Editing Cherry Grove, New York (section)

==Recreation and sites of interest==
[[File:"Downtown" Cherry Grove, Fire Island.JPG|thumb|"Downtown" Cherry Grove, Fire Island]]
The Community House, located near the intersection of Holly and Bayview Walks, provides a wide variety of public services to the Grove. Generally speaking, gay couples and activities are the norm. In 2013, the [[Cherry Grove Community House and Theatre]] was named to the National Register of Historic Places for "the enormous role it played in shaping what gradually evolved into America's First Gay and Lesbian Town."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.queerty.com/fire-island-community-theater-gains-historic-landmark-status-20130703/ |title=Fire Island Community Theater Gains Historic Landmark Status / Queerty |publisher=Queerty.com |date=July 3, 2013 |access-date=December 4, 2013 |archive-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705152610/https://www.queerty.com/fire-island-community-theater-gains-historic-landmark-status-20130703#ixzz2Y2LBPn00 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000373.htm |title=Cherry Grove Community House & Theater |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=December 4, 2013 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224444/http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000373.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Outdoor activities===
The main outdoor attraction is the beach and the surrounding protected portions of the [[Fire Island National Seashore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/fire95.jpg |title=Map of the Fire Island National Seashore |access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> Clothing-optional sunbathing is common at the beach.<ref>{{cite web|last=Collins|first=Andrew|title=Gay Beach at Cherry Grove|work=About.com|url=http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaydestinationgalleries/ig/Photos-of-Gay-Fire-Island/Beach-at-Cherry-Grove.htm|date=n.d.|access-date=February 24, 2014|archive-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227230922/http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaydestinationgalleries/ig/Photos-of-Gay-Fire-Island/Beach-at-Cherry-Grove.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The hamlet's easternmost dunes have been nicknamed the "Meat Rack".<ref name=Damron>{{cite book|title=2011 Damron Men's Travel Guide|publisher=Damron |year=2010|page=320}}</ref><ref name="FIPHSmeatrack">{{cite web | title=The Meat Rack Est. 1950s. | website=Fire Island Pines Historical Society | date=March 3, 2021 | url=https://www.pineshistory.org/the-archives/the-meat-rack-est-1950s | access-date=June 6, 2022}}</ref> The legal name of that area is the Carrington Tract, where Truman Capote famously completed ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''.<ref name=Baldwin />

===Entertainment and dining===
There are at least six restaurants that operate within Cherry Grove, varying from pizza and breakfast to seafood and fine-dining. Also, there are at least four entertainment venues hosting plays, art shows, dancing, underwear parties, [[drag show]]s, and various community events.

As of 2005, there were five bars,<ref name=Weekender /> but one closed during the Great Recession of the late 2000s.

===Civic activities===
Civic activities in the Grove include charity events and an Awards Night, during which votes are taken and titles bestowed upon residents and local businesses. The Arts Project of Cherry Grove hosts the Homecoming Queen show, variety and drag shows, and a gala dinner and dance in late September.{{citation needed |date=April 2025}}

There is a sense of civic virtue in The Grove; people volunteer at CGFD, the Cherry Grove Community Association, on environmental projects, and even painting the edges of the boardwalks.<ref name=Weekender />

===Annual events===
A big event on the Cherry Grove social calendar is the [[Fourth of July]] weekend "[[Invasion of the Pines]]",<ref name=Damron /> which dates back to [[United States Bicentennial|July 4, 1976]], when a resident of the Grove showed up wearing drag in Fire Island Pines and was refused service. In the 1970s, the Pines was a more-conservative, more-heterosexual community than the Grove.

There are two annual [[drag show]] contests in Cherry Grove: the ''[[Homecoming Queen]]'' show over [[Memorial Day]] weekend, and the ''Miss Fire Island'' the longest running contest the weekend of, or after, Labor Day.
[[File:Deer in Cherry Crove, NY.JPG|thumb|Deer grazing in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York.]]

===Fauna and flora===

The ecosystem of Cherry Grove is primarily [[pine barrens]]; however, there are several [[microcline]]s and [[ecological niche]]s. Raccoons, foxes, squirrels, and many species of birds can be seen throughout the summer.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Deer are common and quite tame on Fire Island. Some residents consider deer to be a nuisance, while others enjoy seeing wildlife close to their summer homes.<ref name=Weekender />


Cherry Grove is named for the many [[Prunus serotina|wild cherry]] trees that bloom each June in the area.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}