photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
James Beltzer' ...........................................................................................

The Grove's James Beltzer introduced the documentary "Coming of Age in Cherry Grove," his work-in-progress, to an appreciative audience, at the Grove Hotel's Ice Palace on June 20, that had come to see their friends, their neighbors-and themselves-and to cheer.

We saw Bella, who was a few seats away from us, say onscreen that Cherry Grove is "like a Federico Fellini movie" and play Susan Boyle doing "I Dreamed a Dream." We saw Panzi, bullhorn in hand and all in yellow feathers, leading last year's Fourth of July Invasion of the Pines and, later, she and Bella and Rose Levine held forth about the origins of the Invasion. The Pines' Robyn Bird spoke of videotaping the Invasion and claimed, "I'm trisexual-I will try everyone sexually.

Declaring that "the drag queens are the stars of the Island," Sal Piro, who invited Beltzer to show his work here, introduced, onscreen, singer Porsche, doing Ethel Merman doing "Do You Believe in Love After Love," and saying, "The people you will meet on Fire Island are truly the best people you can be surrounded by;" Ariel Sinclair, breaking ground at the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG), with "My Vagina is Eight Miles Wide," and hosting a poolside contest at the hotel; Logan Hardcore; and Dallas Dubois.

Philomena was glimpsed in part of a number from Denise Dell Harbin's APCG show "Hollywood Confidential." Robin Kradles contrasted living in the Pines with living in the Grove and was seen working at the APCG Casino.

A number of Beltzer's subjects were interviewed at the beach, including Adrian Milton, coming to the Grove since 1963 and talking about early Grove parties; sculptor Phil Otten and his partner, Julian; blond Chet; and Gil Neary, who lives on the west end of Fire Island Pines in order to be near enough to the Grove to visit every weekend, "especially for the pizza." Neary contrasted drag in the Grove with the Pines' "pretty boy culture."

Art gallery owner Barbara Ann Levy called the Grove a place to "dance out of the closet." This writer spoke of winning the first Mr. Fire Island Leather contest, in 2001, and of the affinity between leathermen and drag queens, and there were shots of current Grove royalty Mr. FI Leather Rob Ferri and Homecoming Queen Beach DeBree. Coco Love and Margo told us about moving from the Pines to the Grove and being introduced to drag by Urban Sprawl.

After a glimpse of the "Jai ho" number, from "Hollywood Confidential," twin sisters Ruth and Susan Freedner were shown at the APCG Ball, and playing Andrews Sisters, and talked about coming to the Grove since 1970. Bella mentioned that she came to her first drag ball here in 1967 and was seen hosting the Homecoming Queen contest with Panzi, and doing a number at Cherry's with Demi-Tasse.

Mike and Gary, of Cherry Grove Guys.com, and gardener Michael Guerrette explained what it was like to live in the Grove year round, and Michael said that "getting in touch with the peaceful place inside of me" was an element of spending the winter here.

Dell Harbin's first trip to Fire Island was to Point O' Woods, in 1972, but she soon discovered Cherry Grove: "I invited a girl and the rest is history." She remembered when the theme parties gave way to the sadness of the start of the AIDS crisis, and recalled buying her house, "Sunset Boulevard," from "Emerald Queen" David Loring in 2000. We got vignettes of the FIBO blackout party, for LGBT African-Americans, and of lesbians in a ballgame," and Dell continued, "Rumors are rampant here," and said that it was easiest just to agree with what was being said about you, no matter how fantastic. When someone mentioned that they heard that she bought Belvedere, the guesthouse for men, "for three million dollars cash," she said, yes, "in small bills!"

After the screening, Beltzer explained that, after seeing "Where the Ocean Meets the Sky," the documentary about the Pines, he was inspired to make his own about the Grove and hoped that it, too, would be shown on Logo someday.