Beards, Bulls, and Bourbon

The annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and Festival is one of the Key’s most eccentric traditions. PAUL GOODALE/SLOPPY JOE’S PHOTOS Every July, Key West does something wonderfully strange: it fills up with Ernest Hemingway. Dozens of them, actually — barrel chested, white-bearded men who’ve spent months (some, years) perfecting their inner “Papa.” From July 21–26, they’ll take part in the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and Festival, one of South Florida’s most gloriously eccentric traditions. The festivities kick off on the 127th anniversary of Hemingway’s birth, with a museum exhibit at the Key West Museum of Art and History. Evening film screenings include “The Beard Also Rises,” and a sneak peek at “Beards Go to Cuba.” But everyone’s really here for Sloppy Joe’s Bar. Up to 160 contestants will take the stage, where the real Hemingway once hoisted more than a few drinks. Each competitor struts before a panel of past winners, hoping to claim the coveted title of “Papa.” Prelimin