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| Grove Celebrates 'A Decade of Pride' with Largest Parade Ever |
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
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Photo by
Bruce-Michael Gelbert |
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| Island Breeze contingent, Margo & Sherri |
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On June 28, Cherry Grove celebrated LGBT Pride with a tenth annual parade, billed as "A Decade of Pride," circling around downtown, and by many estimates, the Grove's largest parade yet, in terms of number of participants and length of march route. The parade comprised flag bearers, businesses' floats, contingents of marchers, and unaffiliated individuals.
Sherri Rase led the parade, carrying the American flag. Bobbie "Cobra" Scherffius and Victor Alfieri were honored as Mother and Father Pride and were chauffeured by Craig Hollywood of the Cherry Grove Fire Department (CGFD). CGFD's Fran Reinhardt came as the Statue of Liberty. Homecoming Queen Margo, who had just returned from two weeks away in Asia, graced us with her presence. Organizers of the event were Denise Harbin, Paul Jablonski, and this writer.
Amelia Migliaccio, an originator, with Paul, of the Grove Pride Parade, in 1999, was honored in absentia by the women of the Gay Bouquet contingent, who were Denise, SallyAnn Piacentino, Linda Dickerman and Barbara Hirsch, Pat Wagnis and Lyn Belensky, and Lynne Tunderman, garbed in a rainbow of hues. A leather and bear contingent consisted of Messrs Fire Island Leather Joe Saporito (2005) and this writer (2001), wearing sashes designed by David Samuel Menkes, and the Times Squares' Emad Heikal, sporting white feather wings and studded leather jockstrap.
Cherry's, Cherry Grove Pizza, the Grove Hotel/Ice Palace/Dune Point, Island Breeze, Jumping Jack's Seafood Shack, and the Tides were the businesses represented. In particularly striking costume were Island Breeze's Sara, as Ursula the Sea Witch, from Disney's "The Little Mermaid," and Bill, as King Neptune.
We remembered Stonewall as David Johnson made political points, relating to recent arrests, for sex and nudity, by National Park Service Rangers in the Meat Rack, the woods between the Grove and the Pines, by carrying placards with such slogans as "I Swear, Officer, I Was Just Picking Berries" and "Never Surrender Hard Won Freedoms! No Sex Police."
Parade participants met at 2 pm at the Community House and Firehouse to kick off half an hour later and march west on Bayview Walk, turn south toward the ocean on Surf Avenue, turn east on Lewis Walk, north toward the Great South Bay on Ocean Walk, march east on Bayview, turn south on Doctor's Walk, go west on Lewis, north on Main Walk, west on Bayview, repeat the first part of the route, and disperse at the dock.
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