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Showcasing the republic’s eccentric spirit, the 27th annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration commemorates the Florida Keys’ secession from the United States following a 1982 U.S. Border Patrol blockade that virtually stopped traffic on the only road to the mainland.

In protest, local officials staged the secession. After proclaiming the Conch Republic, they declared war on the mother country, pelted federal agents with stale Cuban bread, surrendered after 60 seconds and demanded $1 billion in foreign aid.

Today patriots throughout the Keys fly the royal blue flag of the republic, whose motto is “We Seceded Where Others Failed,” and the secession’s anniversary is marked by an annual 10-day party.

Highlights of the celebration include the Great Conch Republic Drag Race. The offbeat event takes place on Key West’s famed Duval Street and features participants decked out in startlingly big hair and staggeringly high heels.

Scheduled Saturday, April 18, the race is nothing like a NASCAR spectacular. Instead, competitors are exuberantly coiffed drag queens, dressed in everything from sequined gowns to sporty ruffled frocks, sprinting down Duval in high heels. Hosted by the Bourbon Street Complex, the event is to begin at 1 p.m. when the “pits” along the 700 block of Duval open for public viewing. Racers proceed through time trials and elimination heats to the hard-fought finals — while trying to avoid crashes, broken nails and high-heel malfunctions.

Other festival favorites include the Conch Republic Naval Parade and Great Battle, a free-for-all that pits sea dogs, wenches and Conch Republic military might against the “evil federal forces.” Sponsored by the republic’s flagship schooner Wolf, the maritime mayhem is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, in the waters of Key West Harbor.

Weapons traditionally range from water cannons to flying Cuban bread and vegetables, making for lighthearted but messy combat. Spectators can view the fray from Bloody Battle Parties at harborfront resorts.

Following the battle, a 9 p.m. victory party is planned at the colorful Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St., to commemorate the preordained triumph of the Conch Republic military.

Another festival highlight is to be staged Saturday, April 25: the Fairvilla Megastore Conch Republic Red Ribbon Bed Race. In this wacky race for strange bedfellows, teams propel decorated beds down Duval Street from the intersection of Fleming Street to the Hog’s Breath Saloon, 400 Front St. Scheduled 2-5 p.m., the race raises money for Key West’s AIDS Help Inc., and is billed as “the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on.”

Festival events also include the World’s Longest Parade, named because its sea-to-sea route down Duval Street proceeds from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico; a “fun in the sun” pool party; a volleyball challenge for sport–loving sorts; the annual pirates’ ball and pig roast; the Conch Crawl showcasing favorite watering holes and a sailing race commemorating the Keys’ historic wrecking tradition.

For more information and a festival schedule, visit ConchRepublic.com or call (305) 294-2298. For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539).