Dozens of men resembling Ernest Hemingway and a breed of “bull” found only in Key West starred in Saturday‘s “Running of the Bulls,” a fun-filled spoof of the famed run held annually in Pamplona, Spain.
The much safer (and slower) Key West bull ramble featured scores of stocky, white-bearded Hemingway look-alikes parading through Key West’s historic downtown with a “herd” of life-size replica bulls on wheels.
The offbeat event was a highlight of the Hemingway Days celebration, honoring the sporting lifestyle and literary legacy of the author who lived on the island in the 1930s. It was headquartered outside Sloppy Joe’s Bar, frequented by Hemingway during his Key West years.
Look-alikes followed the Pamplona parody with a birthday cake commemorating Hemingway’s July 21 birthday.
Saturday night, finalists chosen from 142 entrants will vie for victory in the third and final round of Hemingway Look-Alike Contest staged at Sloppy Joe’s Bar.
While living in Key West, Ernest Hemingway wrote classics including “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not.”
Other festival events include literary readings and a marlin tournament saluting the author’s love of deep-sea fishing. The festival concludes Sunday, the 120th anniversary of Hemingway’s birth.
