Edgar Guest, known as the People’s Poet in the first half of the 20th century, once wrote “If it’s thrills of joy you wish for, get to work and plant a garden! If it’s drama that you sigh for, plant a garden and you’ll get it. You will know the thrill of battle fighting foes that will beset it.“If you long for entertainment and for pageantry most glowing, plant a garden and this summer spend your time with green things growing.” Of course, before planting anything, you might want to heed the words of my favorite author, Mark Twain. “In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.”
Regardless of the weather, Bridge Gardens will open officially for the 2014 season on Saturday, April 5, and will be open weekends through the end of October. And on Sunday, April 6, the Peconic Land Trust’s third “Conversations with …” continues at Bridge Gardens with hops grower John Condzella of Condzella Farms, brew master Duffy Griffiths of Crooked Ladder Brewing Company, and Rich Stabile, owner of Long Island Spirits, to discuss “Hops and Brews.” All “Conversations with ...” presentations begin at 2 p.m. and will be held at Bridge Gardens, located at 36 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton. Refreshments follow each presentation, and attendees are encouraged to mingle with panelists after the program. Contact Robin at the Peconic Land Trust at (631) 283-3195, ext. 19, or email Events@PeconicLandTrust.org.
The folks at the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons also are busy getting ready for this year’s gardening season despite the vagaries of spring weather. They’re offering “Rocks in the Garden” on Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. This will be an illustrated lecture by Vincent Covello, co-author of “The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation,” who will explore the art of suiseki (small, naturally formed stones selected for their shape, balance, simplicity and tranquility) and how this creative form can be applied to non-Japanese landscapes. The program will be held in the Bridgehampton Community House’s main auditorium. Admission is $10 for non-members of HAH; members free. Refreshments will be offered. For more info call (631) 537-2223.
The Southampton Trails Preservation Society (STPS will be holding their April meeting on Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in the lower conference room of Southampton Town Hall. All are welcome, and for information call (631) 537-5202. STPS will also be holding a moderately paced 1.7 mile hike on the Whiskey Hill Loop on Saturday, April 5, from 10 to 11 a.m. Meet on Mill Path off Lopers Path (heading east) in Bridgehampton. The leader is Jean Dodds and you may call her at (631) 599-2391.
Glorian Berk, the president of STPS, noted recently that in 2013 the society led 77 hikes with 729 participants, had 8 kayak events with 64 participants, 6 HOT rides with 29 people participating, and 3 bike trips with 16 participants. STPS also maintains almost 300 miles of trails throughout the town and in 2013 they spent just under 800 man hours maintaining those trails. Every Thursday morning members of the group work on one of the trails and they welcome anyone who would like to help maintain local trails. For info on joining or volunteering call (631) 537-5202.
On Sunday, April 6, you can enjoy another hike, a “Grassland to Grassland Traverse,” from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. with the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt. Meet at the South Fork Natural History Society (SoFo) Museum parking lot at 377 Bridgehampton Turnpike, 200 yards north of the RR tracks. This will be a moderately-paced 2 mile hike from Vineyard Field to the grasslands of Poxabogue County Park. The leader is Dai Dayton, and you may call her at (631) 745-0689.
The members of the Bridgehampton CAC continue to discuss the possible plans for the parcel at Montauk Highway and Lumber Lane. There have been rumors of a CVS moving there, but CAC members heard at their February meeting that, while a building permit was approved for a 5,000 square foot business as per village business zoning, the name CVS does not appear on that permit application. Nevertheless, members of the CAC unanimously passed a resolution voicing their opposition to a 5,000 sq. ft. single tenant because of limited parking and traffic congestion.
CAC members also learned that under the Town Highway Department’s work plans for the Bridge Lane bridge, partially funded by a federal grant, the size and width of the bridge will be the same, the sidewalk will be maintained, and the bridge will end up with two 9 foot lanes and a 3 foot bike pedestrian lane, but the curb separating the two areas will be removed. However, the guard rails for the bridge are required to meet Department of Transportation standards for a major highway bridge. Officials of Sagaponack Village are proposing that the town forego the grant and have the village split the costs of repairs with the town and minimize alterations in order to maintain the bridge’s scenic benefit to the community. Councilwoman Bridget Fleming noted that the community could make an argument that the bridge does have historic importance but that its primary cultural importance is pedestrian. Members of the CAC passed a resolution stating their opposition to the Highway Department’s existing plans to renovate the bridge noting that 25 years ago the town made an implicit agreement to preserve the bridge.
Finally, the Bridgehampton Museum is offering two programs this weekend. On Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m., Bernard Springsteel will offer an artist’s gallery talk in the Corwith House (2368 Montauk Highway) where his art is on exhibit. Admission is free. And later that evening, the fifth concert in the winter/spring concert series, featuring jazz singer/songwriter Sari Kessler, will take place at the museum’s Archives Building (2539-A Montauk Highway). The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets cost $15 for members of the museum and $25 for non-members. Reservations are strongly recommended. For info on either event, call 537-1088.
More Posts from 
