The Grove Gang
By the Grove Gang

Sooz Sez

As I recall the last few years in our summer community, this past Memorial Day weekend enjoyed the best weather by far, resulting in the busiest Memorial Day in recent memory. It seemed that whenever I went to get an ice cream bar at the pizza parlor, even very late at night, there was a line of people down the ramp for slices of pizza. A few times I went to the grocery store for an alternate choice and they were also doing land office business. These establishments are both very well-run and provide excellent service to the local residents as well as the weekend hordes.

On the Sunday of the holiday weekend, the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG) held a volunteers reception at noon at the community house. Pizza was served and a number of new faces as well as the usual suspects signed up for the many and varied APCG events scheduled for this season. The APCG board members assigned as liaison to each event provided information to the uninitiated. Phil Stoehr, Membership Chair, was there to sign up new members, for membership is all that is required to attend the APCG membership party, traditionally held on the Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend. Yes, one of the incentives to attend the party is the open bar, but the major draw is to elect the Homecoming Queen.

Philomena and Bella were glamorous and entertaining hostesses for the membership party, which started at 9 p.m. and was immediately busy with people having formed a line at the door. They had a lot of material for their jokes and Panzi was a very popular target: Bella exclaimed that Panzi couldn’t be there as she had gained so much weight she couldn’t find a dress that fit and after the laughter subsided, Wendy Lewis, former President of the APCG, held up her cell phone and said it was Panzi calling. The APCG was very pleased with the turnout as more than 300 people joined as members, more than in recent years. Memberships are still available and if you join early in the season, the discounts to APCG events more than cover the cost of a membership.

Many APCG volunteers worked the membership party tending bar, selling raffle tickets, providing technical assistance, etc., etc., etc. It takes a village and you meet everyone who is anyone and also gain the feeling of belonging to the community.

I would be remiss if I did not mention… oh, what shall I call it… the to-do?

Ladies, ladies, ladies... who did not let bygones be bygones and instead escalated the animosity by hurling a drink in the face of another at the APCG Membership Party? We heard that a restraining order was going to be requested. How many feet away would someone have to stay and would they still be in the same community on Fire Island?

And, finally, the Homecoming Queen contest… There were seven contestants, some known and some unknown to those gathered. I will provide their names, as that is part of the charm: Lola Galore, Mica, Venus Sans, Marianne Hoffa, Margo, Coco Love, and one of my own personal favorite names, and people, Urban Sprawl.

By wide acclamation Coco Love is this year’s Homecoming Queen with a stunning smile and great legs… You will be able to see her at the opening of each and every APCG event and she will preside over the 4th of July Invasion of the Pines.

Bruce-Michael Musings

During Memorial Day weekend, much-needed dollars were raised for the Grove’s Doctor’s Fund, ensuring the presence of a physician, furnishing the doctor’s residence and providing medical supplies, thanks to Henry Sterling’s huge annual deck-sale-with-ocean-view, formerly benefiting God’s Love We Deliver, and to Pierre Galarneau and Frank Santoro’s cocktail and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres party at Pride House.

The eagerly anticipated Doctor’s Fund benefit show, at the Community House on July 15, is entitled "High Fashion Follies," although director Donald LaBohn said "not one designer is mentioned" in the send-up. Lois McIntosh and Meryl Facterman, who co-produce the show with the Arts Project, now manage the Tides and, with partner Randy Baker, welcomed the community to a lavish repast at last Saturday’s opening party.

The Barbara Ann Levy Gallery, now on the dock, reopened with a show of paintings by John Mansueto, Sharon Way-Howard and Virginia Trembles. Ande Whyland’s work is featured from June 16 to July 2. At Roseland, Michael Fitzgerald showed his artwork, some of it seen in town at the Black Party.

On a disturbing note, a Grove man told police he was beaten and robbed in the ordinarily peaceable Meat Rack before dawn just prior to Memorial Day. Grovites sincerely hope it was an isolated incident and doesn’t signal a return to pre-Stonewall anti-gay violence there.

Last Sunday at the beach, Grovites honored beloved late thespian Maggie McCorkle. Members of her family of choice, Audrey Hartmann, Lois Fisher and Barbara Dowd, spoke, and other friends shared personal memories as we scattered rose petals in the ocean. Receptions followed at Nightwood, the home Audrey and Maggie shared, and at the beautiful bayfront home of Gerri Losquadro and Lynne Moyer, where a DVD of clips from Maggie’s community house stage performances was shown. A correction is due for my article in the previous FIN issue about the memorial for Maggie in the city last December. Tim Webster and David Bullock assembled and Rae DiStefano coordinated the film clips that Matt Baney and Wendy Lewis screened there.

Linda’s Happenings

Did you get to the flea market? It was a lot of fun with many great things to buy at an affordable price. There was an APCG table, and some of the merchants were Tall Paul, Bo Sherman, Gary and Luis, Kevin and Peter, Denise Harbin, Jack, Harold, Mandee and John, Barbara and Linda, and Connie Francis, who as usual donated his proceeds to the Arts Project. If you missed it, you missed the chance to purchase all kinds of things you may or may not need. Well, there’s always next year. There is a saying in Cherry Grove that nothing gets thrown out, just recycled.

Another terrific yearly happening is the PAWS benefit. Even though there was some concern because of the rain, it was very well attended. It was a packed audience, and there were many wonderful acts. To begin with, Sal Piro introduced a pre-show by Porsche. Among her repertoire were Grace Slick and Janis Joplin. Need I say more? Bella did a number in her usual wonderful style, then emceed the first act, which included Ivanna Cocktail, Denise Harbin as Elvis, Tatania, Robin Kradles, Charity and Ariel Sinclair.

A second-act pre-show had Dan Daly lending piano accompaniment for Bruce-Michael followed by Rose Levine. Panzi and Philomena emceed the second act, Panzi told some jokes as only Panzi can, and our adorable Philomena performed for us. Then came Toni Bondi; Barbara, Linda and Joan; John DeMarco; and Dame Edith Piro. Panzi and Philomena ran the progressive auction, and there was a fifty-fifty raffle. The preliminary proceeds of the benefit were about $3,800. Thank you to Sal and Valerie Perez, and all the performers for a great show. Thank you to all who attended because PAWS needs you. The season has started off with a bang.

There is something I have to talk about. A pet peeve of mine is people who drive and talk on their cell phones. The minute I see a car swerving almost as if the driver was intoxicated, I know that he or she is on the phone. Today, I actually saw a worker in our community driving a cart on the walk while speaking on his cell phone, and he was swerving from left to right. It’s not enough that we have to navigate broken, rotted, uneven boards, now we have to watch out for drivers using cell phones. What is Cherry Grove coming to? Will we soon need someone directing traffic?

Finally, some sad news: I just heard Benay Phillips, a long time resident of our community, has passed away. I have no other information at this time.