KEY WEST, Fla. — It’s described as “the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on,” and 8 teams had plenty of fun Saturday afternoon, when the Conch Republic Bed Race took place in Key West.
A highlight of the island’s Conch Republic Independence Celebration, the race starred “strange bedfellows” propelling decorated beds on wheels up the island’s famed Duval Street.
Entrants were pitted against each other to pilot their beds as fast as possible to the finish line. Each team consisted of four runners piloting the bed, with a fifth member riding it.
Beds were decorated as everything from a “hangover” ambulance with a blaring siren to a cart pushed by “zombies” that spoofed television’s “The Walking Dead.”
One bed, inspired by the “Ghostbuster” film series, was propelled by four “paranormal investigators” and carried a slimy green “ghost” — with the original film’s “Stay Puft Marshmallow Man” pursuing it.
Presented by Key West’s Bourbon St. Pub Complex, the quirky race is a fundraiser for the Florida Keys’ AIDS Help organization and is now in its 33rd year.
The 10-day Conch Republic Independence Celebration commemorates the Florida Keys’ symbolic 1982 “secession” from the United States, following the installation of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at the head of the island chain. Festivities conclude Sunday.
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