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Persistence works in Hemingway look-alike game
A North Carolina real estate agent beat out a teetotalling short story writer from Kazakhstan and nearly 140 other snowy-haired, bearded men from around the world in this year's Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.
"You've got to pay your dues," Stubbings said after a spirited celebration on Saturday night. The 24th Hemingway Days festival celebrated the July 21 birthday of the storied U.S. writer, born 105 years ago. Look-alike hopefuls from Hungary, Ireland, Kazakhstan and the United States descended on the tip of Florida over the weekend for the celebration. In a memorable tribute, first-time contestant Vladimir Malikov -- a pensioner from Almaty, Kazakhstan -- presented Stubbings with a gold-trimmed emerald green hat and a symbolic donkey representing good luck. An avid Hemingway fan and short story writer, Malikov, 65, sold his possessions and collected donations to fulfill his dream of attending the event. One of 25 finalists, he told a cheering crowd that he will present a white T-shirt signed by Hemingway contestants and past winners to the National Museum of Kazakhstan. "This is a big honor in my life. I love you all, my brothers, and every year I will make a toast to you," said Malikov, who abstains from alcohol. Arriving in Key West without a credit card and with little cash, Malikov was unable to book a hotel room. John Klausing, general manager emeritus of Sloppy Joe's, the renowned Hemingway watering hole where the famed author met third wife Martha Gellhorn in 1936, helped Malikov find accommodations at a youth hostel. Hemingway, who lived in Key West during the 1930s, used the town as the setting for his novel "To Have and Have Not." Royalty checks and original manuscripts of that novel were found at Sloppy Joe's after Hemingway's 1961 suicide in Ketchum, Idaho. "This is probably our best year because of the international flavor with three new contestants," said Rick Kirvan, president of the 175-member Hemingway Look-Alike Society. "We're bringing this out for the rest of the world." The Hemingway Days celebration included literary events, including a short story competition directed by Hemingway's granddaughter, Lorian Hemingway. On Saturday, huffing Hemingway Days participants also jogged around a block
in a "Running of the Bulls" salute to the rowdy sporting challenge in Pamplona,
Spain. An arm-wrestling competition on Sunday concluded the
event.
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