National Conch Blowing Championship

One of the charms of Key West is the loopy life style where the focus is the simple joy of a good time. The Conch Blowing Championships are held here each year. For those who don't know, a conch is a large beautiful shell. When you cut off the tip, and blow through the hole, the sound can have the lovely purity of a french horn. When you put 8 or 10 together, the sound has all the characteristics of a traffic jam in a parking garage. This year's singles champion played actual music on his conch, and pulled off the incredible feat of blowing 2 conchs at once.

Our Boca Chica Marina residents, with as much enthusiasm as talent, formed a 12 person band, with an 11 woman dance team and performed our musical conch version of YMCA. We literally blew away the competition. To wild applause and audience participation, we pulled off an unprecedented 4th title...and spent the next 6 hours celebrating our victory.