Men don turtlenecks for Hemingway look-alike contest

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Woolen fishermen's turtlenecks in the middle of summer?

At the annual "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, it's almost required attire.

With his cream-colored turtleneck sweater, ruddy complexion and white beard, 61-year-old letter carrier Bob Doughty took the top prize at this year's event, then immediately shed the sweater.

Doughty beat 146 others July 23 in his 13th try at the festival, held every year at Sloppy Joe's Bar -- Ernest Hemingway's favorite watering hole when he lived in Key West during the 1930s. The contest was judged by former winners.

There was also a surprise at the event: Hemingway's granddaughter introduced a man who believes he is the author's illegitimate son.

"I've known since the age of 5 that I was supposed to come to Sloppy Joe's in Key West and find a picture of my father," said Richard Steel Hemingway, 44, of Davison, Mich.

Lorian Hemingway, Hemingway's granddaughter, believes he is credible.

"I know that Richard is completely sincere and guileless in his quest for his father, and I do believe his father is Ernest Hemingway," she said.