something we’ve done. We’ve done 

everything the city has told us to do,” she 

said. 

Shane Arnold, who owns one of the 

Arnold Towing companies, said the c 

omplaining companies are “ganging up 

on us.” He promised to talk more to 

KonkLife about the latest chapter of the 

Towing Wars at a later date. 

■

T R O P I C S P R O C K E T S 

n I N R E V I E W W IT H 

Ian Brockway 

Iron Man 3 

Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang 

Bang) directs this latest Iron 

Man outing. Robert Downey Jr. stars yet 

again as the witty and glib weaponry expert/scientist 

Tony Stark and once again 

he makes a Harry Potter hand gesture, 

setting the iconic suit (a half-frightening, 

half-comforting prosthetic machine) into 

motion. 

Here he is pitted against a rival genius-freak 

Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) 

who is your garden variety blond and effete 

megalomaniac from comic books and 

James Bond films. Killian aligns himself 

with the fearsome-seeming Mandarin 

(Ben Kingsley) who is a bit like Christopher 

Lee. Kingsley is both scary and 

self- deprecating as a man of many faces. 

Along with Robert Downey Jr., he is the 

most compelling and comic character in 

the film. 

At the start of this sequel, Tony Stark 

explains that we create our own demons 

relating a back story, when in 1999 as a 

playboy weaponry entrepreneur, he selfcenteredly 

snubbed a fledgling scientist. 

Now back in the present, he quips and 

bickers about his bod and his machines. 

Somehow Stark has a system which can 

summon the iron suit to attach itself with 

a mere thrust of the arm. Even though 

this is a logical impossibility, it makes 

for some fun, given Robert Downey Jr.’s 

irreverent sarcasm and screen presence. 

Just when Stark settles in for a sleepy 

cuddle with Virginia “Pepper” Potts 

(Gwyneth Paltrow). Stark’s nocturnal 

security with People magazine’s Most 

Beautiful Woman is threatened by 

Killian, who renders his bodyguard 

Happy (Jon Favreau) into a coma and 

has control of some virally-enhanced 

supermen who appear as part man and 

part devil. They glow a volcanic red when 

they are mad and are nearly impossible to 

kill. Oh boy. 

More distressing are the actions 

of Mandarin who jams TV networks 

nationwide with militant Eastern symbols 

and then promptly shoots an oil account- 

ant live onscreen. The Mandarin appears 

as a terrorist without fear. 

To complicate matters, Stark now has 

anxiety attacks stemming from a past 

world rescue and battle with aliens in 

New York City as depicted in “The 

Avengers.” Time and time again, panic 

grips him as soon as he resolves to soar. 

His suit is battered at half-life and his 

magician’s arrogance wanes. In one s 

tirring and near-poignant moment, Stark 

trudges through the Tennessee snow, 

carrying his battered iron man behind 

him like a sick twin brother. 

As a mere groundling biped, Stark 

meets the precocious youngster Harley 

(Ty Simkins) who gives him a plastic 

potato gun, a laptop, and a Dora The 

Explorer watch to get rebooted. Who 

knew that Tony Stark is also Macgyver? 

Hey, this is a film after all. 

The best scenes in “Iron Man 3” 

eature some terrific repartee by Tony 

Stark as he engages the eccentric Mandarin. 

Also interesting is the concept of a 

self-assured Stark having anxiety. There is 

something eerie and haunting, too, in the 

iron man alone. The machine has a dualistic 

form as both Superhero and a shadowy 

alloyed wraith that is difficult to 

define. 

The film delivers enough satisfying 

crunches of state of the art 3D action and 

narrative, despite its metals becoming a 

bit cloudy by the film’s end by so much 

dizzy booming and zooming. The showdown 

is so frenetic with several self-same 

iron men that the wonder in gadgetry 

loses its surprise. 

The most poetic element of the Iron 

Man films is the character of Stark 

himself as a fragile little man encased in 

a larger than life soldier-skeleton, an Ego 

of metal. As portrayed by Robert Downey 

Jr., he channels his inner manias to 

protect the world not because he wants 

to but because he craves to be highly 

regarded by doing right. 


Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com 

www.TropicCinema.com 

Tropic Cinema, the only nonprofit art 

multiplex in South Florida. Rated 

Best Cinema in Florida 2009-2012 


MUSIC 


Key West 

Happenings 

classics and brazilian. Ed on guitar, Bill Perbetsky on trumpet 

and Skipper Kripitz on drums. Gardenshotel.com 

Tuesday, July 2 

Larry Smith, Bill Perbetsky & Skipper Kripitz, 9:30 PM 

Virgilios, 524 Duval St. skippo@earthlink.net 

THEATER 

Summer Acting Workshops 

Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St. www.redbarntheatre.com 

Fridays & Mondays – Scene Study, 7 PM 

Wednesdays – Monologues, 7 PM 

Directed by Carole MacCartee. Performance Sunday, July 28, at 8 

PM. Call Carole, 296-5587 for information & fees. 

Tuesday-Saturday, July 10-14 

Key West Summer Stage – Talk Radio, 8 PM 

Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St. 540-6102. theatrexp.org 

Monday, July 1 

Key West Summer Stage, 8 PM 

Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St. 296-9911 or 302-540-6102. redbarntheatre.com 

Monday, July 1 – “Moment of Grace” 

By Bob Bowersox. One night only. 

Wednesday, July 3 thru Saturday, July 13 – “Who’s Afraid of Virginia 

Woolf?” 

(Thursday, July 4 & Sunday, July 7 no performance) 

Ushers Needed for Key West Summer Stage 

Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St. Bob Bowersox at Theatre XP, 

302-540-6102. redbarntheatre.com 

Volunteer ushers to work on Main Stage productions in exchange, 

you receive a free seat to a show. Dates needed: July 3-13, July 

16-20, July 23-27. 

CLASSES/WORKSHOPS 

Thursday-Friday, June 27-28 

Encaustics with Gina Adams, 10 AM The Studios of Key West, 

600 White St. 296-0458. This two day hands-on workshop 

provides a basic knowledge of encaustic, a tradition dating 

to the ancient Greeks & enjoying renewed popularity. tskw.org 

DANCE 

Mondays 

Argentine Tango Practica, 8 PM The Dance Factory, 906 Kennedy 

Dr. Daina, 304-8184. All welcome, no partner needed. Fridays 

Salsa Dance Lessons and a little Salsa Rueda too!, 7 PM 

Paradise Health & Fitness Dance Studio, 1706 N Roosevelt Blvd. 

Beginner to advanced. Drop in class every Friday, no partner 

needed. keywestdance.wordpress.com 

FUNRAISERS 

Daily to July 3 

Fundraiser for Cynthia Kulp, 10-6 PM Artists in Paradise Gallery, 

Winn-Dixie Shopping Plaza, Big Pine Key. 872-1828. Special raffle 

at the gallery to assist Cynthia Kulp. Donated art work for the raffle 

created by Kim Workman/Kimians Art, titled “Three Lookdowns.” 

The winning ticket announced on July 4. artistinparadise.com 

n

Mobile Business Services 

KEY WEST 

ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH 

24 ww.konklife.com 


IAN BROCKWAY 


T R O P I C 

S P R O C K E T S 

Frances Ha 

If you crave some arty mumblecore after this year’s explosive 

antipasto of summer films, you will be well satisfied in sampling 

Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha” starring Indie darling 

Greta Gerwig in the title role, who also co-wrote the script. 

Frances is a dabbling dancer who has her performance degree 

but hasn’t done much with it. She is quirky, gullible and 

spacey. She also appears to have OCD (although it is not explicitly 

described) and is a pathological liar. People who meet 

her are either endeared by her or annoyed. Most don’t know 

quite how to take her. 

Frances has an obsession with her nonchalant and dry 

roommate Sophie (Mickey Sumner). Sophie enjoys being in 

control, and Frances can’t seem to let go, even when pressured 

by Frances’ longtime beau Dan (Michael Esper) who is as 

bland as a piece of chalk and seems more like an acquaintance. 

Just when Frances rebuffs Dan’s offer to move in, Sophie 

announces she is moving to another borough with her selfconscious 

fiancé Patch (Patrick Heusinger). Devastated but 

prone to twirling in the streets of Brooklyn, Frances moves in 

with three 21st century bohemians who also dabble: Rachel, 

(Grace Gummer) Lev, ( Adam Driver) and Benji (Michael 

Zegan). The flopping four have dinner parties, smoke and sip 

wine as trust fund children. Frances tries to ingratiate herself, 

and as the conversation patters into French territory, she 

makes herself into an expert traveller and invites herself to 

share a house in Paris. Is this a manipulation or a happenstance? 

Such judgments like Frances’ feet are left up in the air. 

The lackadaisical vignettes of the film are deceiving. 

