In Hemingway’s Old Haunt, He Looked Like a Winner

--Ernest Hemingway would have loved it. A weeklong party in one of his favorite places in Key West, Fla., complete with arm-wrestling contests, a street fair, a play and some good writing. He would have also loved the name, Hemingway Days Festival. About 8,000 aficionados of the legendary writer ended their eighth annual celebration Sunday, but perhaps none was prouder than Tom Cosselman, who won the Hemingway Look-alike competition at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Hemingway’s favorite tavern. Cosselman, a retired plumbing contractor from Horton Bay, Mich., beat out 52 other competitors. “I feel a little bit more like Hemingway now, and I think I’ll go out and do a bit of fishing,” he said. Edwin Crooks Jr. of Shrewsbury, N.J., won the Hemingway Billfish Tournament, pulling in a 238-pound blue marlin, and Mary McDaniel of Charleston, Ill., won the writing competition. Michael Whalton, festival director, said: “Ernest Hemingway continues to fascinate people, and they come to Key West to relive some of his experiences.”

--In 1935, author Gertrude Stein returned to her hometown of Oakland and uttered her now-famous remark: “There is no there there.” At the time, she was right. But today, the city of Oakland has a “There.” It’s a 17-foot sculpture of metal slats, which was placed in Oakland’s City Square over the weekend. The sculpture, by Rosyln Mazzilli, a San Francisco artist, is intended to instill civic pride, since Oakland is reputed to be San Francisco’s not-so-attractive stepsister. “It adds to the city’s image, but it’s not going to solve the problem. That can’t be done with a sculpture,” said Glenn Jones, a store owner who is active in the city’s redevelopment efforts. Stein, who died in 1946, left Oakland at age 17.

--Gov. Bill Clinton’s speech nominating Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis for President at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta last week drew more than its share of critics. Originally scheduled for 15 minutes, the speech ran twice as long. Some of the delegates demonstrated their displeasure by yelling “Cut!” Others were too busy sleeping to protest. But nobody was as cutting as NBC “Tonight” show host Johnny Carson, who cleverly played off the speech two consecutive nights. The comedian called Clinton a “windbag” and suggested that 5-foot, 8-inch Dukakis appeared taller when he gave his acceptance speech because he was standing on a transcript of Clinton’s speech. Well, the Arkansas governor will have a chance to parry other Carson thrusts. He’s agreed to Carson’s invitation to appear on the show Thursday.