THIS WEEKEND: KEY COLONY BEACH DAY HIGHLIGHTED BY POOCH PROMENADE

The Marathon Fire Department turns on the pumps and ushers hundreds of rubber ducks across a canal for the 2022 Zonta Club of Marathon’s Rubber Ducky Race. LARRY BENVENUTI/Contributed

Bring your cash and pick your fastest pilchard. Key Colony Beach Day returns this Sunday, March 5.

The 66th anniversary of KCB’s incorporation as a city will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the city’s 7th Street Park. The day will include live music by Papa Pete, David Quick and the Rick Lieder Band, food, nearly 100 vendors and the infamous “barracuda” races and Zonta Club rubber ducky races.

For the first time ever, the 2023 event will also feature a “Pooch Promenade” and costume contest. With donations accepted to benefit the Marathon SPCA, dogs and their handlers may register at the corner of 7th Street and Shelter Bay Drive between 11 and 11:15 a.m. for the 11:30 a.m. parade. Prizes will be awarded for the best costume, best handler and dog combo and best “Keysy” spirit.

The event is presented by the KCB Community Association. Admission and parking for the event are free, and the day is open to the general public

The famed ‘Barracuda Races’ pit pilchards against each other in a dash to the finish. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.