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.

More Fire Island observations

Today is the fourth day of my extended vacation here on Fire Island. The pool at the Ice Palace felt refreshing yesterday against the heat and humidity that blanketed the beach, Monday night tea in the Pines was far more tolerable than on Saturday and a good friend arrived for a two day visit. One arguably odd observation of note, however, from the past weekend is the increased police presence in Cherry Grove for the Fire Island Blackout.

Thousands of LGBT people of color descend upon the beach for this annual beach party. Elaborate tents complete with table settings and even live fish (yes, it is true!) dot the Grove's beach. And the eye candy is admittedly amazing! One employee anecdotedly told me FIBO is among the best groups with which she works. The fact three Suffolk County Marine Bureau boats were docked on Saturday night, more than half a dozen SCMB officers patrolled the Grove's boardwalks--at a time many Fire Islanders continue to complain about the lack of law enforcement officials on the beach--and at least two businesses categorically banned bags from their establishments, however, left this blogger and reporter scratching his head a bit.

This observation is not meant to imply any of the businesses and SCMB officers in the Grove are racist in any way, shape or form. It is obviously necessary to have sufficient policing and other measures in place to ensure everyone on the beach enjoys themselves without incident. The above observations, however, are included merely to outline what this blogger and reporter saw over the past weekend... and readers can draw their own conclusions.