Beachcomber, August 11

I finally set aside some time to have dinner with friends this week. With all of the events, it gets very difficult to try to enjoy an evening out without having to take photos and write down all the names of the attendees.

A dear friend invited me to dinner last Tuesday at her home. We were a small group and had a delightful evening sitting on the screened-in porch, with the ceiling fan keeping us comfortable. Of course, the conversation was all about the current season and how many events there are and not enough time to go to all of them. We did have a chat about a few people, but no one got too beat up, so to speak.

Our hostess had been to the farmers market and shopped for the entire meal there, from wonderful baguettes to eggplant and chicken parmesan — the meal was fantastic. Thank you to our hostess for a lovely evening.

First stop on Thursday evening was to Halsey House on South Main Street for the dedication of the Marge Sullivan garden. The museum organized the event with numerous members of the Southampton Garden Club in attendance. Tana Dye, the club’s current president, spoke and gave a lovely tribute to a wonderful woman.

Seen: Christl Meszkat, Fairley Pilaro and Joe Messina, Maribeth and Tom Edmonds, Father Patrick, Nevitt Jenkins, Linda and Bob Beck, Liz and Sean Deneny, Cindy Willis, Mary Lou Swift, Barbara McEntee, Michelle Lindsay, Pat Nadosy, Tish Bliss, Sally Van Allen, Audrey Gruss, Barbara Rueter and Bill Williams, and Lyn Hamer.

Afterward, I met friends at Main Prospect, where we had an incredible meal. I ordered the steak tidbits, which was out of this world. Owner Binh Douglas has done an amazing job with the space and has a wonderful and attentive staff. Can’t wait to go back!

First up on Friday night was the gorgeous home of Christl and Kenny Meszkat for the Southampton Rose Society fundraiser. This is always one of my favorite events, as it reminds me of old Southampton, and I mean that in a good way.

Guests gathered out back in the gardens, which are manicured within an inch of their lives and in full bloom. It was the perfect backdrop for the evening. As always, there was a wonderful silent auction and delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared by Stephanie Vakay catering.

Seen enjoying the evening: Sharon Bush and Bob Murray, Krista and Alex Bard, Peter Marino, Melanie and John Wambold, Annaliesa Soros, Sophia Hiltner and Paul Schenly, Raya and Clif Knight, Brenda Landry, Sheila and Joe Fuchs, Barbara Reuter and Bill Williams, Nancy Stone, Patty and George Kraus, Cornelia Bostwick, Clelia and Tom Zacharias, Lyn Hamer, Helga Dawn, Barbara McEntee, and Vicki and Bill Johnston.

I love this organization, because it maintains five beautiful gardens in Southampton Village. They do this through the generous support of loyal members and local residents that appreciate the work this organization does. Great job, and thank you for your dedication to our village.

I couldn’t stay long, as I had to make my way over to the lovely oceanfront home of Kathy and Mark Zurack. The Atlantic Ocean was a stunning — and appropriate — backdrop for the Peconic Baykeeper event. Guests gathered on the deck enjoying the sounds of the ocean.

Kim White, president of the board, spoke, as well as Peter Topping, the executive director and Baykeeper. The charity honored Gabrielle Bacon, who gave a short but poignant speech, well done.

Seen: Melanie and John Wambold, Cici and Alan Wilkinson, Maureen and Steve Klinsky, Amy and Sid Goodfriend with their daughter Kathryn, Tom Naro and Darren Otatti, Elyn and Jeff Kronemeyer, Jimmy Mack and Brian Mott, Michelle and Toni Sacconaghi, Janice and Vinny Meyers, Danielle and David Ganek, Sara Ayres, Kathy and Malcolm Price, Susan Dunn, Liz and Morgan McLanahan, and Elizabeth and Philip Weymouth, who were visiting from Fishers Island.

Saturday evening was the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Virtual Summer Party, titled “A Gala in Your Garden.” I spent the first part of the evening running from one house to the next photographing the hosts of various parties. The pictures can be seen in the “On The Town” section of the paper.

Tables across the East End included Cindy and Ladd Willis, Ann Grimm, Margo and Jimmy Nederlander, Melanie and John Wambold, Megan and Ken Wright, Jean and Martin Shafiroff, Holly and David Sherr, Oscar Mandes and Bob Chaloner, Sheila and Joe Fuchs, Ingeborg and Ira Rennert, Rozzie and Nathan Perlmutter, and Sondra and David Mack, to mention just a few.

My final stop that night was at the lovely bayfront home of Peter Hallock and Craig Mowry, who, along with Nancy Stone, hosted several tables. What a treat, as we enjoyed a stunning sunset while toasting the hospital.

Seen: Sally Van Erk, Marlene Brown, Barbara Zweig, Podi and Mickey Palin, Sandra McConnell, Howard Marton, Sheila Traglio, Mika Sterling, Ann Liguori and Scott Vallary, Kevin Maple, Deana and Ricky Passarelli, Bitsy Williams, and Ed Burke Jr. and his lovely wife, Tricia.

Sunday morning, it was down to Pond Lane for the annual Run/Walk of Hope. This event is to help raise awareness of and money for a very difficult subject, depression. Audrey Gruss is the driving force behind this amazing charity and works tirelessly for the organization. This year’s grand marshals were Candice Bushnell and Arthur Dunnam.

The pandemic has exacerbated an already widespread problem, and with suicides on the rise, this is a time to get tough and talk about the issues. Depression can creep up without you even realizing it. As I said several years ago, I have had an issue with it, and recently my medication stopped working, and it took me several months to realize it. Now, thanks to the help of homeopathy, I am currently on something that is all natural, has no side effects and is working.

This day, they raised over $300,000 from the event, with 100 percent of the money going to research. The race coordinator was Robert Barwick, who, along with his team, made sure that the event went off without a hitch. By the way, the men’s winner was William Hague, and the women’s was Kira Garry. Hats off to all the participants!

That afternoon, it was over to Whitecap Farm for the annual Peconic Land Trust cocktail and dinner party. This organization works to preserve farmland on the East End to enable it to continue to be farmed, acting as stewards to conserve agricultural land. That night, John v.H. Halsey announced a land acknowledgment to the Shinnecock Nation.

Seen under the tent: Debbie and Noel Hare, Linda Stabler-Talty and husband Peter, Jessica Mezzacappa and John Zeiman, Hilary Woodward, Ruth and Leonard Benowich, Amy and Doug Halsey, Carol and Ronald Ahlers, Dede and Terry Moan, Harriet and Alan Dresher, Preston Phillips, Ann and Sonny Rachel, and Pat Deshong, the executive director of the Southampton Animal Shelter.

Don’t forget: This Saturday evening is the opening party for the Designer Showhouse.

I hope to see you there!