Frances as a character works on you with slow but gradual 

carbonation that accelerates by story’s end. What seems full 

of whimsy ala Audrey Tautou in “Amelie” has a dark gray 

streak of dominance, control and desperation. Frances is more 

than a bit unstable, yet her smirk invariably appears as if 

to save her from the butterfly net of a schizoid metropolis. 

The narrative is reverently filmed in a digital black and 

white as if to summon the ‘70s and ‘80s aura of Woody Allen 

and Jim Jarmusch in their heyday. 

“Frances Ha” tilts its Gotham city jitters into likable 

quirks in the same way that “Annie Hall” did in 1977. The 

fedora-hatted youth still share peeling apartments and talk 

about dating and sex, but now the shadows of darkness and 

light are more starkly shown in contrast under the a blinding 

glare of cell phones, Facebook and the isolation of Skype, not 

to mention the evermore confining factor of the amount of 

disposable income. The concept of money is like an albinoeyed 

wraith that hovers throughout the entire film. But fear 

not, the incarnation of Frances turns all poltergeists into 

Caspers. 

■ 

Write ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com 

www.TropicCinema.com 

Tropic Cinema, the only nonprofit art multiplex in South Florida. 

Rated “Best Cinema in Florida 2009-2012” 

Blue Door String Quartet 

FUN T I M E S 

Hog’s Breath Saloon 

400 Front. St., (305) 296-4222 

n 


John Belushi, Steve Marriott, and Steve Miller. 

Moose is of African-American, Native American 

(Choctaw and Cherokee), Cajun and 

Georgia redneck descent. He discovered his 

love for music, specifically the blues, as a 

young boy. He sang in church choirs at age 

seven. He got his first taste of the blues from 

his father, a guitarist, and songwriter who had 

jammed with Muddy Waters. 

South Florida Symphony’s 

Blue Door Quartet 

Ocean Key Resort, 

Zero Duval St., (305) 296-7701 

n 

Vienna After Dark 0721 7pm 

Sunday, July 21, Josephine S. Leiser Opera 

Center, Ft. Lauderdale. Price: $30 

Mozart: String Quartet in D Minor 

Webern: 5 Movements for String Quartet 

Schubert: String Quartet in D Minor, 

D. 810 Death and the Maiden 

7pm Monday, July 22, The Studios of Key 

West. Price: $25/general seating; 

$35/reserved seating 

Free Tai Chi class 

Clinic of Alternative Medicine and Joe Furey’s 

Key West Tai Chi holds free one-hour Tai Chi 

Chuan classes at 7 p.m. Mondays and 7 a.m. 

Wednesdays starting June 17 for six weeks at 

Poinciana Plaza, 3420 Duck Avenue. Learn and 

practice the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi 

Chuan enhancing balance, coordination, 

flexibility, strength and improve physical and 

mental health. 

INFO www.clinicofalternativemedicine.com 


O N T H E M U S I C S C E N E 

Marine sanctuary hosts 

youth, family photo 

contest 

n Through Labor Day, September 2 

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in 

partnership with the Sportfishing Conservancy, 

hosts the 2013 Sanctuary Classic, a free, summer-long 

fishing photo contest to promote sustainable 

recreational angling in national marine 

sanctuaries. 

Nationwide contest opened June 8, World 

Oceans Day, and ends Labor Day, September 2. 

The Sportfishing Conservancy will award 

weekly prizes for photos that show fishing in a 

national marine sanctuary. Additional prize 

scholarships will be awarded for the four pictures 

that best exemplify youth fishing, family fishing 

or conservation in a sanctuary. As this is a photo 

contest, catch-and-release is encouraged and participants 

asked to follow The Sportfishing Conservancy’s 

best practices guidelines. 

“By focusing on photographs, we encourage 

angling participation while promoting 

the joy of ethical catch-and-release fishing,” said 

Tom Raftican, The Sportfishing Conservancy 

president. 

“Recreational fishing is a memorable way for 

children and families to experience the sanctuary,” 

said Sean Morton, sanctuary superintendent. 

This is the second year of the Sanctuary Classic. 

Additional support for the event is being provided 

by national and local partners, including 

National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Guy 

Harvey Ocean Foundation, Sportfishing Conservancy, 

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 

NOAA’s Fisheries Service and West 

Marine. INFO www.sanctuaryclassic.org

Mini-Season 

Key West Summer Stage 

The Key West Summer Stage is a four-week 

mini-season of theater at the Red Barn. The 

KWSS is produced by TheatreXP in association 

with the Red Barn. The 2013 Season: 

Through July 27 

BURN THIS is playwright Lanford Wilson 

at his best. It is at its heart a love story, but 

getting there is all the fun. A truly unique 

blend of characters — a dancer, a gay friend, a 

straightlaced lover out of his depth and an explosive 

brother combine in a powerhouse play 

that knocked Broadway on its behind. Often 

called the “play that made John Malkovitch a 

star,” it is not to be missed. 

