he most recent installment of the Arts Project of Cherry Grove’s “The Walk of Fame: a Stroll Down Memory Lane “series of reminiscences of long-time Cherry Grove residents, took place at the Community House on June 18 and featured the recollections of Don Hester, Craig Eberhardt, Lucille Flora, Thom “Panzi” Hansen, Joan Van Ness, Bob “Rose” Levine, and Meryl Facterman. This group’s array of experience ran from the mid-1940s, when Don was a junior Handyman for family properties in the Grove, to Meryl and Lois McIntosh’s founding of Cherry’s On the Bay, which had been quite literally a small home on the beach and now boasts its own dock and restaurant!
The recollections, with John “Sybil Bruncheon” Burke acting in his “Charlie Rose” moderator capacity, were everything that the Grove family, of all standings, would want to hear. Don recounted what it was like to live here year ’round, with his and Judy’s kids picked up on the beach by the school bus, with the lady driving dropping off fresh, warm goat’s milk and eggs that were laid that morning! Craig spoke of visiting the Pines at 21 and ending up the very next week at the Belvedere, from which he’s never left. Lucille regaled us with tales of nights of dancing, days of beaching and, however much it has changed, it’s still the place we love.
John mentioned Panzi’s creation of the iconic Independence Day Invasion of the Pines, while Rose spoke of the days when a room was $5 and a house could be rented for a weekend for $35, ruminating that “now a minute costs $35,” to the laughter of the audience. Meryl told the tale of the Monster and the amazing food as well as the Sea Shack, a dancing and food establishment across from what is now SandCastle, and how she was first lured here as a teenager by hairdresser friends from New Jersey. It was beautiful to hear how she spoke of Lois, her partner of 40 years, who passed just last year. Joan reminded us of the natural winsome grandeur of this sand bar that we all love so much and how each part of the season has something different to love, if we only look around.
John kept things lively, ensuring that we were listening by commenting here and there, and adding his own reminders of the importance of memory. Referring to a picture behind him on the set designed by George McGarvey, John gave us the flavor of another time. He had acquired this picture on eBay, from the elderly sister of a more-elderly gay man, who had summered here in the days of outdoor plumbing and kerosene lights. We have no idea yet of the identity of the picture’s inhabitants, but it was clear that they were expressing themselves in costume and fun in ways that were part of the Cherry Grove culture when the world on the other side of the Great South Bay was much less our life in Pink.
The question that brought tears to my eyes was when John asked each panelist, “If you could never return to Cherry Grove, what is your most treasured memory.” Even as I listened to each person’s heartfelt thoughts, my mind turned to my own favorite.
This is the power of Story. This is the power of Community. Thank you, John, Don, Craig, Lucille, Panzi, Joan, Rose, and Meryl, for giving so completely of yourselves.