A sixth-generation Key West resident, who first blew a conch shell as a child, played two shells simultaneously to blow away the competition and take top honors Saturday in the island’s 48th annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest.
Clinton Curry, 36, followed his two-toned toot with a portion of composer Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance on a single shell, earning applause from several hundred spectators.
“The thing I like best about blowing the conch shell is that it helps preserve the culture of Key Westers,” Curry said.
The contest drew more than 40 entrants, ranging from young children to seniors, who were judged on the quality, novelty, duration and loudness of the sounds they produced.
The top group entry and audience favorite was a self-described “Conchestra,” whose 22 members performed a conch-shell accompaniment and offbeat dance to a recording of The Village People’s YMCA.
The contest’s youngest entrant, 6-year-old Katie Worth of Big Pine Key, Florida, won the children’s division.
The fluted, pink-lined conch shell has been blown in the Florida Keys since the early 1800s, when seafaring settlers used it as a signaling device. Native-born islanders are commonly called Conchs, and the Keys are known as the Conch Republic. (AFP)
上週六在西嶼舉行的第四十八屆西嶼吹海螺大賽上，一名六代以來都定居在此、從小就開始吹海螺的參賽者同時吹奏兩個海螺，擊敗所有對手奪得冠軍。
現年三十六歲的柯林頓•科瑞以雙螺吹奏完後，再以單一海螺吹奏阿拉姆•哈察都量的「劍舞」，贏得數百名觀眾的熱烈掌聲。
科瑞說：「我之所以那麼喜歡吹海螺，是因為它和保存西嶼居民文化密不可分。」
這場比賽吸引了四十多位老老少少參賽者報名，以海螺吹奏的音色、特質、持續時間及響度作為評分的標準。
自稱「海螺樂隊」的二十二人組合在鄉巴佬合唱團歌曲YMCA的陪襯下，一邊吹奏海螺，一邊跳著怪舞，奪下了團體組冠軍暨最受觀眾歡迎獎。
兒童組冠軍是來自大松嶼、現年六歲的凱娣•渥絲，她也是最年輕的參賽者。
一八００年代初期，仰賴討海維生的佛羅里達群島居民把這種帶著粉紅凹溝的海螺做為發送信號的工具後，吹奏海螺的傳統便延續至今。世人多以「海螺」暱稱當地出生的島民，以「海螺共和國」稱呼該珊瑚群島。（法新社╱翻譯：林倩如）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is touring Taiwan tomorrow. What about pop diva Lady Gaga? B: Unfortunately, Singapore has once again exclusively secured Gaga’s concerts in Asia, just like Taylor Swift’s exclusive Asian shows last year. A: The Singaporean government reportedly paid up to US$2.2 million to secure Swift’s shows. B: And the shows did boost its economy and tourism. A: But I’m angry about this approach, so I’m not going to Gaga’s shows this time. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰明天即將來台，流行天后女神卡卡呢？ B: 真可惜，新加坡再度取得卡卡亞洲巡演的獨家主辦權，就像去年泰勒絲的亞洲獨家演出一樣。 A: 據報導新加坡政府付出高達220萬美元，取得泰勒絲的亞洲獨家主辦權。 B: 而她的秀也的確提振了該國的經濟和旅遊業。 A: 但我對此還是很不爽，所以不去新加坡看卡卡了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses and pop diva Lady Gaga are finally touring Asia again. B: Are they also coming to Taiwan? A: The band will stage a show at the Taoyuan Sunlight Arena on Saturday. B: Wow, so this will be the band’s third visit. I really love its 1992 power ballad “November Rain.” The nine-minute hit was the Billboard chart’s longest song at one point. A: Let’s go celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰、女神卡卡終於再度展開亞洲巡演了。 B: 他們也會來台巡演嗎？ A: 槍與玫瑰本週六即將在桃園陽光劇場開唱唷。 B: 哇這將是該團第三次來台演出，我超愛他們1992年強力情歌《November Rain》，全長近9分鐘還曾是告示牌排行榜最長神曲。 A: 那我們一起去慶祝該團出道40週年吧！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Every May 1, Hawaii comes alive with Lei Day, a festival celebrating the rich culture and spirit of the islands. Initiated in 1927 by the poet Don Blanding, Lei Day began as a tribute to the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing leis. The idea was quickly adopted and officially recognized as a holiday in 1929, and leis have since become a symbol of local pride and cultural preservation. In Hawaiian culture, leis are more than decorative garlands made from flowers, shells or feathers. For Hawaiians, giving a lei is as natural as saying “aloha.” It shows love and
If you could nominate any toys for the Toy Hall of Fame, what would they be? Iconic playthings like yo-yos, toy cars, or video games seem like obvious __1__. Classic toys such as jacks, playing cards, and board games like Chess, Monopoly, and Uno have brought endless joy to generations. Overall, there are countless toys that __2__ in the Toy Hall of Fame. The National Toy Hall of Fame was __3__ in 1998 at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Toy Hall of Fame aims to __4__ items that have been cherished for generations, and several
RSS