Surrounded by spectator fish and a coral reef background, divers are to plunge beneath the sea to transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jolly jack-o’-lanterns during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest set for Sunday, Oct. 16.

Buddy teams can meet at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, located at mile marker 104.5, to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the experienced judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

Contestants submerge below the surface to a depth of less than 30 feet with only their creative imaginations and dive knives as tools. Prizes, including a dive trip for two, await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

Entry fee is the regular dive boat cost of $80 per certified diver for the two-tank, two-location dive, including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment. The Amoray Dive Resort also offers specially priced multiple-dive and dive-lodging packages.

Divers celebrating Halloween in Florida are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited.

For information: www.amoray.com or 800-426-6729
Key Largo visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keylargo or 800-822-1088

Motorcyclists from throughout the United States are to travel one of America’s most scenic highways to raise money for charity during the 39th annual Key West Poker Run, set for Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 15-18.

Traditionally drawing riders on up to 10,000 bikes, the popular ride features a unique route down the 113-mile Overseas Highway from mainland Florida to Key West. Offering long vistas of breathtaking sea and sky, the roadway incorporates 42 bridges spanning the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico.

Beginning Sept. 1, bikers can register to ride at Peterson’s Harley-Davidson of Miami, 19400 N.W. 2nd Ave., and Peterson’s Harley-Davidson South, 19825 S. Dixie Highway. Online registration is accepted before that date at www.petersonsharley.com.

Participating bikers receive poker sheets when they register, and draw cards at designated stops along the route in the Florida Keys. Entrants who draw the 10 best poker hands are eligible to play in a winner-take-all round of Texas Hold ‘Em, competing for a new Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle.

A section of lower Duval Street, Key West’s famed main thoroughfare, is to be closed to car traffic during much of the Poker Run so bikers with weekend parking passes can park on the street to display their bikes. Other attractions include a Thursday night “Duval Crawl” for early arrivals, bike merchandise market, “Biker Bash” street party, custom bike show and parties at Key West resorts and watering holes.

The Poker Run is a fundraiser for the Diabetes Research Institute and charities of the Key West Sunrise Rotary Club.

Events conclude Sunday, Sept. 18, with a brunch and “survivors’ party.”

Key West visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keywest

The Cuban Cultural Exposition begins with the debut of “Viva Cuba Libre — The Chugs of Cuba” set for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13. Conceived by Key West resident Benjamin Curry Bruce, the exhibit features Bruce’s compelling photographs of Cuban refugees’ “chugs,” or primitive makeshift vessels, displayed alongside items ranging from life jackets to medicines that they carried on the boats. It is only 90 miles from Florida to Cuba.

The opening also features mojitos and hors d’oeuvres. Subsequent days’ attractions include a domino tournament, Cuban cooking class, lively dance exhibition and lecture on Cuba’s medicinal herbs and plants. The work of Cuban artist Sandy Rico, whose oils depict his homeland, is to be featured throughout the exposition.

All events take place at Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, an arboretum, garden, wildlife refuge and educational center. Showcasing flora native to South Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean, the garden features tropical fruit trees, fragrant plants and palms, spices and herbs, champion trees, butterflies and birds.

The celebration’s highlight is Hot Havana Nights, a lavish Latin party set for 7 p.m. Saturday, March 26. Attendees can dance to the sounds of Havana Soul while enjoying mojitos, authentic Cuban cuisine, fine cigars and an auction of handmade Cuban crafts and artistry including a piece by Sandy Rico.

Those who purchase VIP tickets also are invited to a 6 p.m. Cuban dinner and Tropicana show prior to Hot Havana Nights.

Reservations are encouraged since the gala typically sells out.

Event information, costs and ticketing: www.kwbgs.org or 305-296-1504
Key West visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY

Surrounded by spectator fish against a coral reef background in the Florida Keys, divers are to transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jolly Halloween jack-o’-lanterns during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest set for Sunday, Oct. 24.

Buddy teams can meet at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, located at mile marker 104.5, to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive in Key Largo. Their mission is to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the experienced judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

One of the top annual Florida Halloween events, contestants submerge to a depth of less than 30 feet, with dive knives as their carving tools and their imaginations for inspiration. Prizes await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

The regular dive boat fee of $80 per certified diver applies for the two-tank, two-location dive, including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment. The Amoray Dive Resort also offers specially priced multiple-dive and dive-lodging packages.

Divers are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited. For more information about the contest, call 800-426-6729 or visit www.amoray.com.

To find out about area accommodations, call the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at 800-822-1088 or 305-451-4747, or visit the Florida Keys & Key West website at www.fla-keys.com.

Florida Keys – The Florida Keys & Key West tourism council has added a component to its www.fla-keys.com website to provide travelers up-to-date information regarding the TransOcean/BP Oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The site features official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oil slick trajectory maps as well as questions and answers regarding the oil leaks and their proximity to the Florida Keys. Additional resources can be found at the Florida Beaches affected by oil spill page. The 72-hour forecast maps are updated on a daily basis plot and project approximate positions of the oil slick. The latest forecast shows little movement from northern Gulf waters. The state of Florida has also set up a site at www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon.

