Community News, January 12

The Montauk Library hosts “Stay & Play,” a free playtime program focusing on parent/child interaction, play and exploration, on Fridays from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. for newborns to 5-year-olds. Sign up at the children’s desk, or call 631-668-3377. There is also a Lego Club for children ages 6 and up that meets on Fridays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. on Fridays, the library presents a classic Disney film series.

Our Fabulous Variety Show has announced Neverlanded Acting and Dance workshop classes that will culminate in their spring production of “Neverlanded,” an original work created by Our Fabulous Variety Show. The production is a musical retelling of Peter Pan featuring original work created by the OFVS directors and students. Classes begin the week of January 16 and will run for 11 weeks.

For more information, visit ourfabulousvarietyshow.org.

Astrologer Kate Plumb will discuss astrology in a program hosted by the Sag Harbor Masons on Saturday, January 14, at 11 a.m. Admission is free.

According to a press release, astrology is defined as a universal language that describes the interconnections between the cosmos and Earthly life. For thousands of years, priests and sages have been observing and calculating the planetary patterns across the sky and noticing correspondences with aspects of Earthly life.

Might we be able to see what lies ahead for us in 2023?

The Masonic Lodge is located on the second floor of the Whaling Museum, 200 Main Street.

The jazz Jam Session at the Inner Sanctum of the Masonic Temple continues on Tuesday, January 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is $15. The Inner Sanctum in Wamponamon Lodge is above the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum at 200 Main Street. There is parking in the rear of the building.

For more information, visit masonicmusicseries.com.

BRIDGEHAMPTON

“Engaging Curiosity through Art and Storytelling,” with photographer Patricia Paladines and author Carl Safina will be held on Saturday, January 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the South Fork Natural History Museum. The program is for adults and teens.

Noted in a press release: “We are born curious creatures. At birth, as soon as we open our eyes and all our senses kick in, we begin to question, what are we seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting? Somewhere along our life’s journey, we start to narrow our interests and begin to move through our world like racehorses wearing blinders; reducing our field of vision to stay focused on our tasks. We hear the songs of birds as we walk from our cars to the shops, but how many of us realize the great diversity of birds that can be seen on Long Island?

Art, whether visual or auditory, holds the power to take our minds back to that primitive sense of wonder.”

Patricia Paladines and Carl Safina will discuss how they approach their work in photography and writing for engaging the buried sense of curiosity we all have.

Admission is free for SOFO members; nonmembers will pay $15 fee, which includes admission to the museum on any one day.

Advance registration is required and may be accomplished by emailing info@sofo.org or calling 631-537-9735.

A workshop on memoir writing just started at the Hampton Library, and it will continue through February 22, meeting on Wednesdays from 3 to 4 p.m. Personal and autobiographical writing will be covered as participants find their voice through reading and group discussion. Research techniques, excerpts from well-known memoirs and journals, writing exercises, and ideas for marketing are included.

To reserve a spot, email emily@hamptonlibrary.org.

It’s the last weekend to donate a warm coat at Almond Restaurant and L&W Market. Gently used or new coats may be dropped at either business, at 1 Ocean Road, and each customer who brings a coat will receive a complimentary large coffee. The coats will be delivered to Maureen’s Haven.

For more information, visit almondrestaurant.com.

A program titled “The (Progressive) Schools Our Children Deserve,” with author Alfie Kohn, will be co-presented by the Bridgehampton School District, Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, and the Hayground School on Friday, January 20, at 7 p.m. at the Bridgehampton School, 2685 Montauk Highway. The program is free and open to the public.

The press release notes: Our knowledge of how children learn — and how schools can help — has come a long way in the last few decades. Unfortunately, most schools have not: They’re still more about memorizing facts and practicing isolated skills than understanding ideas from the inside out; and they still rely on grades, tests, homework, lectures, worksheets, competition, punishments, and rewards.

Kohn will explore the alternatives to each of these conventional practices. He will explain why progressive education isn’t just a realistic alternative. It is one that’s far more likely to help kids become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

For more information email aachuthan@hayground.org.

The New Thought Community is presenting the topic of intention for the month of January. The Sunday, January 15, guest speaker is the Reverend Karim Beldjilali, who will discuss the subject starting at 10 a.m. at the Water Mill Community House. All are welcome.

For additional information, call 631-566-4989.

SOUTHAMPTON

Rogers Memorial Library will hold its Word Game Palooza on Friday, January 20, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Participants are invited to flex their vocabulary muscles by joining other enthusiasts for an afternoon of word games. Scrabble, Boggle and other word games are provided.

The annual meeting of the East Quogue Cemetery Association will be held Monday, January 23, at 7 p.m. at the East Quogue United Methodist Church parish hall on Montauk Highway. All stockholders and lot owners are welcome to attend.

The Teen Theatre Troupe at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center will present their production of “42nd Street” on Friday, January 20, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

For details, go to whbpac.org.

The Hamptons Observatory is hosting a virtual event on Thursday, January 19, at 7 p.m. about the astronomical calendar. The speaker will be Lydia Maria Petrosino, a lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium. The program will discuss how astronomy and the ancient world shaped our modern calendar, how events on Earth were linked to the stars and inspired the creation of celestial maps that informed the calendar. The discussion will examine historical and cultural influences, as well as the part that the Zodiac and constellations played in early astronomy.

Email HamptonsObservatory@gmail.com for the Zoom link. Amagansett Library is a co-sponsor of the program.

East End Libraries will present an online lecture about how to “Improve Gut Health Naturally” on Wednesday, January 18, at 7 p.m.

Here’s a fun fact: about 70 percent of your immune system lives in your gut.

Jessica Milazzo, an integrative nutrition health coach, will talk about how to support your gut naturally with food and lifestyle. Attendees will receive educational content along with a few recipes to try at home that support a healthy gut.

Email dvalle@hamptonbayslibrary.org to obtain the link for the lecture.

The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is offering an opportunity to hear from Frances Palmer, a potter and gardener, about “Life in the Studio,” during an online lecture on Sunday, January 15, at 2 p.m.

To get the link, go to hahgarden.org for details.

The Southampton Youth Bureau will be sponsoring two sessions of its Basketball Clinic at Southampton Youth Services every Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m., starting January 27.

The bureau’s Chess Club will be held on Tuesdays (started January 3) from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Flanders Youth Center.

The F.A.S.T. program is an opportunity for young children in kindergarten through grade four to participate in Fun Activities with snacks and time to do homework. The program meets every Monday at the Flanders Youth Center.

The Southampton Youth Bureau will host its next Open Mic Night on Friday, February 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hampton Coffee Company, 749 County Road 39A in Southampton. It is open to students in grades five through 12. Acoustic performers, karaoke, spoken word, poetry and comedic acts are all welcome to participate.

Email pstrecker@southamptontownny.gov or call 631-702-2425 for information on any Youth Bureau program.

Project Most, which offers year-round extracurricular enrichment programs for children and families, has a full lineup of activities ahead. This week, Funny Ink Faces is planned for Saturday, January 14, at 1 p.m. (ages 6 and older); a Lego Club will start and continue for several more Saturdays (ages 3 to 18); and a chance to learn how to play the glockenspiel begins.

For information on all programming, go to projectmost.org.