The Studios of Key West Presents the Conch Ship: A Community Powered Art Event from May 15-205/5/2023 Weeklong project includes May 15 Town Hall Session, May 16-20 Building Week, and May 20 Final Event
Climb aboard The Conch Ship! The Studios of Key West, with a crew of artists led by Chantal Pavageaux, invites the public to be a part of this one-of-a-kind art event, where The Studios will attempt the impossible – capturing the island’s state of mind in under a week as a live art performance event. The whole island is invited to participate, and there are a number of ways to get involved in the weeklong series of events. On Monday May 15, from 6-7:30pm, there’s a free Town Hall Conversation – a structured input session where snacks are served and anyone and everyone is invited to share their thoughts, dreams and fears for our island. May 16-20 is Building Week, when the ideas generated during the Town Hall are creatively transformed into The Conch Ship. Volunteers are invited to drop in and help make the magic happen, committing as much or as little time they’d like. Creative skills are appreciated, but not required, and everyone is welcome. On Saturday May 20, 6-7:30pm, The Studios presents The Conch Ship: A Community Powered Art Event. Part installation, part performance, and part social gathering, the public can experience the results of a week’s creativity, centered on the island we love, and then have some food and drink together to talk about it. Tickets for the final event are $10, and 100% of ticket sales benefit S.O.S. Food Pantry. All events take place at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton Street. Project details and tickets for the May 20 final event can be purchased at tskw.org, or by calling 305-296-0458. Made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
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BIG PINE KEY, FL – Monroe County Fire Rescue, the Florida Forest Service, and the National Weather Service are co-hosting Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at Station 13, 390 Key Deer Blvd., Big Pine Key. Both organizations are partnering with the National Fire Protection Association to promote simple tips to protect your home and community from wildfires.
Preparation tips include planning two ways out of your neighborhood and clearing pine needles, leaves, and other debris from roofs, gutters, and decks. Disposal of lawn cuttings can reduce fuel for wildfire as well as keeping your lawns mowed and hydrated. The event will have free fire prevention materials and snow cones. Children can also tour a fire truck and brush truck and meet firefighters and forest rangers along with Sparky the Fire Dog and Smokey the Bear. “The previous wildfires that impacted our County have shown that prevention is a key factor, especially in more rural areas,” said Monroe County Deputy Chief RL Colina. “The steps taken in preparing yourself, your family, and your homes for potential hazards help create informed citizens and better outcomes for the entire community in emergencies.” ![]() In the photo: Standing: Lt. Billy Vazquez, Commissioners Mary Lou Hoover, Lissette Carey and Jimmy Weekley, Chief Sean Brandenburg, Mayor Teri Johnston, Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman, Capt. Jason Castillo, Commissioners Clayton Lopez and Billy Wardlow, and Chief’s Executive Assistant Floyd Jenkins. Kneeling: Officer Ivan Golovanov, Sgt. Joe Stockton, Sgt. Karl Malsheimer, K9 Officer Matthew Hansell, and Communications Supervisor Jack Burns. May 4, 2022 - Mayor Teri Johnston and the Key West City Commission, during this week’s meeting, proclaimed May 19th as Police Officers’ Memorial Day and the week of May 15th as Key West Police Week.
