On a sunny Fourth of July, in Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, an exhilarating Grove Invasion of the Pines, an annual event, led this year by Homecoming Queen 2011 YaNeeda Dunes and coordinated by Invasion Founder and First—and Second—Homecoming Queen Panzi, took place.

This 36th Independence Day Invasion celebrated the anniversary of the day in 1976 when the late Teri Warren was refused service in a Pines establishment, owned by the late John Whyte, because she was in drag, and returned with a dozen cross-dressing friends, including Panzi, who were not turned away and, therefore, declared victory. It celebrated the birth of our country, where six states, now including New York, plus Washington, D.C., have finally seen fit to make same-sex marriage legal. And, per Queen YaNeeda’s decree, we celebrated the disco era, as the theme of her entourage was “YaNeeda Dunes and Her Disco Divas and Dancing Balls.”

Queen YaNeeda, escorted by consort Beach DeBree, Homecoming Queen 2010, led a colorful entourage, many made up and coiffed by Urban Sprawl, and including Lola the glitzy disco ball, and James, the DJ, complete with turntable and Capital Record; pink-haired Coco Love; ‘Disco Sally;’ Fatal Faucet and Craven Morehead; ‘Patti LaBall;’ and a couple of other lovelies; bouncer Switch Blade and stanchion holders Stanley Stanchion, Dancing King, LoHa Poppers, and Velvet Ropes, who in other lives are Doreen Rallo and Bobbi Green, Ceejay Rosen and Peg Ryan, and Joan Van Ness; photographers Hairy Larry and Lucky Lens (Lorraine Michels & Susan); and disco ball carriers Mel Rock and this writer. We accompanied our Queen, walking in formation, downtown to the Ice Palace, to the dock for the Invasion Ferry, onto the Pines pier, where we were roundly cheered, and, victory over the realm to the east achieved, back to the Grove Hotel, where Invaders were presented to the Queen.

During our day, we saw our Ice Palace friends, elegant as the British Royal Family, with Dakota Sue as a stunning Kate Middleton—poor Porsche’s dress arrived so late that she was there only for the presentation to the Queen, escorted by Chuck McTague, with the M&Ms as her trainbearers; the ‘AARP team’ of synchronized swimmers, deemed ‘most tragic’ group; Gusty Winds as Duchess of York Fergie; Emperor Vanity Society, Anne Tique as the Mona Lisa, Robin Kradles, Wen-D Bouvier Pinkhouse, Charlene Chivoe in very big hair, Gefil Tefish, and many others from the Imperial Court of New York; a devilish Bianca Del Rio; three dreamy Jeannie/genies from Ivy Walk; Miss Fire Island Sabel Scities; Gulinda and Elphaba from a low budget “Wicked;” Steven Menendez’ exotic-looking group, wearing very little, but including a terrific crocodile; Dallas Dubois and Logan Hardcore; Mermaidia; ringmistress Robin Murray and her boys; veterans China and second Miss Fire Island Charity; the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus Queen and her colleagues; Sue Panzer in silvery queen drag and Angela Smith in male drag; Hal Hayes, Pines chair of the Grove Casino at the Pines Party, and Robert Bonanno, from the Pines Archives; Ruth and Susan Freedner as Boy Scouts; Cherry Grove Airline stewardesses; superheroes; Mary Ooofaaa; Jerena; a woman, judged ‘most politically incorrect,’ carrying a cutout of Sarah Palin, wearing an “I Love Gays” button; ballerinas; La Tormenta and company, all wearing her elaborately feathered, Carnival-style creations; a geriatric Dorothy Gale—and Toto, too; a pair of ancient Romans; intrepid reporters from Fire Island News, Fire Island Tide, and Fire Island Sun; and Drag Repair, doing a number on Mother. Rose Levine and Robin Byrd were among those who received us in the Pines.

It was an Invasion to remember.