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..
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.
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.
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 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.
Pines Profile - Scott Bromley (b. 1939)
R. Scott Bromley is an architect, visionary, and ongoing creative force. His contributions over the past six decades have played a huge role in shaping the landscape and culture of the Pines and the LGBTQ+ community. From the legendary Studio 54 to the beach houses across Fire Island to the legendary Pines Party, his story is about what happens when talent meets inspiration in a place of love.
Fire Island Pines People- Nikki Fried 1943-1997
Nikki Fried was a former nun who found her way to Fire Island. Her friend there Sandy Paul help her to find a job in publishing in New York city. Her love affair with Fire Island Pines began then and there. Her work in publishing led to consulting work with banks. Much of which could be done remotely. She would take off every August to stay in her beloved Pines, and worked her consulting schedule to spend as much time there as she could. From Spring to Fall.
Fire Island Pines People- Jack and Rita Lichtenstein
People make community, and this couple certainly made the community called Fire Island Pines. Early settlers and pioneers Jack owned a Liquor store business and together with wife Rita they deeply involved themselves in the theater, in both Cherry Grove and the Pines leaving a legacy of memories for family and freinds…
Fire Island Pines People- Leonard Frey
Leonard Frey was an actor who spent time here in the Pines. He originally wanted to become an artist, but in college he became interested in acting. He made his stage debut in an off-Broadway production of “Little Mary Sunshine” and his film debut as a celebrant in Passages from James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake (1966), but he first rose to prominence in the role of Harold, the self-proclaimed “Jew fairy”, in both the stage and screen versions of The Boys in the Band (1970). Written by playwright Mart Crowley who also spent time here.
Pines People- Ron McKenna
Ron McKenna was a community minded person, and when he found Fire Island Pines he knew he had to be part of the communities fabric, and so he became deeply involved. In the best way. Because of his relatability he created a bond with the town of Brookhaven where the decision making happened about who could do what in the Pines. With this he became revered and relied upon in the community. It was the legacy he left that has never been replaced…
Pines People- Pepper Fee… Growing up Pines.
In the 1960’s as the Pines was establishing itself as a community children were a big part as many straight local families from Long Island were investing as a summer home. They would have the opportunity to grow up in a different atmosphere than the one they would live in across the bay. Pepper Fee was one…
Fire Island Pines People- Alexandra Akira
Alexandra Akira arrived on Fire Island at fourteen years old, she would soon call this magical wonderland her second home. A love affair with Fire Island that she carries to this day. The journey began while traveling out to Long Island from her home in Connecticut as a groupie for the rock band Twisted Sister as love of music is part of her story…
Fire Island Pines People- Lance Ferris
After a visit in 1979 to Fire Island , a young Lance Ferris arrived on his own in 1980 fresh from Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn. Taking a guide book he got his ticket on the Long Island Railroad and made his way out to Sayville. There he boarded a ferry to Cherry Grove. He had been to all the bars in NYC including Ice Palace 57. At 17 he had just left High School and was determined to get a job bartending at the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove, and so he did…
Pines People- Barbara Ross
Barbara Ross married to Sherwood Ross of the Ross Cycle family was a fixture in the Pines throughout the 1970’s and early 80’s. Her yacht the “Barbara” was moored at the Blue Whale where she could see and be seen.
The Gifford, Wittstein, Miller, & Bromley house. Est. 1963-1981
Architect Horace Gifford’s second house design for Robert Miller and his partner Edwin Wittstein began as a sketch in the sand…
1950’s Halcyon days in Fire Island Pines by Peter Bennett.
Peter Bennett is an avid photographer. His work can be see online, and that is just how we found him and his and his halcyon days in Fire Island Pines memories.