On & Off The Deck
Volume 49, Issue 9
By Jon Wilner

Five Hundred Thousand Dollars! That is the figure that our Pines community raised the night of our wondrous and magical Pines Party 2005. Congratulations Hal and Jay, Jack and Edwin, Michael Greenberg, Ron McKenna, Alan Brockman and the entire board, Eric von Kuersteiner and Tony Roncalli, Tommy Esposito, the Special Events Committee, and to each and every person who bought a ticket, who volunteered, who sold a ticket in the harbor, to one and all. We continually amaze ourselves at the amount of money our community raises. This was our most successful event ever, selling over 2,500 tickets and 16 tents. It was a smash, an event that will be remembered. The money raised will be divided between the Stonewall Foundation and The Fire Island Pines Charitable Foundation. And many thanks to John Wood and Randy Wilson who produced FEVER, the after party-at-large, for raising additional funds and for keeping partyers off the boards after the party. They just kept on dancing! One of the highlights of the weekend festivities was the sponsors’ party at Prez Alan Brockman’s Midway home. Even the blackout couldn’t keep his gardens from shining brilliantly around the pool where we kicked off Pines Party Week with champagne, hors d’ouevres and laughter. Albert LePage was rumored to have wheeled his generator to Alan’s house to make up for LIPA’s outage, as the candlelight set a perfect tone for a summer’s night to celebrate our wonderful and generous backers of our yearly extravaganza. On a personal note, Bill Peterson will always be welcoming us to Midway in spirit, for he and Alan invented the art of Pines home entertaining.

The following night Junior Vasquez packed them in at the Pavilion to a sold out crowd that partied till dawn on Monday. We’re back, the Pines is greater than ever, and ain’t we proud! This coming week Eric von Kuersteiner is innaugurating PLATINUM WEEK IN THE PINES, starring DJ superstar Peter Rauhoffer Saturday at the Pavilion. Candice Cayne continues her record breaking run with DJ Marco on Friday nights, only John Whyte appeared at the Blue Whale more often on Friday nights! And wouldn’t John be ecstatic to see his creation selling out to a new generation, continuing the tradition of celebration with the new wonderland fantasy! And if you haven’t experienced Robin Byrd’s BULGE night on Thursdays, then you have just another month to help Robin prepare for her Labor Day weekend BULGE OFF!

Coming Up

The Empire State Pride Agenda is gearing up for its annual dance party at Alan Gandolfi, Will Shultz and Ernie Cervi’s oceanfront home. A great cause, a super party, a magnificent setting. Pick up your tickets in the harbor.

For the next two weekends, FIPAP is presenting Kander and Ebb’s BUT THE WORLD GOES ROUND starring Nikki LaFountaine, Jack and Rita Lichtenstein and Steven Alan Black. Thanks to Eric von Kuersteiner, while our new Community House is under construction, FIPAP has a home at the Pavilion. And speaking of FIPAP, this past week the ART SHOW took in over $100,000, another Pines record! Mary Cole, Glen Wielgus, Laura Hartstein, Jack Lichtenstein, Scott Bromley, Barbara Sahlman and newly appointed sales manager, Mary Strauch, all contributed their time and love to this special binannual event. This year was particularly special for we were honoring John Laub and Sylvan Cole, two Pines residents that contributed so much to our Pines Art heritage. John Laub’s masterpiece, “Pines Harbor View” was purchased by Jim Pepper, while Albert LePage, Laurence Isaacson, and Brandon Fradd led the Pines buying frenzy. Christine Stluka, Glen Wielgus, Barbara Sahlman, Bobby Carlson, Joe Conforti, Bruce Sargeant, Sergio, were only a few of the splendid artists who displayed their jewels poolside.

Brett Baccus shared a Pines nature moment with me at the Art Show. Her Viecques houseguests, Constance and David Yates, discovered a monster turtle wondering on the outskirts of the Sumner/Yaeger Garden of Eden on Midway. After rescuing the lost visitor, they managed to move him to the lovely ponds on the West End of Fire Island Boulevard, where Brett swears she saw newly named Yrtle the Turtle smile and frolic among the otters. Brett, I never knew you were such a nature girl, I’m very impressed! Lee Frey, you have another volunteer!

Happy Birthday to Lynn Dubal, Fred Rossetter, Mary Cole, Laura Eastman, Irv Freedman and Jim Pepper. Loving thoughts to John Fitzsimmons on the loss of our long time neighbor Joe Peters. Congratulations to Jimmy Stewart, the newest Trustee of Congregation B’Nai Olam. This year’s High Holiday services will honor our late founder Allan Masur. Rabbi Hara Person and our new Cantor, Mark Aaron James will lead our services at the Pavilion on Monday Evening, October 3rd and Tuesday, October 4th for Rosh Hashana. Eric Von Kuersteiner will host our annual Rosh Hashana luncheon on October 4th. Our Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services will also be at the Pavilion on Wednesday Evening October 12th and Thursday October 13th. Ken Stein will once again provide special boats to the Pines at 6:30 PM on Monday, October 3rd and Wednesday October 12th.

PAWS will celebrate the animal residents of the Pines on Saturday August 13th from 2 to 5 at Mark and Maureen Shrader’s home at 293 Bay Walk. They’ll be prizes, hot dogs and everyone’s dogs for this family event that promises to be a great afternoon of fun and laughter.

Welcome home Alberto Mederos from vacationing in the Czech Republic. After two seasons of getting to know Eric Franz at tea, the Czech Republic is enjoying a tourist boom from the Pines. Arnie Guior and Atilano Gimenez return from Sante Fe this week, while Rita Horvath’s housemate Alan Reiff had to dodge typhoons in China to get back to the Pines in time to help Rita find her 2006 home. Congratulations to Sara Jeffrey, our favorite ‘too young to be a grandmother’, who’s daughter Lindsay gave birth to the Pines newest natural beauty, Madison.

Well Walter, you and your crew did it! I must say that no one ever witnessed the building of a swimming pool so quickly. Not even your right hand builder and brother in law David’s birth of a newborn son kept me from swimming on my Birthday. You promised, you delivered, and I have a sparkling new swimming pool. Bob and I have watched our hot and sweltering deck be transformed into a Scott Bromley designed lap pool in a mere four weeks. Even Artie Nelson didn’t waste a second lighting it up for us. Jack and Ron even worked together, and I thank them for that.

The dinner parties continue non stop here in the Pines. Just last Saturday, Bob and I had the pleasure of dining at Gino Chiapparelli and Richard Pittelli’s bayfront home. Andrew Kirtzman and Kyle Froman, Ed Schulhafer and Crayton Robey, Fern Lee and Lori Zeller, Bob McGarity and Henry Robin were among the guests. Thank you Gino for that delicious birthday cake. And while I’m saying thank you, thank you Bob for putting together such a loving group of friends last Wednesday to celebrate our anniversary and my Birthday amidst the darkness of the LIPA blackout. Eric, thank you for cooking and serving dinner in the dark so deliciously and brilliantly.

Remember, September is the new August, the Summer is in full swing and you’re in the Pines, your wonderland!