About 135 stocky, bearded men who resemble Ernest Hemingway have converged on Key West to compete in the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest that began Thursday night — the 123rd anniversary of the legendary author’s birth.
The three-night competition is a highlight of the island’s Hemingway Days festivities, celebrating the literary mastery and exuberant lifestyle of the man who lived and wrote in Key West for most of the 1930s.
Thursday night, cheered by crowds of spectators, aspiring “Ernests” paraded across the stage at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a historic saloon where Hemingway often enjoyed cocktails with friends.
Competing for the title of “Papa,” a nickname adopted by the author, they wore sportsman’s attire or heavy turtleneck sweaters — even in the Key West summer — to emulate his signature garb.
The Hemingway hopefuls, many of them repeat contenders, are judged by previous contest winners including 2021’s Zach Taylor of Ambrose, Georgia.
The competition’s second preliminary round is set for Friday and the 2022 winner is to be chosen during Saturday night’s finals.
During his Key West years, Hemingway penned classics including “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not,” a novel set primarily in the island city.
Hemingway Days continues through Sunday with events including a quirky “Running of the Bulls” spoof, a street fair and the Key West Marlin Tournament that salutes the author’s passion for Florida Keys fishing.
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