Archives
Preparing. Preserving. Protecting.
For more than 30 years, the Fire Island Pines Seashore Defense Fund has provided an essential service to the community: protecting the beach that protects the Pines. Created after the devastating 1992 Nor’easter, the SDF funds emergency response, beach restoration, dune protection and education. Powered by donors, volunteers and community partnerships, its mission remains simple: prepare, preserve and protect the Pines for generations to come.
The Outdoor Shower Revealed
The Outdoor Shower has been a part of the Pines since the first intrepid beachgoers crossed the dunes to camp and enjoy the beach. From its rustic beginnings to the sophisticated designs of today, the Pines outdoor showers have evolved with the culture of the community, moving from necessity to luxury and back again. This is its cool (and sometimes steamy) soap-history.
Pines Profile - Gil Neary 1957-2024
Gil Neary was one of the Pines’ most beloved. His life was defined by joy, generosity, and unapologetic pride. A visionary real estate broker and community builder, he helped shape Fire Island Pines into the vibrant haven it is today through his warmth, charisma, and boundless embrace of people. He championed gay life and culture with unashamed exuberance, celebrating every moment to the fullest. There is no doubt, Gil made the world brighter, bolder, and better.
Pines Profile - Hal Rubenstein (b. 1950)
Hal Rubenstein is a rare talent. His career stands as proof of what’s possible when ability meets opportunity and courage. A formidable and deeply creative presence, his command of language, spoken and written, allows people to connect with his ideas almost viscerally. Over time, he has become an interpreter of glamour, a custodian of culture, and an agent of change, reshaping how people think not only about fashion and dining, but about life itself. Check out: https://thehappygrownup.substack.com
The Story of FIPPOA (est. 1953)
For over seventy years, the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association (FIPPOA) has been a driving force in the transformation of the Pines from a rustic beach enclave into one of the most celebrated and glamorous gay communities in the world. Guided by a board of elected, unpaid volunteers, FIPPOA has spearheaded the development of the Pines’ physical infrastructure, while carefully navigating its cultural evolution from homophobic origins to a modern gay mecca.
Pines Profile - Richard Burns (b. 1955)
Some leaders make history from the front of the stage. Others build the institutions that make history possible. Richard Burns belongs firmly in the latter category. Over the past five decades, his vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment have helped create and strengthen many of the organizations that transformed LGBTQ+ life in America. This profile tells the remarkable story of a man whose influence has profoundly shaped LGBTQ+ life in America.
The Pines Party - A Conversation With Allan Baum and Frank Liberto
Pines Party is an internationally renowned event that follows in the tradition of legendary parties like Beach and the GMHC Morning Party. For a dozen years, FIPPOA Vice President Allan Baum and his husband Frank Liberto have been at the helm. Pines Historical Society sat down with the for a candid and entertaining discussion as the prepare to pass the reins to a new generation of leaders.
Fire Island Pines Fire Department (est. 1959)
Fire is one of the greatest risks facing Fire Island Pines. With its remote location, closely spaced wooden homes and boardwalks, and dense stands of bamboo and other flammable vegetation, once ignited, a fire can spread with alarming speed. Since 1959, the volunteers of the Fire Island Pines Fire Department have stood as the community’s first and most critical line of defense.
They respond at the worst moments, often under dangerous and unpredictable conditions, performing work for which they are not paid but for which they carry immense responsibility. Operating within a system of mutual aid alongside neighboring communities, they have repeatedly contained fires that might otherwise have devastated large portions of the Pines.
It is no exaggeration to say that their vigilance, professionalism, and courage have helped ensure the survival of the community itself. Without them, the Fire Island Pines as we know it today might not exist.
Fire Island Pines Arts Project (est. 1986)
Entertainment in Fire Island Pines goes well beyond Tea or house parties. Home to many artists, performers and other creative people, the Pines summer entertainment also includes plays, musicals, art shows, dance festivals and cabaret performances. Many of these are produced by the Fire Island Arts Project or FIPAP, which was founded in 1986. The organization also helps emerging artists with annual residency program created in partnership with New York Theatre Barn.
The Red Party (1976)
Sun-soaked 1970s Fire Island Pines beach culture radiates effortless glamour, where artists, designers, celebrities, and locals mingled freely. Gustavo Novoa’s legendary 1976 Red Party epitomized this golden era—bold, sensual, and visually stunning, blending high style with carefree hedonism, communal spirit, and an unpretentious chic that defined the Pines at its dazzling peak. A very visual event set on the Pines beach, it is remembered as one of the all time great parties in the community.