“As a City we rely on law enforcement officers to keep our neighborhoods safe, enforce our laws, and respond in times of crisis,” reads the proclamation. “These men and women sustain peace and order in our community. They routinely put their lives on the line to defend ours, and the price of bravery may result in injury, disability, or death.” During this week, the nation honors the extraordinary service and sacrifice by law enforcement officers and memorializes those fallen heroes whose selfless acts have left behind safer streets and stronger communities. On Friday, May 19th the community will have the opportunity to pay tribute to those brave men and women who have fallen in the line of duty. The annual Law Enforcement Day Memorial Service begins at 5 p.m. at Bayview Park in Key West. ![]() May 3, 2023 - The City of Key West and Key West Transit are launching a new express route and implementing service adjustments to help improve service reliability, schedules, and performance of our bus system. Beginning Monday, May 15th, Key West Transit will launch the Workforce Express route which will run from Stock Island to Bahama Village. The Workforce Express bus will travel on Truman Ave., North Roosevelt Blvd., and Duck Ave. during peak hours -- only stopping at designated bus stops. The route will operate Monday through Sunday, providing a more efficient, low-stress alternative to driving while improving mobility and convenience. The following buses routes will be discontinued on Monday, May 15th: North Line and the South Line. These adjustments are the result of data gathered through the Key West Rides On Demand, says Transit Director Rod Delostrinos. “We were able to see ridership aggregation patterns,” he said. “The Workforce Express will allow regular riders to get to their destination faster and free up the on-demand service for other trips.” Key West Transit riders can view more details regarding the upcoming service adjustments on www.wkwtransit.com. ![]() KEY LARGO, FL – The Monroe County Public Library Key Largo branch will temporarily close on Mondays, starting May 8, due to a staffing shortage. The temporary change will last only until new employees are hired and trained. The library, at 101485 Overseas Highway in the Tradewinds Shopping Plaza, will be open: Tuesday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Library books and DVDs are available 24/7 from the lending machine at Monroe County’s Murray Nelson Government Center, 102050 Overseas Highway, Key Largo. There is also a pickup locker outside the library branch, so patrons can request items to be held there and pick them up any time. In addition, eBooks, eAudiobooks, streaming films, and more are available 24/7 via the library website, www.keyslibraries.org. If you have questions, call the Key Largo library at 305-451-2396 or email [email protected]. BIG PINE KEY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners and Monroe County Land Authority, who are prioritizing affordable housing development, joined the Monroe County Housing Authority to break ground at one of the 12 two-bedroom, one-bathroom, single-family affordable home sites being rebuilt as rentals on Big Pine Key. The project was a joint partnership between the three entities and will be managed by the Housing Authority. More than $6 million in land acquisition and construction funding came from Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Rent on the homes will range between $300-$1,700 a month for qualified applicants based on income limits.
Monroe County Mayor Craig Cates, Land Authority Executive Director Christine Hurley, and Vice Chairman of the Housing Authority Pat Labrada spoke at the ceremony. Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein and Commissioners Michelle Lincoln and Jim Scholl were also in attendance. The houses will be hurricane rated, elevated above flood risk, and built to Florida Green Standards. “This is a great example of how the Housing Authority and the Board of County Commissioners work together on affordable housing initiatives,” said Labrada. The construction is being done in phases, with the first house expected to be move-in ready by the end of this year and others coming available throughout 2024. “There is a lot of talk about the need for affordable housing, and we are so happy about these homes because they will be for families, and it will give them the future they need to stay here,” said Cates. “This project is making a small but huge dent in affordable housing, and we are much better off than we were years ago.” Hurley explained the impact the Lower Keys area experienced in Hurricane Irma and thanked Merrill Raschein for her commitment to securing funding for housing while she was a State Representative. “Our Board sees affordable housing as a need for our community members and this project sets a new standard for a type of housing that is missing in publically assisted affordable housing. We can continue to partner in projects like this,” she said. Forty more units are on the horizon, similarly funded with the same type of partnership structure. These additional units will be built on Big Pine Key and Conch Key. The Housing Authority has not started taking applications for the homes yet. More information on the Housing Authority can be found at https://www.kwha.org/mcha/. KEY WEST, Fla. – Dry Tortugas National Park announced the finding of archeological remains of a 19th century quarantine hospital and cemetery on a submerged island near Garden Key. While only one grave has been identified, historical records indicate that dozens of people, mostly U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson, may have been buried there. The small quarantine hospital was used to treat yellow fever patients at the fort between 1890 and 1900. The cemetery has been identified as the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery.
