A party estimated to draw nearly 4,000 people to the Montauk Yacht Club this weekend, will—unless a contingency plan appears quickly—likely be canceled, because of a lack of parking, according to East Hampton Town Councilwoman Theresa Quigley. However, the yacht club maintains that the show will go on.
The “Shark Attack” party, a fundraiser for the Montauk Playhouse, won Town Board approval last month to take place on Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, but it subsequently came to light that its plan to use Rita’s Stables for parking is unfeasible because parking is not allowed there, Mr. Quigley explained in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon.
The Town Board announced that afternoon a special meeting to be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning in the Town Hall meeting room on Pantigo Road to discuss the application.
Town Clerk Fred Overton said the board might rescind the resolution allowing the party if the parking issue is not addressed to the board’s satisfaction.
“It looks like the permit will be pulled, unless they have another option that we don’t know about,” Ms. Quigley said. “Why the heck was this found out after it was approved? I can’t answer that.”
Lloyd Van Horn, the general manager for the club, and his attorney, Tom Horn, said late Tuesday afternoon that they have new parking, planned at a large field on Montauk Highway in Amagansett, that has many advantages over the previous plan. These include better visibility and a capacity for more cars.
The party caused some concern when it came up before the board on June 20 because of its size. The same event, held last year at Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe in Montauk, was shut down after an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 attendees turned out for the event, which was intended for 800 guests.
This year's event is expected to sell out, Mr. Van Horn said, adding that 2,300 tickets have already been sold.
Colleen Reynolds on Jul 2, 2013