Despite the heat, in Ocean Bay Park, we stayed calm and partied on! Brett Brubaker and Jeffrey Clukey held one of the summer’s best parties at the Seashore on July 25. The invitation to the second annual Ocean Bay Park Art Society requested attendees to glitter, gleam, or shine, and those who read the memo did. It is amazing how many talented artists we have in OBP and the forms their creativity takes. There were various art installations, including food as art prepared and presented by Chef Joe Rego, who is slated to open a restaurant in Bay Shore.
A few days later, OBP FD Auxiliary president MaryAnn Reuther held a celebration of life in honor of her life partner of 46 years, Clem Lagerman. The firehouse was packed as friends gathered to celebrate what would have been Clem’s 85th birthday. Friends reminisced about his days as a member of the FDNY Engine 24/Ladder 5 in Greenwich Village, weekends spent skiing in Vermont, as well as all the summers Clem spent on Fire Island with MaryAnn and their beloved teddy bears. For some of us, it was a flashback to our days as “groupers” before we became homeowners and “respectable members of the community.” We said farewell to Clem by tossing flowers and a biodegradable wreath into the bay.
But wait, there’s more! OBP had to end a whirlwind week with yet another party. So, on Sunday, July 28, Santa came to town as we celebrated Christmas in July at the Schooner. It’s a good thing there was no snow because it would have melted immediately! Maybe that’s why Santa was wearing a bathing suit?
The heat did not defeat the 21st annual Gurian/Gardner Over/Under Game, which took place on the Seaview ballfield on Saturday, August 3. The Game is played each year to honor the memory of Doug Gurian and Doug Gardner, who were killed on 9/11. The cutoff age for youngsters vs. old-timers was 48, and the “under” took the game 10-4.
Most people come to Fire Island from the mainland as a weekend/seasonal respite; some decide to relocate and stay, and others are blessed to be born and raised here. Each town has its “locals”. Ocean Bay Park has the Flynns, Lindseys, Hortons, and Vannonis, who have all been here for at least four generations. Now, the Vannonis will join a long-time family in Davis Park as Jeff announced the engagement of his daughter, Mallory, to Matthew Tully. Mallory and Matthew met in 2021 as deckhands on the Fire Island Water Taxi. It’s a true Fire Island love story sharing a love of the water and even getting their commercial captain’s licenses together. Matthew proposed to Mallory on July 20 on the beach, surrounded by their families. Congratulations to this lovely couple.
