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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.
Fire Island Pines People- John Burlingame Whyte
There have been the many who came after, but the true creator of Fire Island Pines, and its reputation today is former owner John Whyte. John a former model and business man helped to establish the sophisticated aura that still lingers today…
DJ Vito Fun
How do you make a Tea Dance your own? By creating it… So DJ Vito Fun did. He got his start in music as an intern for a producer , eventually making his way up to mixing engineer. “I was born a DJ,” he laughs. “I DJ’d my first party in the fourth grade. I was introduced to the dance floor in 1995 at Roxy, then graduated to a residency at The Tunnel. “I’m too wild for a real job at this point. Music is all I know.”
Ascension Party 2006-2017
In 2006, Pines then owner Eric von Kuersteiner had a vision to create a fun daytime party for the new generation of Fire Island. He named it Ascension. It grew into the island’s most anticipated and busiest weekends, with three days of stellar events, thousands of cute guys and unsurpassed entertainment—all raising money for charity, benefitting the Fund in the Sun Foundation.
The Pavilion 2004- 2010
In 2004 longtime owner John Whyte sells the Pines properties to Eric Von Kuersteiner. Von Kuersteiner begins sweeping changes with a plan to revive the Pines and bring a new generation. With that comes a new Pavilion Nightclub changing the cornerstone of the Pines…
The Origins of Fire Island’s Tea Dance at The Blue Whale
The Tea Dance was created in 1966 in the Pines by then owner John Whyte. It is now replicated in gay resorts around the world…
Dancing on the Bay Est. 1995.
During the 4th of July weekend in 1995 the first “Dancing on the Bay” was held at the Bayfront home of Pines resident Richard Winger. The party/benefit was held to raise funds for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender Community Center…