Archives
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.
Pines Profile - Nicole LaFountaine (b. 1969)
For almost a century, the LaFountaine’s have been at the beating heart of Fire Island Pines—building homes, fighting fires, raising glasses, raising roofs, and raising voices. Nicole LaFountaine stands as the third generation of that legacy: a woman who turned fire into renewal, theatre into community, and heritage into hope.
New Year’s Eve in the Pines
One of the less known traditions in the Pines is celebrating New Year’s Eve. For years, at a time when the summer season is a distant memory, people have crossed the Great South Bay to ring in the New Year with their year-round neighbors. The enduring and increasingly popular ritual is a reminder that the Pines is far more than a seasonal beach resort; rather, it is a true community where people have put down strong and durable roots.
The Pines Conservation Society (Est. 1962)
One of the most striking things about Fire Island Pines is its natural beauty. A community embedded amongst a lush haven of trees, flowers, and dunes, with pristine beaches and surrounded by wildlife, for many it’s nothing short of paradise.
But paradise doesn’t just happen. For decades, generations of residents have poured their time, love, and resources into keeping the Pines as breathtaking as it is today. Among the heroes leading that charge is the Pines Conservation Society, whose quiet, tireless work has helped preserve and protect this special place.
The Pines and the Fight Against AIDS
The Pines was Ground Zero for both the start of the AIDS epidemic and the world’s response to it. As we mark World AIDS Day on December 1st, we look back on the journey that brought us to the point that AIDS is no longer a fatal disease, and on the profound role members of the Pines community played in making that possible. These warriors banded with others from across the country to overcome immense resistance and reshape how medical research is conducted and expand the social-service systems we rely on today. In this way, they improved the lives for millions of people. Today, with the LGBTQ+ community once again under siege, it is essential that we honor and carry forward the stories of some of America’s greatest heroes..
Pines Profile - Guy Smith (b. 1970)
Major dance parties have long held profound social, emotional, and cultural significance within the gay community. In many ways, they are rituals of freedom, resistance, and belonging, that are deeply woven into the fabric of LGBTQ+ culture. Over time, this spirit has given rise to some of the most spectacular and imaginative celebrations in the world. For more than three decades Guy Smith has been at the center of this, bringing his unique blend of technical mastery, psychological insight, and creative vision, to craft immersive experiences that evoke joy, liberation, and connection.
Pines Profile - Eric L. Sawyer (b. 1954)
“Eric is a true hero. What he did – and still does -- the sacrifices he makes and what he has accomplished for our community, is simply remarkable.”
- Jim Pepper, Former Board Member GMHC, and Founder of Stonewall Community Foundation.
Memoirs of a Dockmaster
The harbor is one of the Pines’ most distinctive features. In the late 1980s it was its own kind of theater-- a floating stage where yachts, ferries, and seaplanes carried an ever-changing cast of characters, ranging from celebrities like Madonna, Peter Allen, and Liza Minnelli to foreign dignitaries guarded by men with Uzis to hundreds of drag queens arriving in full regalia for the July 4th Invasion. Henderson Rose was a dockmaster from 1986 to 1990 and had a front row seat to it all. From chatting with Tony Randall on the docks to sipping cocktails with Joan Rivers and helping to keep order as throngs of revelers flowed between Tea, house parties, and the Pavilion, his memories of those summers are as fresh as if they happened yesterday.
No Kings Protest (2025)
There were two No Kings Protests held in the Pines in 2025. The community has a long history of activism. In the early years it took the form of organizing, strategizing and fundraising to support the fight for gay rights and to fight AIDS. In recent years, these efforts have become more traditional, with a Black Lives Matter march in 2020. The two No Kings protest rallies in 2025 continue in that vein.
The Pines Halloween Party (est. circa 1975)
The Pines Halloween Party is not just a costume ball. It is a life-affirming, booty-shaking, sexy, flirty celebration. Fueled by an energizing mix of summer hits and classics, off the chart decorations and a crowd that’s dressed (or some cases, undressed) to slay, it’s the Pines way of saying, “See you next season, darling!”
Halloween in The Pines
1970’s. It begins with a simple night at the famed Sandpiper, and evolves into Halloween in the Pines as a closing of season tradition.
Pines Profile - Jay Pagano (b. 1945)
For more than 50 years, including more than 25 on the FIPPOA Board, Jay Pagano helped move the Pines forward. Through good times and bad, he worked tirelessly to ensure it remained a place of freedom, beauty, connection and love. His example, and the values he embodies, will stand among his most enduring legacies to a community he loves dearly.
The Off-Season
In the fall, the Pines takes on a new rhythm. The days shorten, the breezes become crisper, and the sun moves to set over the ocean. In this seasonal shift, the community transforms, gearing down to a period with fewer residents and many empty houses. But if you think in this”Off-Season” the Pines is dormant, think again.
Gaying the Pines
Today, Fire Island Pines is known as a Gay Mecca. LGBTQ+ people from around the world flock to enjoy its beaches, homes and entertainment in the full knowledge they can safely be their authentic selves here. But it wasn’t always that way. In a previous article Keeping The Gays Out: The Pines in the Late 1950s FIPPOA Board member and long time Pines resident Gary Clinton described the extensive efforts taken by some community members to keep gay people out of the Pines. As he noted, those efforts died down in 1959 after the largely gay population in Cherry Grove flocked to help the Pines fight the Memorial Day fire that destroyed the Botel. In this article, Gary describes when the shift occurred in the Pines and gays came to be in the majority.
“A Walk Through History” A guided walking tour on Ocean Walk. Created in 2021.
“A Walk through History” is a walking tour along Ocean Walk in the Pines included is Architecture, Celebrity, Parties, People & Gossip.
Pines Profile - Alice Thorpe (1902-2006)
Alice Thorpe was more than an early settler of Fire Island Pines—she was one of its founding spirits. A fierce lover of nature, she was a pioneer in environmental protection. Alice helped shape the Pines into the vibrant, inclusive, and environmentally conscious community it is today.
MacaFest: Five Years of Runway, Revelry & Radical Self‑Expression at 607 Shore Walk
At 607 Shore Walk—a glass‑walled house where Jeanette Rockefeller once hosted loud, champagne‑filled sing‑alongs on the deck—a new summer tradition has now begun in Fire Island Pines.
Every Memorial‑Day–adjacent weekend since 2021, friends from three continents descend to celebrate Macarena “Maca”, the magnetic Buenos Aires‑born muse who turns a birthday into an ode to maximalist joy.