Ernest Hemingway was called a lot of things during his lifetime, but philanthropist was not one of them. But every year around his birthday, around 150 that bear a striking resemblance to him converge on Key West to raise money for scholarships for college-bound seniors studying literature and nursing. Although the majority look like him later in life, a couple of young ones appear as he did while he lived here.
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What is Hemingway Days?
Ernest Hemingway first came to Key West in April 1928 and lived there until 1939. He moved to Cuba but continued to visit Key West until his death in 1961. Even though he only resided in Key West for a little over a decade, his presence is still felt nearly 100 years later.
Much of his spirit is kept alive through the annual Hemingway Days festival held in July. The festival revolves around Hemingway’s birthday, and Old Town is abuzz with all things Hemingway. There are marlin fishing tournaments, look-a-like contests, photo opportunities, and a “Running with the Bulls” event where Papa wannabes run through the streets of Key West dressed in their Pamplona best.
For four days in July, 150 contestants and hundreds more celebrate the life and works of the renowned author. In a salute to his sporting lifestyle and adventurous spirit, a fishing tournament is held on nearby Stock Island. Anglers target marlin, spearfish, sailfish, dolphin fish, tuna, and wahoo for cash prizes and bragging rights. There are also 5K run/walks and paddleboard races. The final day sees past “Papa” Hemingway look-a-like contest winners, dressed in the famous look of those from Pamplona, Spain, running through the streets. They are chased by a breed of “bull” found only in Key West.
Throughout all the festivities and revelry, there is a good cause behind it. The Hemingway Look-Alike Society has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, mostly to students attending the College of the Florida Keys.
The Hemingway Days festival is a great way to celebrate the life and works of one of America’s greatest writers. It is also a great opportunity to experience the unique culture of Key West.
Hemingway Look-A-Like Contest: The Beginning
Ernest Hemingway was many things to many people: a raging drunk, a charming womanizer, a brilliant writer, and a survivor of two plane crashes in two days. He shot himself in both legs while wrangling a shark, had at least nine major concussions, and suffered brain damage. He had four wives and three children. Despite all this, he won both the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes. He hunted, fished, boxed, and drank…a lot.
In 1981, Michael Whalton, the manager of Sloppy Joe’s Bar, had an idea to attract tourists during Key West’s slow summer season. He decided to honor one of Key West’s most famous former residents with a birthday party. The celebration was held at Sloppy Joe’s, one of Hemingway’s favorite hangouts. It included a look-alike contest, a street fair, and a “running of the bulls.”
The “bull run” was the only flop that first year. “Only because we had people dressed up in bull costumes running through the streets in 100-degree weather,” Whalton jokes. He also had a chance encounter with Ernest’s only brother, Leicester, who offered to help with the celebration. It was Leicester’s idea to only have one winner in the look-alike contest, to heighten the sense of being “that close” to winning.
The Hemingway Days festival has been held annually ever since. It is now a major event in Key West, attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. The festival honors Hemingway’s life and work, and raises money for scholarships to help students attend the College of the Florida Keys.
Hemingway Days Evolves
Leicester and Hemingway’s granddaughter, Lorian, agreed to judge the first Hemingway Short Story Contest. The first contest drew only 36 local entries. It now draws about a thousand entries from around both the US and the world. Lorian still coordinates the contest. The literary component of the festival expanded in 1989, when a writers’ workshop was added. Held upstairs at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, 36 writers attended. A Young Writer’s Scholarship was added several years later to help college-bound high school seniors. Later, additional scholarships were added to those seeking a degree in Nursing.
Throughout the years, the contest and the festival, itself, changed and evolved. “You don’t want a guy to win it just because he looks like Hemingway. You want an adventurous guy – we’ve all done adventurous stuff. I’ve gone around the world twice, I was in the war, I’ve done all kinds of fun stuff, and was attuned to Hemingway’s idea of masculinity and heroics,” says “Papa” Wally Collins, 2014 Winner.
“They said if Hemingway came, he wouldn’t win the first three years,” said “Papa” Michael Groover, 2018 Winner. “You have to show longevity and what you can bring to the scholarship fund, and people get to know you and your personality.”
Many admire Hemingway’s lifestyle and his ability to test himself. His adventures. And just as many see a little bit of themselves in him.
