Fire Island News & Great South Bay News

CM’S The Addams Family is a Halloween Treat!

By Samantha Salerno

A frightfully fun way to dive into the Halloween season awaits at CM Performing Arts Center, 931 Montauk Highway in Oakdale. Their kooky, spooky production of The Addams Family will haunt audiences through November 1. Whether you’re familiar with the family from the classic 60s television series or the recent Netflix adaptation, Wednesday, you’ll see […]

Nor’easter Floods Fire Island and Triggers Rescues Despite One Mayor’s Warnings

Dunewood

By Shoshanna McCollum

“Unfortunately, and despite our warnings and advice to leave Fire Island while conditions allowed, many decided not only to stay but to come over to the island,” scolded Ocean Beach Mayor James Mallott in an emailed newsletter on the afternoon of Sept. 26, during the height of the nor’easter. “These decisions put themselves and their […]

Nor’easter brings flooding, power outages to Long Island

LI Press By Timothy Bolger

A powerful nor’easter downed hundreds of trees, flooded streets in coastal areas, and caused widespread property damage and power outages this weekend on Long Island. The peak wind gust on Long Island was 81mph reported at Montauk Point and the highest rainfall amount was 3.3 inches in East Hampton, according to the National Weather…

Fire Island Ferry Carriers Cancel Weekend Service Ahead of Storm

All ferry carriers along the Great South Bay, including Fire Island Ferries, Inc. in Bay Shore; Sayville Ferry Service; and the Patchogue-based Davis Park Ferry, have announced service suspensions ahead of the nor'easter predicted to head toward Long Island over the coming weekend.

Davis Park

By Shoshanna McCollum

All ferry carriers along the Great South Bay, including Fire Island Ferries, Inc. in Bay Shore; Sayville Ferry Service; and the Patchogue-based Davis Park Ferry, have announced service suspensions ahead of the nor’easter predicted to head toward Long Island over the coming weekend. Fire Island Ferries passenger cancellations begin Friday evening and all day Saturday, Sept. […]

Suffolk County Marine Bureau Officers Rescue Man Save Man in Kayak Near Sore Thumb Beach

Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) Marine Bureau officers rescued a 68-year-old man in the Great South Bay this morning, a quarter mile offshore of Sore Thumb Beach,

Shirley

By Shoshanna McCollum

Suffolk County Marine Bureau officers rescued a 68-year-old man in the Great South Bay this morning, a quarter mile offshore of Sore Thumb Beach. Officers responded to a 911 call reporting a kayaker in distress at about 11 a.m. Good Samaritans found the man in a swamped kayak, and his waders were flooded, submerging him […]

The Infinite Belonged to Everyone: Remembering Peter Max and the Public Life of Wonder

Artist Peter Max and his daughter Libra Max in his New York City Studio in 2019.

Dan’s Papers By Avalon Ashley Bellos

Peter Max did not merely give the 20th century more color; he altered the emotional weather of looking. Across a nation convulsed by war, protest and spiritual hunger, he released suns, sages, lovers and celestial bodies into public life until wonder no longer seemed privately held. It could be carried home, pinned above a…

Greet the Autumnal Equinox in September: Things To Do This Weekend on Fire Island and Along the Great South Bay

This weekend , through Sunday, Sept. 20 Grove & Pines Film Festival Over the weekend of Sept. 18, the Grove & Pines Film Festival will take place at the Cherry Grove Community House Theatre, 180 Bay Walk, Cherry Grove. The community-led celebration of LGBTQ+ storytelling unfolds against the backdrop of Fire Island, a place of beauty, history, and unapologetic queer expression. The festival channels the island’s unique blend of intimacy, energy, art, and allure. Featuring 42 short films and four feature films, the festival spans genres including comedy, horror, documentaries, and everything in between! For showtimes and tickets, visit groveandpinesfilmfestival.com.

Fire Island Pines

By Samantha Salerno

This weekend , through Sunday, Sept. 20 Grove & Pines Film Festival Over the weekend of Sept. 18, the Grove & Pines Film Festival will take place at the Cherry Grove Community House Theatre, 180 Bay Walk, Cherry Grove. The community-led celebration of LGBTQ+ storytelling unfolds against the backdrop of Fire Island, a place of […]

Local Musician Pays Homage to Lost Fire Island Community

For Chris St. John (aka Christopher McGuire), Fire Island has loomed large throughout the life of the singer-songwriter, from his early years to the present.

Arts & Culture

By Dave Gil de Rubio

For Chris St. John (aka Christopher McGuire), Fire Island has loomed large throughout the life of the singer-songwriter, from his early years to the present. This enchanted isle has been influential enough to lend some history to St. John’s latest outing, the recently released Bayberry Dunes. Both the EP and its title track are a […]

Brookhaven Town Approves NYU Langone’s Expansion of East Patchogue Facility

On Aug. 27, the Brookhaven Planning Board unanimously approved NYU Langone's new 270,000-square-foot, seven-story tower, which could hold 144 beds, on the east side of the former Brookhaven Hospital. This expansion is part of Langone’s $650 million investment to expand and improve the hospital after the two merged in March of 2025.

Patchogue

By Christopher Verga

On Aug. 27, the Brookhaven Planning Board unanimously approved NYU Langone’s new 270,000-square-foot, seven-story tower, which could hold 144 beds, on the east side of the former Brookhaven Hospital. This expansion is part of Langone’s $650 million investment to expand and improve the hospital after the two merged in March of 2025. For decades, Brookhaven […]

Preston Raynor Reflects on 102 years as an Islip Resident

History

By Christopher Verga

Preston Carter Raynor of Islip celebrated his 102nd birthday on May 29. He is one of the estimated 624 Long Islanders age 100 or older. The breakdown by region is 330 in Nassau County and 294 in Suffolk County. Each of these individuals carries an indispensable eyewitness account of an ever-changing society. During his 102 […]

What can September reveal about a Fire Island property that buyers might overlook in the height of summer?

For me, September is when you really get to see what a Fire Island property is all about. In July and August, the island is at its busiest and most vibrant, which is incredible, but there’s so much going on that it’s easy to overlook a property’s subtleties. In September, everything slows down. You notice the privacy, the light, the breeze, the sounds, and the way the house actually lives when the crowds disappear. You get a much better sense of the relationship between the house and its surroundings. Having grown up on Fire Island, I think that’s one of the most special things about September. It gives buyers a glimpse of the Fire Island that those of us who live here and truly know have always loved—quieter, more peaceful, and incredibly beautiful. Sometimes that’s when a property’s real magic becomes apparent.

Behind the Dunes

By Samantha Salerno

Nathaniel Larson Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty nathaniellarson@danielgale.com (631) 800-1301 For me, September is when you really get to see what a Fire Island property is all about. In July and August, the island is at its busiest and most vibrant, which is incredible, but there’s so much going on that […]

West Islip Author Michael Perone Asks “Is There Life After College?”

Books & Authors

By Samantha Salerno

Michael Perone supports the idea that reading should be entertaining. The award-winning author works during the day as a senior editor for a nonprofit in Manhattan, but when he gets home, his stories come to life. In 2022, he released his debut novel, Danger Peak, an action-adventure story, which went on to receive The Fall […]