Photo credit - Bob Anderson

This weekend will be a busy one for me, and I encourage you to join in on the many festivities.

The BOFFO Performance Festival Fire Island returns this Saturday for its sixth year, co-curated with OCDChinatown. This year’s event continues to expand upon BOFFO’s commitment to BIPOC, Trans and Gender Nonconforming communities by creating space, sharing space, and welcoming friends and family from near and far to the Pines.

Here is more information including ticket options ranging from suggested donations for general entry to VIP tickets in support of BOFFO as it celebrates its 10-year Fire Island anniversary. Come experience a day of experimental music, performance, and dance. Happy Anniversary BOFFO!

Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization serving the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV. Lambda has been holding a summer event in the Pines since 1978 and returns this year for a brunch and pool party this Saturday afternoon.   I encourage you to buy your tickets and support this vital organization as it fights to undo the damage of the last four years and to protect our community, especially the trans community and other multiple marginalized LGBTQ communities, through both the federal, state and local legal systems.

Also on Saturday, FIPAP will be presenting Met Opera’s Michelle Bradley & Pianist Bryan Wagron at Whyte Hall. You can purchase tickets here. The Unplugged series follows on last weekend’s highly successful Biennial Art Show. Twenty-nine artists presented their work with part of the sale proceeds going to support the work that FIPAP does for our community. The online art auction and sales continue until August 21^st, so please visit this site to bid on and purchase your favorite art works.  

It is with mixed emotion that I share the news this week that Nicole LaFountaine and her family closed on the sale of the Danikki building in the commercial district, more commonly known as the home of Sip N Twirl, the Bistro, Denizen, Pines Pizza, Pines Harbor Realty, Vinnie Petrarca Fire Island Real Estate, and Teague Services, Inc. Her family has owned this piece of the commercial district since 1958 and have worked hard to maintain its vitality over many decades including in 2012 in the rebuilding aftermath of a devastating fire.

Nicole has asked me to send this open letter to the Pines community so that she may share in her own words the sentiment that comes with her decision. Nicole has told me that although they will no longer own this building, her commitment to and involvement in the Pines community will continue. And we wish the new owners, former FIPPOA board member Bobby Tortora, and current Committee on Black Equality ("CoBE") member Angelo DeSanto, all the best into the future.

I am pleased to announce that the FIPPOA board approved a slate of 9 candidates at last Saturday’s monthly board meeting. These candidates will now run to fill a total of five director positions. Four will begin a four-year term and one will fill a vacant position for the one year remaining on Tad Paul’s term. We have had more interest in the FIPPOA board this year than in prior years, and I am grateful to all candidates who are running and to Gabe Brotman, who organized the slate of candidates as this year’s Nominations Chair.

Here is the list of these candidates with a link to their bios:

All property owners who are regular FIPPOA members may participate in the election. If you are not a member and would like to join, please do so here in advance or upon registration on election day. Regular members will receive a mailed ballot prior to the election for early voting or may participate in-person on the day of the election, September 18^th 10:30AM to Noon at Whyte Hall. All members of the community, not only voting members, are invited to attend the Fall Annual Meeting and election.

Escaping the heat in the Pines and hoping you are as well,

Henry