Pines Profile: Bob Levine (b. 1933)
Robert “Bob” Levine, known to generations of Fire Islanders as the incomparable Rose Levine, is an indelible part of Fire Island history. For more than seventy years, Bob has been one of the most recognizable, beloved, and enduring figures in the history of both Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. While he best known as a legendary drag entertainer, Bob has also been a chronicler, a social icon, and a bridge builder between Fire Island’s two LGBTQ+ communities.
Trailblazers Park (est. 2022)
Fire Island Pines has always sought to be a place of welcome. It has also benefitted from the work of LGBTQ+ trailblazers, some of whom never set foot on its boardwalks. Trailblazers Park is a visible celebration of these people and a symbol that all people are welcome. Public art, Trailblazers Park’s biggest role is to keep the conversations alive about who are trailblazers were and who is blazing a trail today.
Pines Profile - The Pines Liquor Shop (Est. 1964)
Few institutions in Fire Island Pines are so deeply woven into the fabric of the community that life without them feels unimaginable. The Pines Liquor Shop is one such place. Though its beginnings were modest and sometimes uncertain, it soon took root and grew into far more than a purveyor of spirits. Through good times and bad, it has stood as a steady presence, always supportive of community activities and responsive to the needs of its neighbors. Straight owned and operated in the world’s premier gay resort, it has become recognized by liquor distributors as a harbinger of taste on the East Coast. Today it is a community hub, resource center and always a place of welcome.
Pines Profile - James G. Pepper (b.1944)
Jim Pepper is the embodiment of philanthropy. Gifted with the mind of a generation, a strong moral compass and a bias for action, for over six decades he has done things that have improved the lives of millions of people. His abilities enabled him to be very successful both professionally and in his extensive philanthropic efforts, all the while remaining humble and avoiding the spotlight unless absolutely necessary. Simply put, Jim did what he did because it needed to be done and not for attention or glory, which he actively avoids. It is these precise characteristics that make him appealing, widely respected and loved. His is a life that has indelibly touched the so many others for the better.
SAGE (est. 1978)
SAGE and Fire Island Pines are different sides of the same coin. Both were created for and by LGBTQ+ people and their allies in response to a world that was often hostile to their existence. Their founders took risks and made sacrifices to create spaces where connection, safety, and identity could thrive. And both require nurturing and care to survive. At their core, they are both expressions of the same idea: community. Dino Georgiou, one of SAGE’s earliest supporters and former Treasurer of FIPPOA saw the connection early on and today it is one of the major philanthropic organizations supported by the Pines community.
Pines Profile - Bob Howard (b. 1941)
For more than five decades, Bob Howard has helped shape Fire Island Pines. Although often referred to as the “Dean of Real Estate,” his impact reaches far beyond property lines. In his time, Bob founded High Tea, led the Pines Conservation Society for two decades, and has more than four decades (and counting) of service with the Pines Fire Department —all while championing nearly every civic and charitable effort in the community.
In moments of celebration and in times of crisis, Bob has been a constant, galvanizing presence. He didn’t just build a business, he helped build the Pines itself, earning his place as one of its most respected and beloved leaders. His life is a testament to reinvention, resilience, and an unwavering devotion to a community that became not only his home, but his life’s work and enduring legacy.
Pines Profile - Seth Sikes (b. 1984)
Seth Sikes’ story is one the Pines has seen play out many times over the past 70 years. A young man from a small town arrives with big hopes and a bigger heart, and discovers what this place can be. His journey, steeped in love and gratitude for the Pines, rings through every note he sings, whether in the playful video parodies that buoyed the community through the 2020 lockdown, under the lights at 54 Below, or from the harbor during the Annual Invasion. Seth’s path is uniquely his, yet shared by all who have found healing, humor, and hope in the enduring magic of Fire Island.
Pines Profile - Douglas E. Harris (b. 1950)
Doug Harris has spent his life doing something both rare and invaluable -- building worlds where people can thrive. Whether helping shape the regulatory architecture of the global capital markets, elevating LGBTQ+ elders through SAGE, or steering the Pines towards becoming a more open and welcoming community, Doug’s legacy is defined by brilliance, perseverance, risk taking, and an extraordinary gift for connection.
The Lawyer Who Helped Make Fire Island Safe for Gay People
Many people believe Stonewall was the event that made the Pines and Cherry Grove safe for gays. While the 1969 riots played a major role, one year prior, the Mattachine Society and a straight Long Island lawyer, Benny Vuturo, effectively stopped the shameful police raids and arrests of gay men in the community..
CoBE (est. 2020)
The murder of George Floyd murder spawned a global reckoning on race. Within the Pines, the property owners association (FIPPOA), who are essentially the community’s leaders, created the Committee on Black Equality (CoBE). its goals were to make recommendations on how the Pines could be more diverse and welcoming to people of color.