This week Trolley Tours in Key West celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Conch Republic. On April 23, 1982, the citizenry of Key West became fed up with the border patrols set up between Key West and and mainland of Florida so they seceded and created the Conch Republic, a sovereign nation with a prime minister, ambassadors, the whole nine yards. Fast forward 30 years later and the same cast of characters were on hand to celebrate as only we can in Key West. No Key West Vacation celebration is complete without a Key Lime Pie and this one was a doozy. All seven feet of creamy key lime filling and meringue that had to be cooked with a blow torch.

We thought we would share our favorite recipe for Key Lime Pie which comes from the Curry Family, who have been on the island for 8 generations. This makes one 9″ pie. If you want to create your own seven foot key lime pie multiply the ingredients by 120!

Curry Family Key Lime Pie Recipe
3 – egg yolks. Remove egg whites and place in separate large mixing bowl
1- 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup- Key Lime Juice

Mix ingredients to a smooth consistency. Pour into a graham cracker pie crust.

Meringue topping- Whip the egg whites while adding 3-4 spoonfuls of fine sugar. While the meringue is fluffing sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. When the meringue is stiff, use a spatula to spread on top of the Key Lime Pie. Place the pie in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for no more than fifteen minutes. When finished allow the pie to cool or fifteen minutes before refrigerating.

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If we had not seen it with our own eyes, we would not have believed it. The Easter Bunny, getting some R & R before the big egg drop on Sunday, was seen in Key West getting in a little paddle boarding. Who knew?

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Key West has always been a haven for writers, and March 26 is the shared birthday of two of them. Robert Frost, Poet Laureate of the United States from 1958 to 1959 and the recipient of four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry was born on this day in San Francisco in 1874. Frost wintered in Key West, living in a cottage on the estate of the Porter Family. As we like to say on the trolley “It’s the only Frost Key West have ever had.”

Thomas Lanier Williams, better know as Tennessee Williams, was born in Columbus, Mississippi in 1911. He two is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright for A Streetcar Named Desire and A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He also won a Tony Award for The Rose Tattoo, which was later made into a movie staring Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani, which was filmed in Key West in the house next to his own on Duncan Street. The Key West Business Guild has a marvelous exhibit that is free and open to the public about Tennessee Williams in Key West at 513 Truman Avenue.

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Marking the 493rd birthday of St. Augustine’s founder, Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the city hosted its annual formal Grand Masked Ball or Noche de Gala this Saturday, February 25 in the Lightner Museum’s ballroom.

Truly a one-of-a-kind event, the Noche de Gala begins when guests are whisked back in time by re-enactors in 16th-century attire who escort them upstairs where the Proclamador announces their arrival. After an hour of butler-passed hors d’oeuvres and an open bar in the splendor of the Lightner Ballroom, guests follow musicians and re-enactors in a ceremonial procession that includes Spanish and local dignitaries to an elaborate dinner on the Lightner Mezzanine. Pageantry and period entertainment continue throughout dinner followed by dancing until midnight to the music of the Royal Court Musicians. This is easily one of St. Augustine’s most magical evenings.

The Noche de Gala, is hosted yearly by the City of St. Augustine’s Department of Heritage Tourism, and is a fundraiser for the St. Augustine Trust for Historic Preservation. All proceeds are designated to support preservation of the city’s historic resources.

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Each year the city of St. Augustine strings up over 2 million white lights in their downtown area for their annual Nights of Lights festival. If you ever find yourself near St. Augustine between Thanksgiving and the end of January, make sure you stop in and see the city. It looks amazing. St. Augustine Tours offers the Holly Jolly Holiday Trolley that shows guests the lights while singing Christmas Carols. Its great fun for all ages!

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We have so many great folks working for us.  Be sure to check out one of DC’s best, Mr. King as he shows Melissa Grimsley of TV 2 news Washington, DC.

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Well, the tallies are in and congratulations goes out to San Diego Tours who really went all out in collecting money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Their local charity, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center received a check in the amount of $3236.53, with $2236.53 raised by Old Town Trolley Tours and the San Diego Seals through collections bake sales and auctions, and $1000 from the trolley’s parent company, Historic Tours of America, for the city that raised the most money during October!

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In honor of Veteran’s Day, November 11, Old Town Trolley Tour in Boston, Key West, Washington, Savannah, St. Augustine and San Diego are teaming up with Patriot Service Dogs in sponsoring a puppy that will be raised and trained to be a service dog to a returning war veteran with a mobility disability. Patriot Service Dogs is a Jacksonville, FL based 501 (c)3 organization that strives to make a difference to those who have given so much for our freedoms. Service dogs are individually trained to perform tasks for those with disabilities and can include, alerting and protecting those having a seizure, guiding the blind, alerting for those who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs. Service dogs are working dogs, not pets. It takes $5000 and two years of training for a dog to be ready for service.

We are very fortunate that on Veteran’s Day, November 11, from 9 am to 4 pm, we will have handlers and trainee dogs at our operations in St. Augustine and Savannah, where the public can interact with the dogs and learn more about this wonderful organization. The dogs and their handlers will be riding tours and interacting with guests. Please come out and meet Justice, Gunner and Scout in St. Augustine and Legion, Chief and Cooper in Savannah.

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For those of us lucky enough to live and work in San Diego, one of the reasons we are here is the amazing weather. Well the good folks at Travel and Leisure and the Today Show are sharing the good news as San Diego was named a top destination. Don’t forget we also have lots to see and do, friendly people and for the next couple of months, a cute red headed British prince.

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and each of the Old Town Trolley Tours in Boston, Key West, San Diego, Savannah, St. Augustine and Washington are raising money for breast cancer charities in their communities. CASTmembers will be wearing hats to remind guests of their cause. In addition, the city that raises the most money in the month of October will receive and additional $1000 from their parent company, Historic Tours of America, to give to their charity.

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