Cherry Grove: Rose’s View

By Robert LevineWe have been having rather English weather this season. However the beat goes on.The Cherry Grove Gay Pride Parade, which was founded by Paul Jablonski, and later chaired by Amelia Magliacci, was held Saturday, June 17. Sybil Bruncheon was the MC. Porsche sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Edie Windsor, who made her first trip to the Grove in 50 years, was the grand marshal.Edie, a major figure in the gay world, will go down in history. It was because of her that the Marriage Equality Act was passed by the Supreme Court in 2015. Jan Felshin and Edrie Furdun have been friends with Edie for many years and invited her to Cherry Grove for this event with her wife Judith Kasten-Windsor. They were all on the same float driven by Bobbie Green. Jan and Edrie are celebrating their 59th year together, and nine years of marriage. At least 50 Cherry Grove married couples marched together proudly with signs telling the years they have been together and how long they are married. It was the largest and most exciting Parade to date.At 5:50 p.m. the Community House was filled to capacity to watch “History in the Making” a documentary from grassroots to the Supreme Court. It featured many New York activists and Edie. At 7:30 p.m. a buffet and cocktail party was held for the Cherry Grove extended family, and all the people involved in making the film who were present. The scheduled fireworks were postponed to another weekend due to our English weather. The Friday night before, we attended a barbecue hosted by Diane Romano and her wife Patricia Goff to kick off the Gay Pride weekend. It was a small intimate list of friends including Sonny Wilson and Kate Fitzgerald, their house guests from Woodstock, NY.Vincent Menill, who lived in the Grove for many years with his late partner Barry Burrows, sold his house about 15 years ago. He had a party in NYC to celebrate his first year wedding anniversary with his husband Ahmed. Many guests were former Grove residents including Bobby Bragalini, Joe Pumphrey, Carl Whitley, Dr. Dick Johnson and Costos Xenidis. The present Grove residents who attended were Juan Puncheon, Jimmy Morano, Rory Beelik and John Pappas, Michael Fitzgerald and myself.Michael and I had what we might call a very gay weekend. Saturday night we were invited to Gay Nathan’s and Julie Pardadise’s house for dinner along with Jay Robinson. On Sunday night we were together again at Jane Haber’s and Toni Cesta’s house. Gay and Julie had to return to Santa Fe, but will return to the Grove shortly.We are very happy to see Joan Van Ness and Lorraine Michels. They arrived a little late this season from their winter home in Fort Lauderdale.A big thank you goes to Michael Moran (a.k.a. Whore D’Oeuvre) and his partner Matthew George who have been working hard this season bartending and schlepping for Arts Project events.Tim Webster, a former Homecoming Queen (a.k.a. Timothea) spent a fast few days in the Grove at his house. He lost his beloved husband David Bullock last year. He will be moving to Texas to be with his new partner and will return to the Grove in the fall.Roland Michely and Joe Anania entertained guests Rudi and Kristina Neugebauer, from Munich, Germany. This was their third time here. Frank Borsos had his twin sister Eleni and her husband Gerore Sourvinas as his guests from Silver Spring, Maryland. Joanne Tavis and Lois Pisani had Joanne’s niece Whitney and her husband Matt Grueberger as first time guests to the Grove.The Drag Tag sale held at the Ice Palace was once again a big success. The shoe department had more big sized shoes than Saks Fifth Avenue.The famous Jodi and David Mahler from the Pines, who you may remember, made headlines for transporting Cher last summer on their boat “Cross Connect” when the superstar paid a visit to Fire Island Pines, enjoyed breakfast at Floyd’s and then visited Roseland.Anthony Hadaway, a longtime resident of the Grove, now will be spending his weekends in Tuxedo Park, with a new boyfriend. He will be visiting with his friends Doug Jones and Koitz in the near future. Doug and his business partner John Kureck will be featured in the July/August issue of Elle Décor Magazine.Lyn and Carl Eisenberg have lived in the Grove for many years. They recently sold their house and moved to Portland, Oregon to be with their children and grandchildren. We wish them good luck. Lyn was a longtime member of the Garden Club. The Garden Cub is getting ready for its annual Garden Tour on July 1. A table will be set up at 9:30 a.m. in town where you can purchase tickets for $20 each to receive a map of houses on the tour and participate in the reception a 4:30 p.m.The 73rd Annual Theatre World Awards was held at the Imperial Theater in NY. I was there to enjoy a wonderful evening of awards to the newcomers in the Theatre. Ken Lunde a Cherry Grove resident was part of this great evening.• Northwell Hospital has taken over the Doctor’s House in the Grove. They will have a free skin cancer examination one day only, on Wednesday, July 5. Just walk in.• On Saturday, July 1, at 8:30 p.m. Rose Levine will be performing in “The Best Of Times Is Now!” Musical Director is Jason Wetzel. Tickets at www.artsprojectcg.org or at the Theatre box office on Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.• The Annual House Blessing sponsored by the Arts Project will take place on Sunday, July 2, from 11a.m.-1 p.m. Assemble in front of the Fire House. They want flying nuns, church ladies and reformed sinners to join the door-to-door procession.We relay our condolences to Joyce Yeager and Dannielle Borenstein on the loss of their dear friend, Lisa Jacobson. Lisa lived in the Grove for many years. In the past she was the director of “Blue Fish Cove” an Arts Project production.