The USA’s 250th birthday deserved a second month of celebration in the Middle Keys as the city of Marathon presented America-Fest on Aug. 1. Commemorating the semiquincentennial signing of the Declaration of Independence – actually signed a month after the document’s adoption on July 4, 1776 – the Marathon Community Park celebration paired family fun, food games, music and patriotic costumes with a “National Treasure”-themed scavenger hunt. Emceed by US1 Radio’s Joe Moore, the event featured special appearances from Marathon Mayor Lynny Del Gaizo as Lady Liberty and Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial. Once the sun went down, the Nicolas Cage classic graced the silver screen at the park’s amphitheater. Photos by ROSS SMITH/Keys Weekly
