Members of the committee – Paul Menta, Nance Frank and Commissioner Sam Kaufman – celebrated the 200 Year Celebration resolution by inviting everyone on stage.

Commission Supports Keys Bicentennial Celebration

During this week’s meeting, the City Commission passed a resolution embracing Key West’s upcoming bicentennial.

March 25, 2022 will mark 200 years since Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry sailed the schooner USS Shark to Key West and planted the U.S. flag, claiming Key West and the Florida Keys as property of the United States.

For months, a committee of residents has been organizing the 200 Year Celebration of Key West and the Florida Keys with a series of celebrations over upcoming years for several other important bicentennials: The founding of the City of Key West in 1828 and the establishment of the U.S. Navy’s presence in the island city in 1823. The Naval base was established in order to stop piracy in the region.

The committee members plan a grand celebration on March 25th of next year, recognizing the contributions, culture and history of Key West, including the earliest indigenous residents and settlers to the island as well as  concentrating on the Key’s fishing heritage, baseball, cigar-making, and Key West’s One Human Family philosophy.

Participants can look forward to a Conch picnic, a formal dinner with dignitaries, and a formal ceremony. In addition, there will be walking tours, tours on the sea, a local merchant street festival, a parade, and more.

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