Archives
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.
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.
Lambda Legal: Where Fire Island History Meets the Fight for Equality
What began as a radical idea around a pool in Fire Island Pines, Lambda Legal is now the nation’s most influential LGBTQ+ legal organization. It continues to have deep roots in the Pines, with its annual fundraiser, Lambda in the Pines, being the country’s longest-running queer fundraiser. It is a shining example of the ingenuity, dedication, persistence and resilience of the Pines Community in support of the rights of LGBTQ+ people across the country.
The Fire Island Dance Festival
The Fire Island Dance Festival is a benefit for Dancers Responding to AIDS that showcases performances from world-renowned and emerging choreographers and companies in a stunning waterfront setting. It is one of the most eagerly anticipated and celebrated events of the Pines summer season.
“Fire Island Fever” 1979
In the 1970’s Fire Island became a wanted backdrop for the Gay Porn Film and photographic market. The beauty of nature and the freedom made it the perfect location for filming. Also their was plenty of hot young men willing to shed some inhibitions for extra cash. And so in 1979 Adult Filmaker Jack Deveau created “Fire Island Fever.”
Finding Fire Island: Our Legacy
Finding Fire Island: Our Legacy is a vital initiative to document and share the rich legacy of Fire Island Pines—not only for its current residents but for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. This project seeks to professionally record and amplify the stories of our legendary community, ensuring they are preserved and made widely accessible.
The History of the Fire Island Pines / The Art of Fire Islanding Hosted by the LIM 2024
A 47 minute ride through Fire Island Pines History to current day. Hosted by The Long Island Museum. A companion to their exhibit “Fire Island The Art of Liberation.”
Keeping Out the Gays: The Pines in the late 1950s
Gary Clinton has been on the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association Board for twenty of the past twenty-five years. Since early 2023 he and his Board colleague, Russell Saray, have been organizing, digitizing, and researching FIPPOA’s records going back to 1953, which they have dubbed “The FIPPOA Papers.”
Based on that research, Gary has written “Keeping Out the Gays: The Pines in the late 1950s” for the Fire Island Pines Historical Society.
The Fire Island Muses of George Platt Lynes & the PaJaMa collective
Artists George Platt Lynes and the collective PaJaMa vacationed on Fire Island in the 1930s and 40s with a parade of attractive young gay men who served as models and muses for the artists. Here we look at 10 of these Muses - captured in their prime by the artists on Fire Island.
“SUNRISE” The party that inspired “Beach.” 1978
It was 1978 and house parties in the Pines were happening weekly. The housemates of the TV House as it was known wanted to throw one of their own. Fire Island was known for its parties. The housemates of the TV House were all from the world of the creative. Scott Bromley an up and coming architect who had just designed Studio 54 nightclub in NYC, his partner Interior designer Robin Jacobsen, Colin Birch; Design Director for Bonwit Teller, to name a few.
The Annual Labor Day Drag Party (aka The Fools Paradise Drag Party) Est. 1996
The Labor Day Drag Party is a long-standing tradition in Fire Island Pines that holds a Guinness World Record for having the most Madonna impersonators in a single place. It is a stunning example of over the top glamor and fabulousness, done in a way that defies convention, that the Pines has come to represent.
“The Ponderosa” The Taussig House Est. 1957.
Known as “The Ponderosa” after the ranch home on the television show “Bonanza.” Built by Ted & Doris Taussig and designed by Architect Felix Augenfeld in 1957.