“Our visitor centers and hotels have been receiving phone calls from vacationers concerned about traveling to the Keys,” said Harold Wheeler, director of the Keys tourism council. “We understand their apprehension and wanted to provide a trusted information resource based on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other official sources.”

Florida business may be adversely affected by the oil spill and wondering, will BP be held liable for damage claims? Whatever your situation, Floridians should be wary of the oil spill.

Islamorada, Florida Keys – Kiteboarders from around the United States are set to kick it into high gear as they skim and slide during the Islamorada Invitational ’10 set for March 25-29 at Whale Harbor Marina, mile marker 83.5 in Islamorada.

Dubbed the “II ’10″ (“Two Ten”) and hosted by Islamorada’s Seven Sports, a part of Islamorada Watersports Co., the four-day festival attracts pro, amateur and everyday thrill-seekers of all ages who want to participate simply for the love of the sport and the rush of competition.

Newbies to kiteboarding as well as festival spectators have discovered that kiteboarding and paddle boarding are truly unique, family-friendly ways to experience the waters surrounding the Florida Keys.

Brad Lange of Seven Sports said the II ’10 is open to all competitors and spectators are encouraged to attend. The higher the winds, the greater the kite activities.

“If it’s blowing ‘east 20 [mph],’ that’s when it’s all going to be jamming –we’ll have more kites in the air, races and events happening. So, the windier, the better,” Lange said.

Kiteboarding events include a boarder cross, kite race, freestyle competition, park competition, big air and kite loop competition and an ongoing Overall Impression best-photo contest for interested photographers.

First-timers and those wanting to hone their kite skills can take advantage of kiteboarding lessons offered during the action-filled event.

New to the II ’10 is paddle boarding, or paddle surfing, a sport best suited to light- or no-wind situations. Short track, team relay and circumnavigation races around Matecumbe Key are planned for II ’10 participants.

Paddling demonstrations, fun paddles and group paddling excursions are to be offered for event spectators who want to learn the eco- and fitness-friendly sport.

Riders’ meetings are scheduled daily, usually at 9 a.m., with all ‘boarding action to start by 10 a.m., weather permitting.

Food, beverages, music and entertainment are planned during day and evening hours.

Cost for four days of event access is expected to be $50 per participant, and includes a rider’s jersey shirt, watersports and beach activities such as a sunset pig roast and other parties.

Admission to watch kite and paddling competitions is free. Tickets to the beachside pig roast are $10 per person.

For more information, visit the Seven Sports Web site at www.sevensports.com or call 305-853-KITE (5483).

To find out about area accommodations, call the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce at 305-664-4503 or 800-322-5397, or visit the Web site of the Florida Keys & Key West at www.fla-keys.com.

Key Largo, Florida Keys – Grinning jack-o’-lanterns surrounded by spectator reef fish are to make their annual appearance beneath the sea during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest hosted by Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, located at mile marker 104.5.

The annual Florida Halloween Event is a favorite for the many divers who visit Key Largo during the fall.

Buddy teams are to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive Sunday, Oct. 25, to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the experienced judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

Amoray provides contestants with hollowed-out pumpkins to take below the surface to a depth of less than 30 feet. Dive knives are to serve as carving tools, and prizes await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

“It’s always interesting to see what people carve out underwater,” said Captain Joe Goddard, who escorts divers to the event each year. “People come from all over to participate.”

Entry fee is the regular dive boat cost: $80 per certified diver for the two-tank, two-location dive including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment. The Amoray Dive Resort also offers specially priced multiple-dive and dive-lodging packages.

Divers are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited. At the 2008 challenge, the first-place prize was awarded to Spencer Lambeth, an 11-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla.

For more information about the contest, call (800) 426-6729 or visit www.amoray.com.

To find out about area accommodations, call the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at (800) 822-1088 or 305-451-4747, or visit the Florida Keys & Key West Web site at www.fla-keys.com.

Florida Keys – Motorcyclists from throughout the United States are to travel one of America’s most scenic highways to raise money for charity during the 37th annual Key West Poker Run, set for Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 17-20.

Riders on up to 10,000 bikes are expected to traverse the Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), the 113-mile roadway from mainland Florida to Key West that features 42 bridges and long vistas of breathtaking open water.

Beginning Sept. 1 bikers can register at Phil Peterson’s Harley-Davidson Miami, 19400 N.W. 2nd Ave. and 19825 S. Dixie Highway. Online registration is accepted before that date at www.petersonsharley.com.

Upon registering and making a $10 donation, each participant receives a poker sheet and weekend parking pass. Additional “poker hands” are available for $10 apiece.

Drivers of cars and trucks also can participate in the run. Those who can’t drive the entire course can purchase and play their poker hands in Key West at Conch Republic Seafood Co., 631 Greene St.

For early arrivals in Key West, a bar stroll is planned on Upper Duval Street Thursday night, Sept. 17, ending in a beach party at the Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval St.

Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18, Poker Run participants are to ride the Florida Keys Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West, stopping at designated points to draw cards. The fifth and final stop is Conch Republic Seafood Co.

Entrants who draw the 10 best poker hands are eligible to play in a winner-take-all round of Texas Hold ‘Em, competing for a new Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster custom motorcycle. The action takes place at Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, 511 Greene St., at 11 p.m. Saturday.

The lower part of Key West’s famed Duval Street is to be closed to car traffic from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, so bikers with weekend parking passes can park on the street to display their bikes.

Bike aficionados also can find merchandise including motorcycle accessories and apparel at the Poker Run Vendor Village on Greene Street just off Duval.

Saturday, Sept. 19, Big Bike Riders Association representatives are to judge the annual custom bike show with proceeds earmarked for charity. Events take place in front of Rick’s/Durty Harry’s, 208 Duval St., with trophies awarded in multiple classes. Cost is $25 per bike.

Sloppy Joe’s, 201 Duval St., hosts its annual “Biker Bash” from noon until 11 p.m., with contests including a wacky “Bikers on Tricycles” challenge.

Poker Run attendees can chill out from noon to 4 p.m. at a pool party at the Southernmost Hotel, 1319 Duval St., with music and giveaways. The annual Paradise Tattoo Contest and bikini show are planned Saturday at the Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St.

The Poker Run concludes with a Sunday morning blessing of the bikes and a Bloody Mary brunch at the Southernmost Beach Café.

For details including a full schedule, visit www.petersonskeywestpokerrun.com.

For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539), or visit www.fla-keys.com.

Key West, Florida Keys - The 24th anniversary of shipwreck salvor Mel Fisher’s discovery of the sunken Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha is to be commemorated Thursday through Sunday, July 16-19, during Mel Fisher Days on the island the late salvor called home.

Fisher and his crew uncovered a $400 million cache of Atocha treasure and artifacts on July 20, 1985, after a 16-year search. The galleon sank approximately 35 miles southwest of Key West during a 1622 hurricane.

Fisher’s son Kim Fisher and grandson Sean Fisher lead the continuing search for Atocha artifacts and treasures remaining on the ocean floor. Each year, Fisher family members and friends present the festival.

Mel Fisher Days activities are to benefit Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, 200 Greene St. Key West, where objects from the Atocha and other shipwrecks are conserved, studied and displayed. Museum visitors can view items including gold and silver bars and coins, cannons and smaller weapons, rare navigational instruments, ornate jewelry and even a 77.7-carat emerald.

Festival events are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St. in Key West’s Historic Seaport.

The evening’s highlight is the presentation of the Mel Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award, to be granted posthumously to Deo Fisher, Mel’s wife and partner in adventure, who died in January 2009. A video tribute is planned to honor her.

Other attractions at the Schooner Wharf kickoff include games, contests, live entertainment, raffles and more than $4,000 in authentic treasure prizes.

At 5 p.m. Friday, an exuberant parade on Key West’s Duval Street is to celebrate the Atocha saga. A “hard times pub crawl,” recalling Fisher’s financial woes before the shipwreck find, is to start at Rick’s Bar, 208 Duval St.

Saturday, July 18, those possessing Mel’s optimistic spirit can try their luck at a Midnight Gambler Poker Tournament set for 8:15 p.m. to 2 a.m. aboard Sunset Watersports’ Party Cat catamaran.

The festival culminates in a reunion of the “golden crew” that searched for the Atocha with Fisher. The reunion and pool party are scheduled 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 19, the day before the anniversary of the historic discovery, at Dante’s Key West, 951 Caroline St.

For more information, visit www.melfisher.com or call Sharon Wiley at (305) 296-6534.

Open to the public Saturday, March 28, the expo is to take place at Marathon High School, 350 Sombrero Beach Road.

The expo typically draws thousands to learn and explore how to live in an environmentally responsible manner. The free one-day event, this year themed “Greening

The Economy,” is expected to attract numerous exhibitors as well as demonstrations and money-saving workshops about sustainable living, renewable energy and conservation in the Florida Keys. Other focuses include reducing energy and water bills, understanding the origins and effects of the common foods, recycling and gardening organically.

An alternative transportation display of solar, biodiesel and electric vehicles is to be set up, with owners and dealers on hand to answer questions.

Vegetables and tropical fruits are to be available at an organic farmer’s market.

In addition, an Artists Village is to offer recycled and sustainable art, as well as the premiere of “Green Films” followed by discussions.

An extended kids’ activities area will teach the power of solar and many other concepts to help young people understand the need to conserve resources and reduce waste.

Green entrepreneurs and eco-conscious attendees can network at a pre-Expo Green Drinks Reception set for Friday.

Sunday’s schedule includes a brunch and tours of local homes built or operating with earth-friendly practices. Throughout the Keys, discounted eco-tours of the backcountry waters are to be offered, with a portion of tour proceeds slated to benefit GLEE.

For more information, visit www.keysGLEE.com or call (305) 809-3509.

To find out about area accommodations, call the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce at (305) 743-5417 or (800) 262-7284 or visit the Florida Keys & Key West Web site at www.fla-keys.com.