| Shell Shocked! | Picture this: You’re wearing your favorite swimsuit walking up the boardwalk to the beach. The sand is warm and you take off your flip flops because it’s difficult to walk … and then it happens.
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| Ocean Beach Community Arts Centre |
The launch Ocean Beach Community Arts Centre was eagerly met by the community at a recent party to kick off the season. “Part of our plan is to reach out to the community and partner to build this,” said Tara Fishman, who is partnering with Gwen Silver to develop the genre-bending arts line-up. “This is he start of something that has been kicking around for a long time,” added Ocean Beach Mayor Joseph Loeffler, in giving praise to the duo for taking on the task. The room, packed with pat ...
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| Pomp & circumstance |
Woodhull School a Unique Factor in Kids’ Success
Perhaps you’ve noticed that little yellow school bus heading west on the beach just after dawn, and then back east again in the early afternoon. I have always been curious about it, so I followed it from Cherry Grove and found myself at the Woodhull School in Ocean Beach.
Originally a one-room schoolhouse, it was founded in 1918 by Mina A. Woodhull. The current red brick structure was built in 1954 and a gymnasium, a library and a garage are
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| Political wunderkind |
Activist Pushes Same-Sex Marriage to the Forefront
Gay activist Corey Johnson first visited the Fire Island Pines in 2003. He and a friend took a midnight ferry in spite of not having a place to stay. The dreaded Botel (now Hotel Ciel) was their only hope.
“We stayed in one of the cinder block prison cells,” Johnson said.
Happily for the Massachusetts native, his Fire Island fortunes have certainly improved since that first night in the Pines. Johnson, 27, remains one of New York’s most
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| Gaining momentum |
Island’s Commitment to Gay Rights a Legacy
Canadian chanteuse France Joli was only 15 when she performed her then-hit single “Come to Me” before more than 5,000 gay men (and a handful of women) at the famous Beach party in the Fire Island Pines in July 1979. She had never been to Fire Island, and she almost fainted before she took the stage because she was so nervous. “When I felt the applause and such a great welcome, it made me feel at ease,” Joli told the News in a recent interview.... Read More >> |
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| A Davis Park house |
 
A Davis Park house, one of 17 homes endangered by the surf, at left in 2007, where even at low tide the water was 20 yards away.
The same row of houses, seen at right, are pictured after the winter’s beach replenishment. The tide is at least four times as wide on this June day thanks to the momumental effort funded through local funds, state and federal taxes. ...
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| Comedian Bruce Vilanch to emcee Fire Island Dance Festival |
A self-described “notorious meat eater” for perhaps all the overly dirty reasons (draw your own conclusions!) will emcee the 15th annual Fire Island Dance Festival in the Fire Island Pines on July 18-19. Emmy Award-winning comedian and jokesmith Bruce Vilanch first visited the beach in the 1970s. He returned to Fire Island in 2005 while on Broadway in “Hairspray.” And Vilanch recalled to the News he found little had changed in the more than 20 years he had been away from Fire Island. |
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| Frugal on Fire Island |
Specials a Boon to Budget-Conscious Vacationers
We all know times are tough, but that's no reason not to come to the beach to relax, dine and enjoy nature. With water all around us for free and restaurants and other establishments up and down the beach offering a variety of specials and other economical temptations, a Fire Island vacation doesn't bust the bank. ... Read More >> |
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THE FIRE ISLAND NEWS 2009 