New play reading 

8 p.m. July 1 

As part of the South Florida Theatre 

League’s Summer Festival Reading Series, 

TheatreXP and The Key West Summer Stage 

have been selected as the Monroe County site 

for this year’s readings. 

In a one-night only event, MOMENT 

OF GRACE, the new play by Key West’s Bob 

Bowersox (author, producer and director of last 

fall’s hit play at the Red Barn, PERSON OF 

INTEREST) will be read by eight of Key 

O U T B A C K 

K E Y H A P P E N I N G S 

West’s top actors. 

A discussion of the play between audience, 

author and actors will take place following the 

reading. 

The play centers around three friends who 

have gathered to mourn the passing of a 

fourth, only to find that the deceased man had 

a secret that comes to them in a startling way. 

It’s a story about the nature of love and how we 

each relate to it. A fascinating way to see the 

creative side of theater in process and take a 

personal part in the development of a brand 

new major play. 

July 7, July 28 

8 p.m. Little Room Jazz Club, 821 Duval 

In a first for Key West, Key West Summer 

Stage is premiering Story Slams, an event 

where anyone can vie for cash prizes by telling 

the best true story of the night. Each storyteller 

will have five minutes at the microphone 

to tell whatever story they want to, provided it 

sticks to the theme of the night. The rest of 

the patrons will vote at the end of the night for 

the best stories. It’s a hilarious night of real 

people telling real stories, which always end up 

a terrific mix of poignant, funny, heart-breaking, 

and best of all true. 

The themes for this year’s Key West 

Summer Stage/KWSS Story Slams are: 

July 1 My First Time 

July 28 Best Ever 

Military free admission 

through Labor Day 

In recognition of the long relationship 

between Key West and the U.S. service 

branches, Key West Botanical Garden Society 

announced all active duty military personnel 

and families may enter the botanical 

park on Stock island free of charge until 

Labor Day. Included are families of the 

U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast 

Guard, National Guard and Reserve, U.S. 

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps 

and NOAA Commissioned Corps. 

e Blue Star Museums initiative is a 

collaborative effort among the National Endowment 

for the Arts, Blue Starfamilies, 

Department of Defense and 1,800 museums 

nationwide. Leadership support provided 

by MetLife Foundation through Blue 

Star Families. Participating sites and ID 

cards online. 

INFO www.kwbgs.org 


ONGOING 

ARTIST 

EXHIBITIONS 

RodStuDa’s Photo of the Week Exhibit, 1 PM, 

Tropic Cinema Lobby Gallery, 416 Eaton St. 

Thru June. tropiccinema.com 

Key West Art Garden Exhibit, KW Tropical Forest & 

Botanical Garden, 5210 College Road. Thru July. 

keywestbotanicalgarden.org 

“Visions and Dreams” Exhibit, The Gato Building, 

1100 Simonton St. 295-4369. Thru August. 

Pam Eden Reflections of Eden Exhibit, Gato Building, 

1100 Simonton St. 295-4369. Thru August. 

Derek Gores Exhibit, Joy Gallery, 330 Simonton St. 

Thru Summer. joygalleryonline.com 

Show & Tell Art Meeting, The Wine Cottage on Eaton, 

930 Eaton St. 772-216-5933. Weekly Wednesdays. 

DANCE 

CoffeeMill Dance Studio, 916 Pohalski St, 296-9982, 

Ballet, jazz/ contemporary, modern, Hatha Yoga, 

hip hop, pilates, Aeroblast, Zumba & Capoeira for 

beginner through professional adult. 

coffeemilldance.com. 

The Dance Factory, 906 Kennedy Dr, 296-5015. 

Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballroom, Creative 

movement & Gymnastics for the dancer. 

Thursdays: Argentine Tango Classes, 7:30 PM; 

Sundays: Dance Party, 7 PM; Mondays: Argentine 

Tango Practica, 8 PM; Tuesdays: Ballroom Latin 

Classes, 7:30 PM, call Daina at 304-8184. 

Lucy & Friends, Paradise Health & Fitness Dance 

Studio, 1706 N Roosevelt Blvd. Lucy, 296-6348. 

