The Cherry Grove Archives Collection promotes global appreciation of the rich and creative history of the earliest known haven for LGBTQ+ people and their allies in the United States. The CGAC is dedicated to the preservation of the social, political and cultural history of Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York. It’s their mission to collect, preserve and share this history through the archival protection and storage of Cherry Grove's historic artifacts, including documents, photographs and film. “Save the past. Make it last.”
This summer, the Cherry Grove Archives Collection will present a range of exciting and thought-provoking programming – including but not limited to a brand new podcast, a film premiere, art walks and much more. A roundup can be found below.
CGAC’s Creative Director, Parker Sargent: “The Cherry Grove Archives Collection is thrilled to present a full summer of events and exhibitions that bring the history of the Grove to life through photos, audio and video. Art Walk Exhibitions, our bi-annual Archive Show Weekend, celebrating 50 years of the Invasion of the Pines and a relaunch of our wildly popular Safe/Haven photography book- there’s so much of our history being presented this season. Cherry Grove is a community that runs on volunteerism, and we spend our summer’s hosting fundraisers for everything from the Community House to the dunes on the beach. So the Archives is always trying to find new ways to engage visitors- to inspire involvement and hopefully generosity, to help us reach our fundraising goals to continue our important work of preserving and presenting the Grove’s history. No matter when you’re in Cherry Grove this summer, there will be something exciting on display to educate and entertain.”
Hot House weekend guest © CGAC
“Queer Grove,” a brand new podcast presented by the Cherry Grove Archives Collection exploring a small beach community that has been a safe haven for queer people for almost 100 years, is hosted by acclaimed documentary filmmaker, Parker Sargent. Through her work over the last ten years, Sargent has created projects that celebrate the character and history of queer communities in Fire Island and beyond.
In the tradition of oral history, “Queer Grove” documents the life and times of the Grove, through the voices of those who have helped create this safe haven and those who are keeping it thriving today. Even in a world where LGBTQ+ people have more civil rights than ever before, Cherry Grove is still a much-needed queer space. Whether you’re a twirling twink at the underwear party, a lesbian that loves volleyball, a transgender person on an exploration of yourself, a couple of gay dads just trying to get to the beach, a senior in high school or a senior citizen, Cherry Grove has consistently been a safe space for all.
“Queer Grove” explores the past and present with interviews from Cherry Grove residents, as well as special guests including Joel Kim Booster, Esther Newton, Bianca Del Rio, Daniel Nardicio, Jimbo the Drag Clown, Thom “Panzi” Hansen, Bob “Rose” Levine, and Edie Windsor. New episodes are released on Fridays. Visit
queergrove.com to listen.
MAKING MISS CHERRYS - A FILM PREMIERE
“Making Miss Cherrys” is a documentary film by Parker Sargent that chronicles Timothy Byars, also known as Sabel Scities, as he competes in the Miss Cherrys Allstars pageant in 2022. Produced in coordination with the Cherry Grove Archives Collection, the film celebrates the thirty year history of the competition, which began in 1992, to celebrate local drag artists who were creating a thriving queer culture in Cherry Grove, Fire Island.
For three decades community members have packed the outdoor bar and restaurant, Cherrys on the Bay, to watch local queens perform and compete for the Miss Cherrys crown. Over the years it has become one of the summer’s most anticipated events, celebrating the camp and glamour of the Grove.
After thirty years of the competition, the Miss Cherrys Allstars Pageant was launched in 2019 to bring back past performers who have snatched the crown and Timothy Byers (and Miss Cherrys 2013), would be crowned the Allstars winner, after a long road of trial, tribulations and triumphs. Sabel’s determination outlasted the Covid-19 crisis, she continued to create and craft her performance package with her team over great distances after moving to Hawaii and she would be going up against some of the most talented drag performers working in the industry right now.
Follow Sabel’s journey and learn about the fabulous history of the Miss Cherrys pageant, with appearances from previous winners such as Charity Charles, Ginger Snap, Brenda Dharling and Boudoir LeFleur.
A live screening premiere of “Making Miss Cherrys” will take place at the Cherry Grove Community House and Theater on Saturday July 26th at 8pm ET. If you can’t attend the in-theater screening, you can watch the simultaneous live-streaming of the film. In-theater screening tickets are on sale now on the
Cherry Grove Archives Collection website for $40 and live-streaming sales will begin June 19th. All proceeds from the screening of “Making Miss Cherrys” benefit the Cherry Grove Archives Collection Inc., a 501c3 organization.
About Sabel Scities:
Sabel Scities (Timothy Byars) is a drag performer and community advocate who has spent the past two decades finding ways to connect, create, and give back through her art. Her journey began at The Escape, an all-ages nightclub in Portland, Oregon, that became a second home for many. It was there that Sabel, along with a chosen family of artists and outsiders, explored creativity, identity, and what it meant to build something together.
In Austin, Texas, she helped shape the local drag community by starting a class that welcomed new performers into the fold—more than 40 of whom went on to take the stage themselves. While living in Hawaii, she worked in harm reduction and public health, offering syringe exchange services, HIV/STI testing, and honest, stigma-free education around sexual health and substance use.
Now based in New York, Sabel holds the title of Miss Hell’s Kitchen, through which she’s helped raise funds for The Center—supporting mental health services, gender-affirming care, and spaces that uplift BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices. She’s grateful to be featured in “Making Miss Cherrys,” a documentary by Parker Sargent, and to share in a story that celebrates community, resilience, and the queer legacy of Fire Island.
SAFE/HAVEN - A BOOK REISSUE
The “SAFE/HAVEN” exhibition, curated and presented by Cherry Grove Archives Collection, has received rave reviews from Time Out, Vogue, Newsday, CBS News, The Advocate and The New York Times. “SAFE/HAVEN” has been displayed at The Stonewall National Museum, at The New York Historical Society, and presented as a Walking Tour in Cherry Grove, Fire Island.
The CGAC has created a limited edition book of the “SAFE/HAVEN” exhibition photos in a high quality 77-page book, that also includes amazing ephemera and interactive audio clips from longtime Grove residents, all of which showcase the joy and complexity of gay life in 1950s Cherry Grove.
Purchase “SAFE/HAVEN” on the Cherry Grove Archives Collection website beginning July 26.
ART WALKS - UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL TOURS AROUND EXHIBITIONS
The Cherry Grove Archives Collection is excited to showcase its community’s history through the works of three Fire Island photographers – with outdoor Art Walking Tours from May through September of 2025: a curated collection of photos from Warren Boyd Wexler (May 9 - June 1), koitz (June 6 - July 6) and Susan Kravitz (August 1-25). Their work will be accompanied by audio clips from Cherry Grove residents and icons, sharing stories about various events and traditions celebrated in the queer community.
Warren lived year-round in Cherry Grove. His photography has sold globally, and has become a staple, in the form of postcards, note cards, and framed works, for the last twenty-five years.
koitz began shooting in Fire Island almost 20 years ago and in the spring of 2020. His first book, koitz Gay Fire Island” that covers 14 years of queer life in Cherry Grove and the Pines was released in 2020.
Susan Kravitz has been photographing in the Grove for the past forty years. Her work captures the joy, the passion, the conflict, the laughter, the love that one can find every day in this colorful and remarkable gay community.
The Cherry Grove Memorial Fund has generously sponsored the summer exhibition schedule, enabling the CGAC to present amazing large scale installations all around town, so residents and day trippers alike can experience the beauty, freedom and legacy of this historic queer sanctuary.