In August 2022, park cultural resources staff, assisted by members of the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center, the Southeast Archeological Center, and a University of Miami graduate student conducted a survey that led to the findings. Since that time, they have been researching historical records to learn more about the site and the individual. According to historical research, dozens of people were interred in the Fort Jefferson Post Cemetery, and while most of them were military members serving or imprisoned at the Fort, several were civilians. One of those civilians, John Greer, was employed as a laborer at the fort and died there on Nov. 5, 1861. While the details surrounding his death are unclear, his grave, located during the survey, was prominently marked with a large slab of greywacke, the same material used to construct the first floor of Fort Jefferson. The slab was carved into the shape of a headstone and inscribed with his name and date of death. “This intriguing find highlights the potential for untold stories in Dry Tortugas National Park, both above and below the water,” said Josh Marano, maritime archeologist for the south Florida national parks and project director for the survey. “Although much of the history of Fort Jefferson focuses on the fortification itself and some of its infamous prisoners, we are actively working to tell the stories of the enslaved people, women, children and civilian laborers.” While mostly known for its use as a military prison during the American Civil War, the islands and waters surrounding Fort Jefferson were also used for a naval coaling outpost, lighthouse station, naval hospital, quarantine facility, and more generally for safe harbor and military training. As the population of Fort Jefferson swelled with military personnel, prisoners, enslaved people, engineers, support staff, laborers, and their families, the risk of deadly communicable diseases, particularly the mosquito-borne yellow fever, drastically increased. Major outbreaks of disease on the island exacted a heavy toll on those staying there, killing dozens throughout the 1860s and 1870s. Given the increasing population and lack of space on Garden Key, several of the nearby islands were equipped with small structures for use as quarantine hospitals in the 1860s. While the plainly built facilities on the islands were considered minimal at the time, the transfer of sick and dying patients to these small islands, isolated from the congested Fort Jefferson, likely saved hundreds from a similar fate. Although the use of many of the quarantine hospitals on the surrounding islands ceased after Fort Jefferson was abandoned in 1873, the fort’s future use by the U.S. Marine Hospital Service between 1890 and 1900 again required the development of an isolation hospital on one of the keys. The find also highlights the impacts of climate change on resources in the Dry Tortugas. While the facilities identified in this survey were originally built on dry land, the dynamic conditions caused many of the islands to move over time. Climate change and major storm events have even caused some islands to settle and erode beneath the waves. Efforts to learn more about Mr. Greer and other individuals interred on the now submerged island are ongoing. The remains of the hospital as well as the surrounding cemetery have been documented as an archeological resource and will be routinely monitored by members of the South Florida National Parks Cultural Resources Program. Visitors are reminded that submerged cultural heritage is protected under federal law. May is Preservation Month, and this year’s theme is “People Saving Places.” Additional information regarding the discovery and future research will be shared publicly through the park website, social media and interpretive programs. For more information about Dry Tortugas National Park, visit nps.gov/drto or follow the park on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ![]() Wesley House Family Services is seeking nurturing families interested in providing a loving home to children and teens who are in the foster care system. Classes begin on June 15th at the Wesley House Key Largo office, 99451 Overseas Hwy., Ste. 200, and will be held for eight weeks from 6 - 9 pm. Registration is required. The class uses the Creating and Retaining Excellence (C.A.R.E.) curriculum. There is a great need for foster parents in the Upper Keys. If you can offer love and support to a child, you can be a foster parent! By providing a nurturing and caring home environment to the most vulnerable children in Monroe County, you can make a difference in your community! To register or for more information call Megan Burgess at 305-809-5020 or e-mail [email protected]. KEY WEST, Florida Keys – Twelve personnel from Coast Guard Sector Key West Officers Wardroom volunteered their time for several hours in April at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. Alexandra Hughes organized the group which gave several hours of community service. Under the guidance of Garden Guardian volunteers Audrey Thompson, Cathy Matier, and Pat Borgens mulch was installed along College Road, several logs were moved to outline paths on the Birders Trail and soil and sod was removed in order to get the Garden’s north gate open again. The Garden expresses a huge thank you to all the volunteers not only for their efforts at the Garden but for their service to our country as well.
Volunteers are welcome to help the Garden Guardians on Wednesday and Saturdays. Donations of landscape tools and power equipment are also appreciated and are tax deductible. |
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