Key West Diary 15

Mallory Square is famous in Key West for its street entertainers that gather there two hours before sunset each evening to entertain the locals and tourists that come to see the sun sink into the ocean.

It also brings out a lot of the local "color" such as this guy on his bike with his Indian war paint, Mohawk haircut and Conch Republic flag.

One of the locals I didn't see tonight that rides a moped/scooter with his head wrapped in a scarf, silk top hat and ski goggles. Hopefully I'll get his picture before we leave.

Mallory Square is also where all the big cruise ships dock when arriving in Key West.

The first and best act we saw tonight was this pair of jugglers and tumblers. Not only were they funny and entertaining to watch, they were really very talented and athletic, to say the least.

Their final act was to use a 20' extension ladder, held by four volunteers from the crowd, and a little 4 year old boy from the audience.

Considering the people holding the ladder really didn't know what they were doing, this was a daring stunt.

One of the many sailing charters leaving for a sunset cruise.

The second act we watched was a one man show with a unicycle and juggling. While not as entertaining or funny as the first act, it was still good. According to all the street entertainers, they travel around the country performing in these venues and only receive whatever the crowds decide to tip them. Hard way to make a living!!!

Besides balancing his unicycle on his chin and a few other tricks like that, the main event was riding his unicycle while juggling three different flaming batons.