June is Pride Month, and we celebrate it here with reverence. Its roots lie in safe havens such as Fire Island, Provincetown, San Francisco and New York City. Now, villages and hamlets across Long Island, including Babylon, Sayville, and Patchogue, also hold parades, film festivals, and other social gatherings to keep the dialogue going strong.
We are not in Kansas anymore.
This introductory paragraph is for the June 5 edition of Fire Island News, which is being delivered via Fire Island Water Taxi today and will be distributed to Great South Bay shoreline communities on Long Island before the weekend begins. It is also available as a free digital download on our website.
Of course, any Pride Month edition must include where to go and what to do, and our events team has compiled a comprehensive overview of upcoming events on our community calendar to serve as your resource guide. If your Pride Month event is missing from this calendar, please use our no-cost event submission form so we may consider it for future publication. We will update this list as new information comes in.
Of course, during Pride Month, our attention also turns to the Fire Island communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Inside this edition, you will find our profile interview with Chef Xavier Alcequiez, the new proprietor of Top of the Bay Bistro, without question, one of the finest restaurants on Fire Island.
Todd Erikson contributes a moving article about a flag-mast raising ceremony that recently took place in Cherry Grove. Also read about Cherry Grove’s 2026 Homecoming Queen, and all news from Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, in Robert Levine’s community columns, Rose’s View.
In this edition, we also introduce you to The Blind Spot, the 2026 supporting sponsor of Fire Island News. Their support helps bring Fire Island News to your community, so stop by their showrooms in Babylon Village or Wantagh to find out why they should be your go-to resource for home window treatments.
