Homecoming

 

November 3, 2021

Homecoming

Back to Reality. That is the experience that I always have when the glitter and body paint have been washed away for another year, though from personal experience I know that glitter has a tendency to linger and hide away in your clothes and closets for months. There is always the actual final event of Fantasy Fest that is Children’s Day. Where I, like so many bleary-eyed parents, drag themselves to the one event this year that was suitable for children and families.

This year Children’s Day was hosted by the Island Farm on Stock Island for the first time, while there were some parking challenges, they addressed those by having a trolley that ferried guests from Bernstein Park to the farm and back. The good news is that the massive space that is the island farm is a perfect place for kids as there is ample room to spread out.

I didn’t stay long, just enough time to get a few photos, but I was impressed by the set-up and cool things they had for kids to do including the requisite bounce houses, kid’s games, archery, animal encounters and even horse rides. It was pretty cool, but I was mostly done with Fantasy Fest and ready to move back into more normal things and events.

One of the things that I have enjoyed photographing over the past few years is the annual Homecoming coronation of the Homecoming Queen at Key West High School. It started a few years ago when I just happened to be at the game watching when I realized that the homecoming queen and court were assembling on the visitor’s sideline just before halftime. I like to watch the high school games from the sideline on the visitor’s side because I can get closer to the action and get better photographs.

Anyway, since I was there already, I took a number of shots of the homecoming activities. Once I posted them, they somehow were shared with the participants and their families and there was a sudden interest and demand for the photos. So, each year since then, I have been photographing both the homecoming parade, where each high school class build a float that parades from the high school down Flagler to the Stadium.

Almost always, I know at least one of the students who are either in the homecoming court or escorting one of the young women who are up for queen and that was the case again this year. I got good shots both during the parade and at the game, where I shot both the action on the field and off as the incredible homecoming festivities were held.

Key West High School does up homecoming unlike anything I have seen at any other high school, including my own. There is a week-long series of events and activities and it is a big, big deal that has been celebrated through generations of Conchs down through the years. It is a community event more than just a high school thing and it is impressive to see.

Watching the joy of the young woman who was crowned queen was really cool. Her entire family and friends were on hand to celebrate with her and the pride that they all felt was palpable. While the results are in part a popularity contest voted on by the students, each of the court were accomplished young women and members of a plethora of student activities, sports teams and community charities, so it would seem that they each have bright futures ahead of them.

Fantasy Finale

 

November 2, 2021

Fantasy Finale

The final night of the 2021 Fantasy Fest week reached a point later in the evening of Saturday night when I was basically finished with my official photography duties and was on my own to at last try and just enjoy the celebration. I was already downtown and had no place that I needed to be, so I choose to instead do my own thing. 

Hanging out with friends, going to places that I wanted to go rather than where some special Fantasy Fest party was happening. Not that it mattered that much, Fantasy Fest on Saturday night basically takes over the entire entertainment section of downtown Key West and costumed partiers can be found at every place you may go. Duval Street was blocked off for almost its entire length and thousands poured into the street as the bars and nightclubs overflowed. 

Personally, I could not tell much difference between the post-parade atmosphere downtown of previous years with this year, other than the fact that there has been no parade. People were still out in force and unlike many of the other nights, I ran into a pretty good number of locals out as well. Of course, being on my own, I tended to go to some of my favorite establishments which also happen to be favorites among a large portion of the local community.

Some of the bars I hit up on Saturday night included, the Green Parrot, General Horseplay, MaryEllen’s, the Smokin’ Tuna and 2-2 & Company. All of them were doing a bang-up bit of business and I saw friends at each location as well as out along Duval Street. It was a really fun time, the best time I had all week in fact, mostly because I could just kick back and relax and enjoy being out with friends in a way that had been rare indeed over the past year and a half.

I even stopped by Wyland Gallery where my buddy Wyland was on hand painting as he is every year on Fantasy Fest, he draws a huge crowd and has some significant sales when he is on hand in person. Just because I was not officially on duty, doesn’t mean I put my camera away and the photos below hopefully capture some of the essence of Fantasy Fest is like to experience. 

Hopefully next year, things will be back to more normal footing and the beloved events that had to be canceled this year will be back on the schedule. But I have to say after experiencing 31 years of Fantasy Fest in some capacity that the organizers and those hosting parties and events deserve kudos for pulling off a safe, fun and enjoyable Fantasy Fest this year, in spite of such major obstacles. 

I think Fantasy Fest is in good hands and continues to head in a good direction with more emphasis on creativity and less of the more sordid and raunchy elements that came close to taking the event over completely just a few years ago. It stills draws some of that element, but certainly less than in the recent past and hopefully that trend will continue. 

It constantly annoys me that so many naysayers complain about Fantasy Fest, without having been downtown to see and experience it since the new organizers took over, I guess it is hard to shake the bad reputation, which frankly was well-deserved but is steadily being moved away from.