Archives
Pines Profile - Chris Lovito (b. 1960)
Straight, married and unmistakably Type-A, Chris Lovito hardly fits the mold of a resident of one of the world’s most renowned gay communities. Yet for fifty years Fire Island Pines has been a vital part of his life. In turn, he has played an important, sometimes unseen role in preserving and strengthening it. His is the story of a man who remained distinctly different from the community around him yet became undeniably part of it. It is a powerful reminder that belonging doesn’t require conformity.
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.
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!”
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.
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.”