Collin Cope, one of the Wannabes that actually looks like Hemingway did when he lived in Key West, says, “He’s a fun guy and a very complicated man. But in terms of exploring masculinity and what it was like to pave your own way forward is something I’ve always been interested in. He was a big guy who loved to box, loved to fish, he liked to write. Things I do often. I’m a big fly-fisherman. I used to box in college. There are a lot of similarities that I can draw from him. I enjoy him as a case study. Less from a marital point of view. But like a guy conquering life.”
As the contest evolved over the years, it became less about looking like the man, although that does help, and more about furthering the Society’s aim of raising money for scholarships. The Hemingway Look-alike Society collects donations throughout the year and raises funds with events held during the Hemingway Days festival.
What Happens at Hemingway Days
Short Story Competition
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition awards a scholarship of $2,500 to emerging writers. The winners are announced and their story is read to the public for the first time at the Monroe County Public Library on the first day of the festival. The Key West Poetry Guild also showcases some of Hemingway’s little-known poetry works at the event.
Fishing Competition
Ernest Hemingway was just as comfortable aboard his boat, the Pilar, fighting a marlin of a thousand pounds as he was catching a one-pound trout in the streams of northern Michigan. The same enthusiasm can be seen in the Perry Hotel & Marina Key West Marlin Tournament, where anglers compete against one another for a guaranteed $50,000 in cash prizes. Participants target marlin, spearfish, sailfish, tuna, dolphin fish, and wahoo.
Cuban Yo-Yo Fishing
The wannabes try their luck in 5-minute rounds of Cuban Yo-Yo fishing. A Cuban Yo-Yo is a hand-held reel that allows the fisherman to cast the line out by hand without a rod and reel. The goal is to catch as many fish as possible in the time limit, and the cumulative length of the fish determines the winner.
One of the most fascinating parts of the event is seeing the tarpon and occasional nurse shark come in to check out what’s going on. These large fish are often curious about the commotion and will sometimes swim right up to the wannabes’ lines.
Running of the “Bulls” in Key West
The running of the “bulls” is one of the funniest and most enjoyable parts of the four-day festival. Although the wannabes are dressed in their best red-and-white bull-evading outfits, it is not exactly like the streets of Pamplona, Spain. In homage to Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, a novel about a group of American and British expatriates who travel to Spain during the festival of San Fermín, the “bulls” are let loose in the streets of Old Town. However, no animals are harmed in this reenactment. These are nothing more than wooden bulls pushed by a couple of guys while another sits on top. And don’t expect this to be a run. It is more of a leisurely stroll around the block. But no matter the speed, it is hilarious to watch.
Watch as we tagged along with the Papas and Wannabes!
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The Hemingway Look-A-Likes
The most famous event at the Hemingway Days festival is the Look-alike contest, held each night at Sloppy Joe’s. The first night is a meet-and-greet with the Papas (former winners) and the Wannabes (those vying for the title). Everywhere you look, there he is! At the corner of every bar and on most barstools, there he is! And on the walls…there he is! On the back wall of Sloppy Joe’s is “The Wall of Papa”, where photos of every winner are framed.
The second and third nights are for Round 1, where the Wannabes have 15 seconds to try to convince the judges why they should be the next Papa. If they are successful, they move on to Saturday and the finals. The field is reduced from approximately 150 down to 12.
On Saturday, the 12 who made it through Rounds 1 and 2 have 1 minute to sway the judges again. Some give an impassioned speech, others use poetry, and some have a song prepared. The 12 are again reduced to the final 5. By now, these men have rehearsed what they are going to say and give their last 2-minute pitch.
Finally, it is time to announce the winner. From 150 down to 12, then 5, and now…1! All the judges are on the stage and the name is read. The next Papa comes up and is surrounded by his new fraternity. An elite group of philanthropists under whose guidance hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to send deserving students to college.
And with that, another year of the Hemingway Days festival is over. Next year, we will see many of the same faces and a few new ones. Many from all over the United States, but a couple of international Wannabes as well. But never more than 150. Years ago, the decision was made to cap entries to 150 to keep the festival and events from being too long. But it is amazing to know that there are that many people who want to be a part of this organization to help deserving students offset their tuition costs.