Key West’s Annual 'Conch Honk' Returns: Conch Blowing Contest Crowns New Winners

NOTE TO EDITORS/PRODUCERS: Conch is pronounced “KONK”

KEY WEST, Fla. – The 62^nd Annual ‘Conch Honk’ attracted more than three dozen conch shell blowers to a historic Key West landmark to try their hands, and mouths, at blowing the judges away with their pucker prowess. Locals (affectionately known as “Conchs”) and visitors gathered at the Oldest House Museum & Gardens on Saturday, March 8 for a day of music, laughter and, you guessed it, plenty of noise. The free event was a blast, literally, as competitors shelled out their best versions of unique sounds while blowing the city’s iconic and beloved conch shell.

Presented by Key West’s Old Island Restoration Foundation, the quirky contest salutes the Florida Keys’ seafaring heritage and centuries-old use of the “conch horn” for signaling and communication.

“The conch shell back in the day was how they used to communicate,” said Key West Mayor Danise “Dee Dee” Henriquez. “So, when the ships would come in and the boats would come in, they could communicate by conch shell.”

Judges evaluated contestants on the quality, duration, loudness, and sheer novelty of the sounds they made and crowned several winners, including a woman from Cape Cod, who now lives in Key West. Her personal rendition of Reveille proved blowing a conch shell is both an art and skill that takes some serious talent.

“I’ve practiced on the conch horn for a long, long time, and I found it’s really fun to do Reveille,” said Jewel Jones. “And being in Key West, we hear Reveille every morning.”

Jack Lindsey from Panama City, Florida also wowed the crowd with his version of “Tequila” and took home the Conch Honk Champion prize in the men’s category.

In addition to being an offbeat musical instrument, the conch shell is an enduring symbol of the Florida Keys. In fact, Key West natives call themselves "conchs,” and the island chain is nicknamed the Conch Republic.

“Conchs are very vital to Key West history,” said Nance Frank, who is the President of the Old Island Restoration Foundation. “We were made the richest city per capita in the United States in early 1800s because we had conchs, and we blew them whenever a wreck came ashore.”

The event, according to Nance, has been going on since 1960 and grows in popularity each year.

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