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It's 90 degrees in Key West, Fla. — even hotter if you count the swamp-like humidity.

Tourists have packed the town for the annual Hemingway Days celebration, but there's something odd about the crowd at Sloppy Joe's dive bar: Every man is wearing the exact same thing.

They're dressed in khaki, with big white beards, and the group is so large it overflows onto the street.

Wally Collins stands out because of his sweater. Even in the heat, he's wearing an Irish wool cable knit. He takes a drink and heads onstage.


That was the scene last July at the annual Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike contest, which Collins said was started in the 1980s by Florida charter boat captains.


It's a tribute to the famous American writer, who used to haunt the very same bar when he lived in Key West in the 1930s. He would throw back mojitos and arm-wrestle patrons nightly, so the lore goes.

In the oppressive heat, Collins' sweater gamble paid off: He was named Papa Hemingway for 2014. 

As part of his reign, Collins has spent the last year as an ambassador for all things Ernest. His itinerary has been packed with everything from trips to Cuba to judging chili cook-offs. (Hemingway made a mean black bean chili.)

Next week he will have to give up his title when a new Hemingway is chosen — but for now, he gets to play judge.

The similarities between Hemingway and Collins go beyond the snowy beard and the love of khaki. Both men went to war — Hemingway drove an ambulance in World War I, and Collins flew planes in Vietnam — and both have traveled the world. Hemingway roamed around Europe and Africa; Collins has circled the world twice.

"But I've only been married once," Collins said, a nod to the author's four tumultuous marriages. "And he was a terrible alcoholic, which he never admitted to."

"I was a business major," he said. "I didn't read Hemingway." It wasn't until the Arizona restaurateur grew a beard in 2009 that his barber noticed the resemblance. (It didn't hurt that the barber was also a Hemingway lookalike, who'd won the year before.)

His barber persuaded Collins to fly to Key West and compete. He was instantly hooked: The rum and arm-wrestling of Hemingway's time was still in full swing.

Every July, more than 100 bearded competitors try to out-Hemingway one another. The bar becomes a sea of Ernest lookalikes.

"One guy always said one of us should rob a bank," Collins said. "No one would ever be able to tell which one it was."

Some of the lookalikes have been competing at Sloppy Joe's for 15 or 20 years. Collins won it after only five.

"I think it was the sweater," Collins said. Considering the heat, it might have been enough to impress the judges. "You know how that was?" he asked. "I about died."

The winner isn't picked by looks alone, though. The Papas, as the past winners are known, are a strong fraternity. "They're looking for someone who cares about the tradition, who will be involved for years to come," said Collins.

Collins estimates there are 18 living winners of the contest, and the majority show up every year to help pick the next winner. They also help raise funds for the Hemingway Lookalike Society's scholarship fund, which benefits students at Florida Keys Community College.

Next week will be Collins' first time at the judging table, but there will still be a Collins in the running — Wally's son.

"He competes as young Hemingway," Collins said. "But I won't play favorites."

Most of the competitors are older — old enough to sprout white beards, anyway. Expanding the competition has been one of Collins' outreach goals this year, to bring in more competitors and ensure the tradition continues. Every year, a few wild cards show up.

"We had a guy from Kazakhstan one year who didn't look at all like Hemingway, but he was funny and he tried," Collins recalled.

The lookalike contest is only one piece of the town's annual Hemingway Days festival. There's also a deep-sea fishing tournament, poetry readings, a short story competition and a running of the "bulls" — that would be Hemingway lookalikes carrying mock wooden bulls through the streets.

All the events pay tribute to Hemingway's adventurous, globetrotting legacy. That's what keeps Collins coming back. There's no money in it, he says, just good company.

"It's just bragging rights and being a judge for as long as you want to," he said. "That's why I'm bringing my son — so he can wheelchair me into this when I'm 90."

Clarification (July 16, 2015): An early version of this story did not attribute the origin story of the Hemingway contest. 

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Tracy Mumford

Author

Every year, more than a hundred competitors pack a Key West, Fla., bar to pay tribute to the famous writer by dressing just like him.

Mojitos, khaki and beards: Competing in the Ernest Hemingway lookalike contest

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