Key West 'Bed Race' Teams Blanket Historic Duval Street

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KEY WEST (CBSMiami) – Billed as "the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on," this weekend's Conch Republic Red Ribbon Bed Race was a highlight of the Conch Republic Independence Celebration that ends Sunday.

Each entry in Saturday afternoon's wacky challenge included a decorated bed mounted on wheels, either pushed or pulled up Duval Sreet by four race-team members while an additional team member rode on the bed.

Standout entries included beds decorated as a chariot for male and female Wonder Woman wannabes, a streamlined racecar and a lounge-chair ensemble pushed by men in grass skirts.

The 10-day Conch Republic Independence Celebration commemorates April 23, 1982, when Florida Keys government and business officials staged a secession from the United States to protest the installation of a U.S. Border Patrol blockade installed at the top of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway.

The Feds were ostensibly search for illegal drugs and aliens. Visitors leaving the Keys were subjected to a 10-mile-long traffic jam that added several hours to their trip home.

Sunday's culminating events include a sailing race and a musical production detailing the birth of the Conch Republic.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Florida Keys News Bureau contributed to this report.)

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