On May 24, at the Community House, at the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG) Membership Party, with the beloved Bella and first Homecoming Queen and Invasion coordinator Panzi presiding, four contenders vied to become the Grove’s 40th Queen. Perennial contestants Mother and Jo Jo Gerard, a Grove historian, were eliminated after the first round of applause, leaving Demi-Tasse and newly-svelte entertainer Gusty Winds, community favorites both, with service on APCG’s Board of Directors to their credit, as semi-finalists. Both were roundly cheered by adherents, but the voice vote acclaiming Demi-Tasse was overwhelming and, at 10:10 p.m., Demi, a former Empress of New York and director of last Labor Day’s APCG show “Déjà Vu,” remembering Las Vegas in its heyday, was crowned Homecoming Queen 2015 by her predecessor, HQ 2014 Whore D’Oeuvre, who personally bade her subjects fond farewell with Celine Dion song “Thank You.”
After a joke question—“Would you like Cherry Grove to join the European Union?”—from the Mistresses of Ceremonies, Demi was queried about her first visit to Cherry Grove. She recalled going to the Ice Palace in 1965, saying, “I was, like, shocked! It was all packed! It was so me!” Asked to sing a bit of a song, a cappella, she serenaded the MCs with, “We love you, Bella, oh, yes, we do” and “We love you, Panzi, oh yes, we do,” to the tune of “We Love You, Conrad,” from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” With the crown freshly on her head and a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses in her arms, our new Queen was introduced, by this writer, to our community’s other newly-elected leader, Mr. Fire Island Leather 2015 Edd Clark, in the hope that our reigning Grove Royalty could join forces in the 40th Invasion of the Pines on July 4.
The hostesses’ question for Gusty had been, “How would you get the Pines and Grove closer?” Her response, in the wake of Pavilion owner Ian Reisner’s controversial benefit for homophobic US Senator from Texas and Republican candidate for President Ted Cruz, was, “The Pines is not the businesses: it’s the community. We don’t have to go to the businesses [when we invade] if we don’t want to.” Her song for the MCs was “Tequila.”
The MCs introduced past Homecoming Queens who were present, Cobra, Donna Piranha; Scarlett O!, the only woman ever to have served as HQ of the Grove; Urban Sprawl; Coco Love and Margo; Beach DeBree and YaNeeda Dunes; Luisa Verde; and Lola Galore. HQ 2005 Ivana Cocktail celebrated the tenth anniversary of her reign by performing “Get This Party Started,” Shirley Bassey-style. Ivana and Bella will host a benefit for the Grove Emergency Medical Service fund at the Community House on July 18. Panzi also asked members of the Cherry Grove Fire Department to rise and receive richly-deserved accolades for their yeoman duty on March 27, when the Grove Hotel, Holly House, Anima (formerly Carousel Guest House), and Kokomo burned down, and on so many other occasions.