| LOWER
KEYS UNDERWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL TO
PRESENT
‘EEL-ECTION’ ANTICS JULY 12, 2008
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LOOE KEY, Florida Keys — “Reefpublicans” and “Democrabs” are
to congregate in the Lower Florida Keys Saturday, July 12,
when the 24th annual Underwater Music Festival puts an undersea
spin on the upcoming 2008 presidential elections.
The quirky underwater concert takes place at Looe Key Reef,
an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary located
approximately six miles south of Big Pine Key. Each year,
the subsea songfest draws as many as 600 divers and snorkelers
to explore the colorful diversity of marine life that characterizes
North America’s only living coral barrier reef.
The 2008 festival is to salute November’s “eel-ections” with
underwater appearances by divers costumed as “Barackuda
Obama,” “Hillary Clintuna” and “John
McClam” among other political notables.
Set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the marine musical event is
staged by Keys radio station WWUS 104.1 FM, locally called
U.S. 1. Music is broadcast underwater via Lubell Laboratory
speakers suspended beneath boats positioned at the reef,
and the playlist typically ranges from humpback whale songs
to marine-themed ditties such as the Beatles’ “Yellow
Submarine” and Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate
Looks at 40.”
“We also feature the work of local Keys musicians,
who often have a unique vision of life in the Keys and on
the water,” said event founder and organizer Bill Becker
of U.S. 1. “This year, of course, we’re planning
to add contemporary musical spoofs of the political process.”
Participants might even catch the scuba-diving “presidential
hopefuls” tooting their own horns — pretending
to play underwater musical instruments like a trom-bonefish
and sax-eel-phone sculpted by Florida Keys artist August
Powers.
While election “afishionados” are encouraged
to enjoy the bipartisan party at Looe Key Reef, the concert
also has a serious focus: promoting preservation of the Florida
Keys’ unique coral reef ecosystem. The musical broadcast
incorporates diver awareness announcements, prepared by Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary officials, offering tips on
how people can enjoy the ocean while minimizing the impact
on the reef and overall marine environment.
Divers and snorkelers eager to participate in the 2008
Underwater Music Festival can reserve space aboard boats
run by Lower Keys dive operators. Visitors and residents
with their own boats can launch from public ramps throughout
the area.
For information about dive charters and accommodations
in the Lower Florida Keys, contact the Lower Keys Chamber
of Commerce at (800) 872-3722 or (305) 872-2411, or visit
the Florida Keys Web site at www.fla-keys.com or the chamber’s
Web site at www.lowerkeyschamber.com. |
