LOCAL FEATURE

Is the Grove getting its groove back?
America’s oldest gay town may be the next ‘in’ gay destination

By STEVE WEINSTEIN
Friday, July 16, 2004

For the past several years, Cherry Grove has stood in the shadow of its much larger (and younger) sibling to the east. But now, it looks as though the unincorporated hamlet author Esther Newton calls “America’s first gay and lesbian town” is once again coming into its own as a destination for gay tourists and Manhattanites.

It’s not that Cherry Grove ever went away. The community is, in fact, one of the oldest on Fire Island. From the earliest days, it’s history has been one of unbridled fun.

Whereas Ocean Beach began as a quarantine station during a New York City epidemic, and Point O’Woods was founded by the sedate Chautauqua Society. But Cherry Grove first saw settlers as a swinging, no-holds-barred casino and saloon.

In the 1920s, word got out to theater people, and soon the Broadway elite (the superstars of their day) started trekking out to the tiny town. Even then, “theater” was pretty closely synonymous with “gay” (or at least “gay friendly”), and not long thereafter, the first gay residents arrived, along with writers and editors of the new, trés sophisticated New Yorker magazine.

The hurricane of 1938 leveled the cherry trees that gave the town its name. But the town rebuilt, by then with a distinctly gay personality. By the Second World War, Cherry Grove became a name uttered in secret among gay men and lesbians as a place where they could be as outrageous as they wanted, outside the prying eyes of the general public.

After the war, a New York developer planned a community to the east, to be called Fire Island Pines. Because it was newer — and planned — the Pines offered bigger lots than the Grove; the results can be seen in comparing the mansions in the Pines to the Grove’s much more modest homes.

But the Grove continued to be a gay Mecca, and throughout the 1960 and into the 1970s, the best-looking, campiest and most famous gay personalities traveled to the Grove. By the late ‘70s, however, the Pines had stolen some of the Grove’s limelight.

The AIDS epidemic decimated both communities in the 1980s. In the wake of the loss of so many men, many more lesbians began to buy and rent homes in the Grove, leading to its reputation as being a more hospitable community for them.

In the 1990s, more people of color came to the Grove than to the Pines, which added to the distinctiveness between the two communities. A rivalry, sometimes good natured (as with the annual Invasion of drag queens from the Grove to the Pines), and sometimes not, ensued.

Relations between the two communities probably reached a low point when Gay Men’s Health Crisis asked if the annual Morning Party could take place on the Grove’s beach because of erosion in the Pines. Many residents of the Grove complained about “circuit boys.”

A revitalized Downtown
But those days seem like a bad memory now. Although some Pines residents still look at the Grove as tacky and outré, and some Grovers look at the Pines as a snobbish bastion of body fascism, most people from both communities insist that there’s no rivalry.

Instead of looking at the Pines, Grovers are taking a second look at their own town — and many are liking what they see.

Three years ago, Michael’s burned down. The restaurant was in the very heart of the Grove’s “downtown,” and everyone felt the loss of a casual restaurant which served food from early morning to late in the evening.

After many delays, Ed Purcell has opened a new restaurant on the old site. He aims for Mother’s Place to be a successor to the much-beloved Michael’s. It is also open long hours for casual dining, but adds three levels overlooking Great South Bay.

Purcell says he sees a revitalization coming the Grove. “Cherry Grove is in a complete renaissance,” he says. “Every boat has been full lately.” He has seen travelers from Canada, Los Angeles and the Midwest recently.

He also is seeing a much younger crowd. “We’re seeing a hell of a lot more men,” he says. “The new generation of gay men are starting to find out about Cherry Grove.”

Robyn Murray, the owner of the Tides and a local contractor, is the head of the newly re-organized Cherry Grove Chamber of Commerce. She has been coming to the Grove for 24 years (with a few of those spent in the Pines). She sees the pendulum swinging slowly back to the Grove. “Prior to the 1980s, Cherry Grove was the wild community, with the outrageous house parties,” she notes.

The Chamber of Commerce has hired a marketing firm in New York City and recently hosted a weekend for gay travel writers. Murray is also talking to Ken Stein about having Sayville Ferry run boats much later during the week. The move would accommodate commuters from the city as well as revelers from the mainland.

Murray also looks forward to a revamping of the main water taxi service. Currently, people have to call for a water taxi and then wait until one arrives that is going in the direction of their community. The new water-taxi company promises to convert to a bus-like system, where regular boats will traverse the east and west, and make regular stops in every community.

Murray also sees a lot of younger men returning to the Grove. The fact that more and more homes in the Pines are owner-occupied means that renters must increasingly look westward.

“It’s a whole new generation,” she says. “You do get more for your money at the Grove. It’s not as glamorous, but you can come out every weekend instead of getting 1/15th of a share.”

Certainly, the Downtown is much more developed than in the Pines. The Grove boasts many more bars and restaurants, and two pizzerias. The Ice Palace has events every weekend that bring in people from mainland Long Island.

An Underwear Party takes off
Party promoter (and Blade nightlife correspondent) Daniel Nardicio chose the Grove as the setting for his Friday night Boy Scout Camp Underwear Party because, he says, “The Pines is so Stepfordy.”

He says he thought the Grove would be “more amenable to a freaky thing.” But he complains that many of the residents are “codgerly,” not open to change. He cites the apparent “uproar” that his party initially caused.

In a 2002 census conducted for the local property owners’ association, most of the residents were between 36 and 70 years old. (The Pines has not conducted a similar census.) Interestingly, considering its reputation, less than two-thirds of respondents were female.

Richard LaFrance is a longtime resident whose site (www.AstheGroveTurns.com) details life in the community. He claims to be baffled by the changes, and says it’s still too early to tell which way the two will go.

Gamalier de Jesus, who also has a Web site (www.FireIslandMen.com), has been coming to the Grove for 10 years with this partner. As a Puerto Rican, he says he is more comfortable with the diversity in the Grove. He also says the Grove is more amenable to couples. The 2002 census found that over two-thirds of respondents were in a relationship.

He sees events like the Underwear Party as helping attract a new generation. Whereas many people compare the Grove to the East Village and the Pines to Chelsea, de Jesus prefers to see the Grove as Hell’s Kitchen: always fairly gay but only now coming into its own.

For his part, Nardicio says he intends to keep his party in the Grove.

“When I do a party and I get that much resistance, I know I’m doing something right,” he says. “I’m going to revamp the Grove. It’s a beautiful place that’s frozen in time. I want to make it fun and frisky.”

Sounds like a plan!

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