Crucial WEST – Substantial heels alternatively of higher octane run the 11 contestants in Vital West’s yearly Conch Republic Drag Race, a madcap challenge for female impersonators that took location Saturday afternoon.
The playful parody of automobile racing highlighted males in drag — entire with wigs, attire, makeup, and substantial heels — dashing along Duval Road, Important West’s aptly nicknamed “key drag.” Even though trying to outpace their rivals, they navigated an impediment system of tires, “walked the plank” and competed in a warmth with browsing cart “sizzling rods.”
The most notable entrants involved a diva in a pink skirt, matching pink wig, and gauze wings a blonde mini-skirted “sailor” in significant red boots and a charmer in a sequined frock and complete beard – who carried a doll all over the race.
Spectators lined the road to check out the “girls” dash and stagger alongside the class even with spectacular falls, broken heels, and other upsets triggered by “street hazards.”
The wacky race was portion of Essential West’s 42nd yearly Conch Republic Independence Celebration. The 10-working day pageant commemorates the Florida Keys’ 1982 mock secession from the United States and development of the republic — in protest to the installation of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at the head of the Florida Keys Abroad Highway.
The 2024 celebration runs by way of Sunday, April 28, with other gatherings like a lighthearted sea struggle showcasing tall ships, a race of embellished beds and a Duval Avenue parade billed as “the world’s longest.”
