Odd News

Hemingway look-alikes compete at Key West festival

By Ben Hooper   |   July 23, 2021 at 1:41 PM

July 23 (UPI) -- Ernest Hemingway look-alikes are gathering in Florida to celebrate the life of the famed author and crown a champion impersonator.

The Key West Hemingway Days kicked off Thursday, with multiple bearded men wandering the streets in their apparel that most resembles the attire favored by The Old Man and the Sea author.

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The festival is scheduled to last through Sunday, with the top impersonator being crowned Saturday at the Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar, which was a favorite hangout of Hemingway's during his time in Key West.

Organizers said this year's event marks the 40th Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, after the event took a year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual event raises money for various charities and community service projects.

"That's why I have been involved. I like things like charity and scholarships and things like that, but I have a good time too, trust me," David Douglas, a competitor who won the look-alike contest in 2009, told WFOR-TV.