Fantasy Fest, Key West, Oh Yes, Florida, Tuesday October 23...
Fantasy fest is like the French Riviera without the sand. People are comfortable in their own skin, and I mean every-day people like your mailman or your kid’s teacher or for that matter your grandparents. Perfect 10 bodies are not necessary or required. Forget the ideals of classic Greek and Roman statuary. This is a celebration of the every-day anatomy of the 99% of the rest of us who vastly outnumber the mightily toned or endowed.
Attitude counts. Big time. And so does group mentality. This is why we are all here. And have permission to toss the norms of everyday street life out the window.
“My husband made me this chain link bodice for me,“ a radiant 60-something woman says proudly as she stands next to him obliging for a photo, radiant smile to complement lovely mature tatas.
I’ll bet they have been planning to come here for months. And that her husband, with gold Mardi Gras beads draped around his neck, was happy to indulge her to show off her beautiful features. A sense of playfulness has descended over Duval Street, transforming it into a Magic Kingdom for adults.
It is so wonderfully out-of-whack that when a perfect stranger asks to take your photo when you’re wearing next to nothing and you oblige. Heck, you take it as a compliment. Complimentary exclamations ring out from store front to store front in as heuristic an environment as there ever was.
With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning…Why Do I Love Fantasy Fest, Let Me Count The Ways.
In these troubled times, it is a healthy temporary escape valve from the torrents of divisive political intolerance, murderous rampages, fragmented social media, and unsettling news every hour of the day. I didn’t read a newspaper or watch the news for 96 hours. My citizen self went on vacation with me. My psyche felt like a dolphin swimming in a sea of endorphins.
It is a most welcome antidote for our brains that have been branded with images of populating fashion runways and the pages of People and Vanity Fair magazines. With one stroke of a Key West magical wand we feel that our own images are cool enough to be splashed on glossy magazine covers, and boy oh boy are we proud of it.
I got in touch with my childish sense of play, felt like I was frolicking around in a huge Caribbean sand box, kissed by the sun, with a bunch of fun-loving new best friends.
The scenes around Captain Tony's Saloon...a necessary digression...
The spirit of the late great Captain Tony Tarracino is alive and well. It's not often that someone declared "the man, the myth, the legend" lived up to all of it. Fleeing to Key West to escape the Mob in New Jersey (not a good idea to cheat the mob by using a telephone to get early race results), Tony re-invented himself to become a shrimper, a charter boat captain, gun runner, became owner of Captain Tony’s Saloon on 428 Green Street in 1958 and one-time mayor of Key West. Not bad for a kid born to Italian immigrants.
In a small town known for its colorful characters, Tony was and is its most endearingly memorable. Tony's love life, also legendary, included four wives, 13 children and enough grandchildren to form a couple of soccer teams. His last child was born when he was 70. His most enduring legacy: the warmth, generosity, empathy for one and all, and uncanny ability to fully live every moment of his life, that exuded from every pore in his skinny body.
Of all the encomiums bestowed upon him, I’ll bet he was most proud of “the conscience of Key West." If you want to be transported into the life and times of a very human legend, a born raconteur with a big heart and an appetite for living in the moment, read "Life Lessons of a Legend," as told to tourist then friend Brad Manard in 2008. The essence of that man's spirit still animates the personality of his beloved island.
No surprise. Many of the festival’s Queen Bees are hanging out in front of Captain Tony's Saloon. They're followed by a swarm of adoring worker bees eager to bask in the iconic aura of the saloon and take selfies to prove that this week hasn’t been a dream.
Could this happen anywhere else on the planet? What do you think? Personally I doubt it.
Photo section below...
A few of Tuesday's events: Tutu Tuesday Bar Crawl, Captain Tony's Party in Plaid, Green Parrot Green Party (It's Not Easy Being Green), 'Cocktails for Animal Tails' with proceeds to Florida Keys SPCA and a bunch more. Every day and night is filled with themed event, oh my... more
Tutus, plaid, green...Duval Street is a scene
Captain Tony's Saloon on Green Street is a magnet. Tony Tarracino (1916-2008) A legend in his own time, Tony's shadow still looms over his saloon and his spirit animates the goings on here. Captain Tony's Plaid Night at Captain Tony's is at a full boil.
Are we having fun yet? And how does that plaid stay put?
This pair of plaid partiers were deluged with asks for photo opps.
My favorite pair of photos of the week...represents the range of people, the level of affection, and unaffectedness, displayed by people who come here to play and be free, not free from morality, because this is about fun, not debauchery.
Showing up with the right attitude is what counts. Captain Tony would second that idea.
The counter at Amigos, across the street from Captain Tony's Saloon, offers a fabulous people watching perch.The Masquerade March on Friday afternoon, the local's parade,will feature hilarious statements about the political opinions of residents of Key West. It will be the only manifestation of politics during the whole week. See Thursday's post when published.
The Smallest Bar in Key West lives up to its reputation, the most colorful closet-sized bar anywhere.
Rums like Sailor Jerry's are best sellers...sip is as you promenade up Duval Street...this is Key West, what do you expect?
Yes, we were here!
Sloppy Joe's on Duval Street; a proud plaid-ster.
Every bar along Duval Street is on the pub crawl list.
You gotta love the range of attire; NFL fans got a kick out of this metaphorical statement about referees.
People line up for a photo opp with this celebrant ; those tatas are the bomb!
Sure you can take our photo! Love the guy's smile walking behind the red tutu.
Spontaneous photo opp, fore and aft.
Clowning around for fun; doncha love the matching green suspenders and tutus:)
Everyone wants a photo opp with this pair of partiers; that extra pair of hands is hilarious.
"Kiss End of the Road Farewell Tour" will happen soon but there will be no farewells for anyone dressing up as Gene Simmons anytime soon; plaid paradise.
Pectorals and paint, a fine combination; a fast way to cruise Duval Street.
Spectacular people watching day and night.
The Bull and Whistle on Duval Street; of course we'll pose for a photo!
The body paint artists were busy; one of the many great people watching seats, the street side tables at Caroline's.
We were the plaid people. Loved your article and hope to see you again next year. Best party on the planet
Posted by: Momol | December 30, 2019 at 05:06 PM