Hemingway Days kick off at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, July 21, at the Custom House Museum with a special presentation, exhibit tour and birthday cake reception to commemorate Ernest Hemingway’s July 21 birth 116 years ago.

“Key West Art & Historical Society is proud to be partnering with the Hemingway Days Festival to further Key West’s literary legacy,” says KWAHS Executive Director Michael Gieda. “It is an honor to host the opening event and be part of the excitement and insights on Hemingway and his passions as an angler and naturalist.”

The presentation is part of the organization’s Distinguished Speaker Series, a twice-monthly program that highlights the abundant history and cultural assets of our islands through informal lectures. Noted author Timothy P. O’Brien, Ph.D., will present “Ernest Hemingway — Angler, Sportsman … Conservationist?” in the museum’s third floor Helmerich Research & Learning Center.

Though not nearly as recognized for his naturalist passions as he was as a 20th Century author and machismo-esque hunter, Hemingway had a keen interest in the natural world and kept extremely detailed catalogues of his field notes and fishing logs. O’Brien will describe Hemingway’s angling exploits, passion for sportsmanship and activities studying and documenting marine life and explore how Hemingway was a conservationist well before his time. The newly updated permanent Hemingway exhibit on the second floor of the Custom House Museum will also be made available for viewing after the presentation.

Dedicated to conservation, sportsmanship and ethical angling, O’Brien has written several books on sport fishing. He serves on the International Committee of Representatives for the International Game Fish Association, the Ecosystem and Ocean Management Advisory Panel to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, and the Board of Trustees of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum.

Free advance tickets are available online at KWAHS.ORG. Any remaining tickets will be available from 9:30am-4:30pm at the Custom House door, day of event only. This annual lecture series is made possible in part by the generosity of the Helmerich Trust. For more information, contact Gerri Sidoti, Program Director at 295.6616 x 106 or visit WWW.KWAHS.ORG. Your Museums. Your Community. It Takes an Island.