Into the Pines Kitchen contains 200 recipes from 100 contributors, including Pines notables Scott Bromley, Gilbert Parker, and Hal Rubinstein. As a nod to bygone days, the book also features a posthumous contribution from John Whyte, one of the Pines' founders. The book includes original photography of the island from Pines artists William Karam, Mark Lonsbury, and Barbara Sahlman. •More About this Book»
"Drag Queens Can Cook-Recipes to Sync Your Lips Around" is a new cookbook, being sold for a tax deductible $25, created by doctors and life partners Rick Byrd, PhD, and Patrick Fratellone, MD, as a benefit for the Elmer A. Lindsay Memorial Medical Center, the Cherry Grove Doctor's Fund. •Read More»
June 6, 2009 - The Cherry Grove Archives, headed by Archivist-and honorary Archbishop-Harold Seeley, and the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG) collaborated on two events, devoted to bringing Grove memories to the fore, at the Community House on June 6.
Billed as "Walk of Fame" and conceived by Donald Labohn, the evening event was a panel discussion, moderated by Sybil Bruncheon, and involving Grove veterans George Cabell, Dominic DeSantis, a glamorous Meryl Facterman, Valerie Perez of the Pines Animal Welfare Society in the Grove, Harold himself, and Joan Van Ness, sporting her tuxedo. Of the "young-ish" panelists, Sybil declared, "They've seen it all. They've done it all. They've lived it all. And they've paid for it."
Valerie first came to Fire Island in 1958 as a day-tripper, complete with partner and German shepherd. Harold's first time was in 1976 and he got involved with APCG theatrical productions almost immediately. George came to the Grove in July 1957, with a boyfriend, and concluded that, "Coming to Cherry Grove with a boyfriend was like going to a whorehouse with your wife." Meryl came here in 1965 at a time when she thought she was "the only gay woman in the world." Dominic arrived in 1956 and stayed on Main Walk. And Joan's first visit to the Grove was as a day-tripper in 1975.
Asked about the first memorable person each met in the Grove, Joan cited her neighbor Peaches, and informed us that the reason we paint white lines on the sides of the boardwalk was initially to guide Peaches safely back to Gerard Walk. Dominic's memorable person was Jimmy Mallios, who owned the Grove's first ice cream shop, where the Tides is now, and displayed a sign reading, "Take a picture of a fairy: one dollar." Meryl and Valerie both mentioned Jimmy Merry, the original owner of the Ice Palace, as well as the now defunct Sea Shack, and Club Atlantique, which was where Jumping Jack's Seafood Shack is now. Meryl mentioned that Jimmy maintained a bail fund, with which the bail out men who were arrested for having sex in the Meat Rack and Valerie said that he "had created a gay sanctuary here" and that "there would be no gay Cherry Grove without this man." Meryl also mentioned Lois McIntosh, her lover of the past 33 years, with whom she started the bar Cherry's in 1984. George discussed "Willy Warren [who] 'lived' in the Meat Rack" and owned a home called the Tulle Shed. Harold brought up Al Burke, who made costumes for the theater and always wore a big hat, sandals, and a skimpy jockstrap.
Memories of the Monster, the restaurant, bar, entertainment center and, at one time, guesthouse; of parties; of the early days of the Fire Department and the origins of the Doctor's Fund; and of police raids on the Meat Rack were shared. George said, "You'd take your professional life in your hands" because of the raids, when people were arrested and then their names would be published in the New York Times. George once avoided arrest by hiding in the bay for three-and-a-half hours, until sunrise, breathing through a reed while submerged for all that time. On a lighter note, he also recalled going into the dunes with a group on the full moon night that Kate Smith died and singing "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain" there with his friends.
Joan spoke of breaking with tradition in 1994 by being elected the Grove's first and, so far, only female Homecoming Queen, while wearing, for her, the highest of elegant drag.
The group also spoke of celebrities they had seen in the Grove, either performing or just visiting, including Morgana King and Carmen McCrae, who sang at Club Atlantique, Jerry Herman, who wrote "Hello, Dolly," there, Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Kaye Ballard, Mabel Mercer, Sarah Vaughan, Della Reese, Hermione Gingold, Tommy Tune, who later moved on to the Pines, and Peggy Hewitt, who starred in the APCG production of "Little Mary Sunshine."
The setting for the discussion, including a 'boardwalk of fame' and huge vintage Cherry Grove postcard, was designed by George "Will" McGarvey and Dennis McConkey.
The afternoon event was a show of photographer Lorraine Michels' albums of historic photos, not seen by the general public before, that she took of APCG shows, Invasions of the Pines, Grove Pride Parades, Dancers Responding to AIDS, in the Pines, and Night of a Thousand Gowns, in New York City.
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