Fire Island 2011: All About Ascension!

Started writing at 9:12 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21, while listening to the rain and thunder from inside Ocean Beach and reading Tweets about the increasingly likely downfall of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

It’s another rainy Sunday night here in Ocean Beach, but the weather is nothing like last weekend’s deluge that left the village waterlogged for days.

The weather fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon one’s perspective) did not damper Countess Luann de Lesseps’ performance at the Ascension kick-off party in Fire Island Pines on Friday, Aug. 19. Kelly Killoren Bensimon joined her “Real Housewives of New York” cast mate on the balcony. Congressman Barney Frank made a brief appearance, while Bensimon had an impromptu performance of her own when she climbed onto the bar at High Tea and began to dance.

A flip flop malfunction did not stop us from reveling among the cute boys with minimal bathing suits at the Ascension pool party on Saturday, Aug. 20. A complimentary cocktail from the Absolut vodka boys at Canteen proved a refreshing respite from the day’s festivities as we watched the world pass along Harbor Walk on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. And the Ascension tea dance and fireworks over the day rounded out a perfect Saturday in the Pines.

As if Saturday didn’t feature enough revelry, the beach party on Sunday, Aug. 21, proved Ascension’s seminal event (at least for these two non-circuit queens.) The weather held out long enough for Dragonette to perform “Hello.” Actor Wilson Cruz, porn star Arpad Miklos and Reichen Lehmkuhl of “The A-List: New York” were among those whom prying eyes spotted throughout the day.

It’s almost time for bed, but snarky source’s astute observation seems particularly appropriate: Mother Nature certainly proved herself a fag hag over the weekend.





Sunset from the Ascension tea dance on Saturday, Aug. 20.



Ascension detritus.



At the Ascension pool party on Saturday, Aug. 20.



Hanging out on the dock in Fair Harbor on Wednesday, Aug. 17.



Awaiting the fireworks at the Ascension tea dance on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Fire Island 2010, part 12

Written at the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove at 11:27 a.m.

It’s a typical Sunday morning in August here in Cherry Grove with people slowly recovering from last night’s festivities, but the music currently on Sirius XM Radio has brought an almost whimsical feeling to this hamlet.

It is Fire Island Black Out and Ascension weekend here on the beach and this is a summary of the notes I jotted down around 11:30 last night as I waited on the dock for the water taxi back to Ocean Beach: A Britney Spears’ medley at Cherry's competed with Rihanna, Khia and hip hop at Island Breeze while hundreds of gays and lesbians of color (and their myriad of friends and admirers) waited for the ferry back to Sayville. Special shout outs go to the two lesbians at Cherry’s who proved this white boy can get down with the best of them (even after a very busy day in both the Grove and the Fire Island Pines), and to Eric, Kelton, Rick, Daniela and Michelle who were on the water taxi back to Ocean Beach.

7:25 p.m.
Written on the day bed in the Ocean Beach cottage.

The overcast sky, the breeze and a largely unobstructed ocean view combined to make this year’s Ascension a largely enjoyable experience (for this reporter). I particularly enjoyed the Freemasons’ remix of "Bamboleo" and The Bucketheads' "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)", but I thank Andy Tobias and Charles Nolan for allowing me to spend some of the afternoon in their cabana. And on that note, here are three observations and notes from the previous few days.

- It is arguably a very bad idea to charge $5 for bottled water at a circuit party. Eight dollars for a cocktail, however, is quite possibly the perfect way to prevent overindulgence.
- Kudos to the Cherry Grove Property Owners Association for the giant rainbow flag that flew from one of the dock’s flagpoles on Saturday, Aug. 14.
- Fame and talent are often only in the eyes of those who claim to be famous and/or talented. This observation’s underlying message can also potentially apply to those who try to impress their friends with their designer clothes and accessories, name dropping and especially latching onto a reporter in an arguably desperate attempt to enhance their own self-defined social status.



Four parties later...



Ascension Party in the Fire Island Pines on Sunday, Aug. 15.



Sunset at Ascension Tea Dance in Saturday, Aug. 14.



The beach in Cherry Grove during the Fire Island Black Out on Saturday, Aug. 14.



Beach decor at Fire Island Black Out in the Grove on Saturday, Aug. 14.



Crispin and I at the Ascension VIP Party on Friday, Aug. 13.



Lucille Ball at the Ice Palace on Thursday, Aug. 12.



Rudolph along Bayview Walk in the Grove.