2019 Key West ‘Firecracker’ Competition on July 3rd!
Because South Florida hasn’t been hot enough lately…
…the 2019 Firecracker Competition will scorch Key West on Wednesday, the 3rd of July, beginning promptly at 7 p.m., at AQUA nightclub, 711 Duval.
Presented by the Key West Mile Markers, last year’s winner, Shirley (a/k/a Elle Taylor), produces, with assistance from Destiny Montgomery, Blue Diamond and Jessica Deveraux. Shirley will also host the 2019 festivities.
The evening will also include appearances by former Firecrackers.
The event has always been pure camp but its intent serious. It was July 4, 1987. The Miss South Carolina Pageant was about to happen at a posh local club. Management at a competing club sought something to lure patrons.
This might have been a “men’s bar,” but they still knew the lyrics from the musical “Gypsy:” ‘You gotta get a gimmick.’ Beers and brainstorming created the Miss Firecracker Pageant.
There was no beauty on that runway. Hairy chests and faces were paired with rhinestones and high heels. The winner was Charlene Sugarbaker (the late Charlie Powell). After Charlie relocated to Key West — and a few years after the South Carolina pageant folded — he assumed the matriarchal mantle, fine-tuning the pageant in 1994 into something more refined, to include drag performers who might otherwise never consider doing so and benefiting selected non-profit organizations or causes.
Diversity and a greater understanding of gender neutrality have broadened the scope of Firecracker in recent years. Both men and women are encouraged to enter, underscoring the embrace of ANYONE courageous enough to take the stage.
Reservations for Firecracker 2019 are not necessary…just a $10 suggested donation at the door gains access to the sizzle.
This year, money generated will equally assist the seven Florida organizations who will benefit from The SMART Ride 16 — Pridelines, Broward House, Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Metro Wellness and Community Centers, Miracle of Love, Inc., Compass Community Center and AH of Monroe County, Inc. — and the Key West Mile Markers team, who make the 165-mile fundraising journey teams make from Miami to Key West mid-November.
Registration for TSR 16 (presented by CAN Community Health) is now open. For more information, simply go to
or access The Mile Markers for SMART Ride on FACEBOOK at
and message either Co-Captain Karen Frank-Noll or Donald Gene Dotzauer from that page.
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