I learned long ago from my friend David Napoli that the reason they turn the water off in the Fall and on again in the Spring is so we can start anew. And that is why everyone gets along so well during Springtime in the Pines! We certainly don’t need to turn off the water in the Pines to keep from freezing because it heats up here enough to keep everyone toasty. We barely had a frost before it was Scott Bromley and Tony Impavido’s annual New Year’s Eve party on Porgie. Two newcomers to New Year’s Eve in the Pines were Richard and Elisa Rosen, who brightened our holiday spirits enormously this past year. It was in their honor that Chris Leighton entertained a dozen for dinner the night before New Year’s Eve. The following evening, David Rimple and Paul Texeira, Tom Kosch and David Husty, Gary Hopkins and Clay Hale, Jeff Dyksterhouse, Edwin Pound, Eddie and Annie Candreva, Todd Blumenthal and Edward Cardimone (in shorts all year long), Mark McGuire and Craig Wilson and Walter and Karen Boss were just a few of the Pines residents who make New Year’s an annual tradition. Of course we missed for the first time Ed Lewis and Glen Wielgus who officially set up their Winter vacation residence in Vieques, joining other Pines snowbirds Suzie Lodato and Vinny Pepe and Brett Baccus and Diane Friedman. We had two new winter residents join the Pines this past year, Walt Kohler and Ed Jones, and we winter residents welcome them with open arms, especially since Walt has the three most important Winter ingredients, a van, a winter driving permit as well as being a great cook!
The rest of the Winter flew by even as the bay froze over and provided the most incredible scenic panorama of ice glaciers in our harbor. Never missing a day, up at 5 am every morning, Eric Von Kuersteiner left his comfortable New York City apartment to bring his building crew, either by boat or truck, to the building site of his new Pavilion in the harbor. They began demolition of the old Pavilion (that uncovered the original Sandpiper) on September 23rd and low and behold, the new state of the art building will open officially Memorial Day weekend. On a personal note, thank you Eric and Tony for my new “red” digs. In addition to the new Pavilion disco, there is a new intimate bar and club called GLO, a new high tea open deck and the new Fresh Market managed by Mark Ski. This will join the Pines Pantry and the Marina Meat Market in truly making the Pines a culinary world’s fair! Pines residents continue to prove that there is room for all, we love our luxuries, we love our choices and we love quality. Someone actually told me that we had two bars here as well! Who knew? Applause to Eric and his crew for whoever saw a building go up so quickly and magnificently here on Fire Island Pines?
Last Saturday night I was invited to the annual opening of the Blue Whale. Legendary Pines President Emeritus Alan Brockman, Ed Lewis and Glen Wielgus, Bill Brusca and Stephen Bruce were my five dates and we enjoyed a delicious and sumptuous feast. We were surrounded by Nicholas Politis and Richard des Jardins, Bob Howard, Joshua McKinney, Eric Reinitz and Mark Blackwell and Dino Ferarro. Dessert expert Stephen Bruce gave thumbs up on everything and he should know considering his third book, SERINDIPITOUS GLANCES, will be published next April. After all, he’s the inventor of the “Serindipity Frozen Hot Chocolate”.
Over the Winter we celebrated Valentine’s Day once again at Scott Bromley and Tony Impavido’s, the second anniversary of Andrew Kirtzman and Kyle Froman, the birth of Susan Silverstein and Pam Grossman’s adorable daughter Lee and the premiere of Michael Lucas’ ‘La Dolce Vita’. There were planes flying to the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Paris carrying Pines Broker Bob Howard, realtors David Seeds and Alex Kamourjian, Pines Postmaster George Bolender, Pines Commerical Properties’ manager Sean Patrick Ryan who all attended Laura Haim’s Pines documentary ‘Fantasy Island.’ Much larger planes flew to Miami for the 50th Birthday celebration of Albert LePage held at Versace’s Ocean Drive mansion. Congrats also to Jack and Rita Lichtenstein’s granddaughter Claire on her Bat Mitzvah and to Laura and Mike’s beautiful daughter Jennifer’s engagement to Matt Field (everyone wishes you years of joy and happiness together). Welcome home to Barbara and Ira Sahlman returning from Vienna on a German Expressionist Art and Architecture tour with the Neue Museum.