Salsa & Wedding Dance Lessons. 

keywestdance.wordpress.com 

MUSEUMS 

Lloyd’s Tropical Bike Tour (Teens & Adults), 10 AM, 

Moped Hospital, 601 Truman Ave. Lloyd Mager, 

304-4700. 

Key West & the Cuban Missile Crisis Exhibit, & A 

Soldier from Independence Exhibit, Truman Little 

White House, 111 Front St. 294-9911. 

Thru September. trumanlittlewhitehouse.com 

Blue Star Museums Program, 9:30 AM, Key West Art 

& Historical Society, 281 Front St. 295-6616, ext. 102. 

kwahs.com Museums include The Custom House, 

The Key West Lighthouse & Museum, Fort East 

Martello & Key West Botanical Garden & Tropical 

Rainforest. Free admission for active military & up to 

five members of their family. Thru Labor Day. 

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS 

Mondays - Beading Workshop & Meeting, 1 PM, 

Guild Hall Gallery, Upstairs, 614 Duval St. Jean 

Disrud, 304-8377. 

Wednesdays - Florida Keys Plein Air Painters, 

9:30 AM, Joan Cox, 908-246-2043. 

Wednesday Morning Artists’ Coffee, 10 AM, Lois 

Giffen, 2000 Manor Lane, Marathon. 743-3546. 

Daily - Classical Guitar Lessons, Matthew Jampol 

Classical Guitar Studio, 304-1437. 

seaconcertmusic.com

Yes, THAT Atlantis. In 

the Bahamas. On a 

family vacation (not yet my own). 

Because, god knows, I don’t take 

many family vacations with my own 

family. 

I got here by way of Palm Beach 

Gardens, for BBE’s (you remember, 

Best. Boyfriend. Ever?) eight-yearold 

son’s All-Star Baseball tournament. 

“Wah-what,” you cry, as you 

spit up your Mimosa? 

I guess it’s time for me to come 

clean: not only am I in a real, 

grown-up relationship, but there’s a 

son of a BBE. Daughter, too. And 

soon, we will all be living under the 

same roof. With my cats, of course. 

To prepare for a move that will 

be traumatic enough, if not simply 

because I just moved 10 months 

ago, BBE thought I should get 

slam-dunked head-first into his 

world. Apparently things are 

different when you are no longer 

the slumber party guest star. 

Easing me into this transition, 

BBE has kept me well-lubricated. 

(Get your filthy minds out of the 

gutter — I’m talking alcohol here!) 

First, there was the $6.99 bottle 

of Merlot (Chevron’s finest) we 

bought around the corner from the 

baseball game. I think I made a 

good impression with the Conch 

families, a true professional 

stumbling up the bleachers without 

spilling any wine from my 16 oz. 

to-go cup. I’m not sure how familiar 

a face I have to be before they start 

sharing with me whatever they’re 

swilling out of their Circle K 

64-ouncers, but I’m hopeful. 

I know I made some kind 

of impression, at least, because 

before the next day’s game, one of 

the Conch dads looked at me when 

asking the other Conch dads if 

anyone wanted a beer from the 

hotel bar before we left. Yes! I’ve got 

a foot in the door! 

For the record, I declined 

B I T C H I N ‘ 

P A R A D I S E 

DISPATCH FROM ATLANTIS 

because I was going to find a 

poolside cabana and order wine and 

read a book . . . I’d paid my dues the 

night before. 

Naturally, that was the shortest 

game of the entire weekend. 

Second, there’s the way we walk 

behind the family while sightseeing, 

and BBE pulls me aside to the 

closest lobby bar, or pool bar, so we 

can pound one or two — I said 

alcohol, pervs! — before anyone 

realizes we’re gone. Although maybe 

we aren’t so slick, because it wasn’t 

dusk on our first day here when one 

of his family members asked if we 

had a drinking problem . . . 

So here I am in the Bahamas, 

with BBE bringing me Mimosas 

in bed, then giving me my own 

time to read, or write, or lay in 

bed and watch Will & Grace on 

Lifetime. Ordering me to pick 

another fine dining establishment 

for another date night and to 

schedule our afternoon massages. 

I don’t know . . . maybe this is how 

our life will always be. 

It’s crazy, but I’m in love. 


■ 

Kimberley 

Denney 

@bitchinparadise 

Hit me up, yo: 

bitchinparadise@earthlink.net or 

www.bitchinparadise.net 

Tweeting @bitchinparadise

City declines to renew land lease for Key West ... - KONK Network

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