Britt Myers, the publisher of Keys Weekly and the incoming President of the Key West Rotary Club, joined Good Morning Keys to talk about what’s been going on in the city.
The big Fourth of July fireworks sponsored by the Rotary Club is coming up soon.
Myers said, “We’ve done this for about 50 years, our biggest fundraiser, and this has raised over a million dollars I think at this point if you add it all up over time for local scholarships, all in Key West, and another another big year this year coming up and I’m excited about it.”
The Rotary Club will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers at Higgs Beach on July 4.
Myers said, “You really can’t beat it. I mean, I know there’s firework celebrations across the country. I’m not saying we’re the best there is, but we’re pretty close. For a community like Key West and to have partners that we have and of course the city of Key West, we can’t talk about this without talking about the city, it wouldn’t be even possible without them. They partner and do a lot and put a lot into this. It’s just a great event. It’s a great night. I feel like every year it’s a nice mix but there’s a ton of locals out there which I’m proud of. It’s always good to have the tourists as well but just a lot of locals out there really enjoying the night. It’s easy to get into, easy to get out. The show is no joke. I mean it goes on and on and on. You think the fireworks are going to end and they kind of keep going there and then we’re able to disperse and get everybody home and let all the dogs sleep safely for the rest of the night once the fireworks are over.”
On the morning of the 4th there will be a 5K run.
Myers said, “It’s become a really nice tradition that Rotary is a part of, you can see a lot more of that on the Key West Rotary Club website. But there is a 5K that morning. I think people can still sign up at this point. You can see that on the website. So if you’re into that kind of thing, and you’d like to run and exercise and socialize, maybe have a few beers afterwards. That’ll be going on that morning starting at the same place, down by the Edward Knight pier, former White Street pier right there at White Street, so really good 5k that morning as well.”
The Bubbas People’s Choice Awards are underway and voting has begun.
Myers said, “It’s year number 11 for the Key West Bubbas, the Key West People’s Choice Awards. The nomination period just ended, so the final three in each category, about 90 categories, you have the top three and we have a lot of new people. That’s what’s really cool about it, it really changes every year, so many people vote. I think we’ve got every continent, but one, we still haven’t had a vote from an Antarctica yet. We’re looking at the system, but we get a lot of people overseas. Obviously a lot of people in the United States who just love Key West. It’s really a testament to the businesses. People say well, it’s just a popularity contest. Well, you’re absolutely right, it is. It’s very subjective, because we all have favorite things in Key West and and you can’t go wrong with no matter what you love in Key West. But a lot of people have chosen the top three in every category, you can go there now and choose yours, you can do it once daily, and that will decide who is the 2024 Bubba winner come the end of July here. So it’s a lot of fun. It really is. It’s even more fun to see the people get excited about it, promote it on social media, word of mouth, and have fun with it. That’s the main thing because at the end of the day, I always want to remind people that every dollar that goes into the Bubbas, the event sponsors who I can’t think enough, every dollar that goes into it goes to a local nonprofit and this year is Wesley House that it goes to. So it’s just great to see people have fun with it. It’s really kind of taken on a life of its own over 11 years.”
The awards ceremony is also fun.
Myers said, “It’s more of a roast slash celebration slash I always compare it to the old correspondents dinner, back when people could get along and have a night where they just let back. I don’t know if people remember those days in politics when both sides could sit together and have fun, but maybe it’s a bad comparison now, but it’s a fun night, everybody under one roof. A lot of different kinds of people celebrating together and it’s just a lot of fun. We’re very pleased and thankful, humbled just to be able to do something like this in Key West and really see people still have so much fun with it. We just sort of sit back and enjoy the ride at this point.”
The ballot is at the Keys Weekly website.
The event for the Bubbas will be July 20.
Myers said, “That’ll be the big night at the Key West Theater. Everyone always asks about tickets, which I appreciate. I can’t be more sincere when I say we’re humble. But I’ll kind of tackle an elephant in the room. A lot of people ask about tickets, those really never go directly on sale to the public, it sells out in about 10 minutes, which is great. Key West Theater, I will give them a shout out. They for over 10 years, said use the theater, let’s all do this together, let the extra money go to the nonprofit. But it does sell out quickly. So we try to make room for our dignitaries that come each year, this is a political year. So we’ll have a few extras coming in to hobnob and rub elbows and then we try to leave room and phone calls for those winners and some nominees to be there that night, make sure they’re there to accept their award, and enjoy that night together. Then we have a waiting list that typically starts to build up. But people can email us ,you can go to the website, you can see the places to contact us. We’re happy to get people on a waiting list and the last thing we want to do is tell someone no that wants to be there. That’s not the business we’re in. But it does fill up quickly. It’s that kind of night, it really is. It’s just really cool to see so many different kinds of people, all walks of life, a lot of different people coming in and different businesses, just under one roof, and a lot of people who don’t really get to see each other that much all together in one night. It’s one of the most unique nights and that’s what I love most about it.”
For more information on the Bubbas, click here: https://keysweekly.com/