We lost one of our very first residents, 104 years young Alice Thorpe, who passed away in January. We also lost one of our most generous and beloved of friends, Beau Clarke last month. Beau gave so generously to every Pines charitable event. His contributions were enormous and not only included the Zenith Event, but he gave his home every year to Broadway Cares’ Dancers Responding to AIDS. His work took on the same 24/7 devotion as those here who make charity their working profession. He simply gave and gave and gave. Condolences also to Walter Boss on the loss of his dad, Joseph Leib on the loss of his mom and Bill Haberman, whose two brothers passed away over the winter, and we will miss Pines resident David Zuch who died this past March. We all wish speedy recoveries to Mary Strauch in Palm Beach and to our own Eddie Candreva who is due home from the hospital this very week after surgery.
The season got off to a head start this spring as the Pines Conservation Society held their Pre-Season Annual Gala at Laurence Isaacson’s Paris Commune where both Nicole LaFountaine and Jon Gilbert were honored.
On Saturday of Memorial Day weekend there will be a cocktail party/fundraising event at Albert Lepage’s oceanfront home for the final phase of Whyte Hall. Whyte Hall is scheduled to open on June 23rd with the sold out $400 per ticket Barbara Cook concert. The fund raising committee has done a Herculean job raising the $3 million plus for our new community center that began three years ago with the donation from John Whyte of half a million dollars. Jay Pagano, committee chairman, Laura Hartstein, Glen Wielgus and many others have survived every possible detour to make this dream a reality. Architect Scott Bromley and builder Vinny Pepe have their purple hearts permanently embedded upon their chests. You’ll still need your checkbook on Saturday though!
LET THE BENEFITS BEGIN! Upcoming events this season will include the 15th annual SAGE Event on June 9th honoring Laura and Mike Hartstein and Rich Stein upstairs at Sip N’Twirl. The ever popular MIRACLE HOUSE PINES 2007 will be on June 16th at 548 Beachcomber. BAY DANCE, the exciting sequel to Dancing on the Bay, benefiting the Gay and Lesbian Center, including fabulous fireworks over the Great South Bay is on June 30, Hal Rubinstein is doing the ad journal. The 13th annual INDEPENDENCE PARTY benefiting the Pines Care Center and GMHC at Reflections is the next day on July 1. The invasion of the harbor will be on Wednesday, July 4. Then July 14, LAMBDA, at the oceanfront home of Joshua Dunkelman, followed by BROADWAY CARES’ DANCERS RESPONDING TO AIDS on July 21 and 22 at the home of Jon Biondo and Tim Horman. July 28 will be the night of our annual FIPPOA Pines Party 2007 on the beach. Sunday, August 19 will be the 2nd annual ASCENSION PARTY all afternoon on the beach benefiting the Gay and Lesbian Task Force. There will be details on all these events in columns to follow.
FIPAP President Glen Wielgus also has a season of entertainment in store for us. In addition to Barbara Cook, opening weekend of Whyte Hall will include Comedian Jim David and Friends on June 22nd and Ron Perkov’s Dancing on the Deck, the afternoon of June 23rd. Thanks to Tony LaRocco, we have ‘A Chorus Line’s’ Bob Avian on July 7th, Off Broadway’s “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” on July 14th and Broadway’s Anthony Rapp on July 27th. “The Pines Chefs Cook” will soon announce their dates and venues. FIPAP’s Biennial Art Show will be on August 11th and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” will perform Labor Day Weekend.
Thanks to Dr. Ed Schulhafer and the Pines Care Center, we have a full season of doctors on board with daily office hours. The post office is also open in the harbor on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 to 1.
Your Pines vote matters as demonstrated last week when we helped to defeat the Ocean Beach proposed school budget. In addition to the dozens of absentee ballots, our one-and-only Ron McKenna organized the registered voters who were in the Pines last Tuesday afternoon. Ken Zarrilli wrestled white caps, potential ticketing by the police and impending storm threats to take myself, Michael Hyman, Ron McKenna, George Bolender and Ron Martin by boat to the Ocean Beach school to vote.
Last month as I sat on Ozone Walk during the high tide of our Nor’Easter, I saw ten foot waves attacking our snow fencing and what appeared to be extra heavy dunes fighting the waves back. We were fortunate, for we had no damage. Unfortunately that cannot be said for some of our neighbors. We owe a great thank you to Tony Roncalli, who spearheaded our beach erosion projects and who worked tirelessly over the years to protect our beach. Watching the storm first hand, I can say that our beach replenishment projects have worked and we are very grateful to Tony for his determination and success.
Town Talk 
