Community News, December 12 - 27 East

Community News, December 12

icon 12 Photos
Gino Magaganoli and Frank Zappone, both presented with the 2024 Hampton Bays Beautification Appreciation Awards, by
Susan vonFreddi Gassman, president of the group. COURTESY HAMPTON BAYS BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION

Gino Magaganoli and Frank Zappone, both presented with the 2024 Hampton Bays Beautification Appreciation Awards, by Susan vonFreddi Gassman, president of the group. COURTESY HAMPTON BAYS BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION

Ellen Zimmerman was presented with the Hampton Bays Beautification Association's  2024 Angel of the Year Award by the association's president, Susan von Freddi Gassman. COURTESY HAMPTON BAYS BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION

Ellen Zimmerman was presented with the Hampton Bays Beautification Association's 2024 Angel of the Year Award by the association's president, Susan von Freddi Gassman. COURTESY HAMPTON BAYS BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION

Representatives of three local service clubs gathered together recently at Immaculate Conception Church in Westhampton Beach to present the proceeds from their 27th annual Food Pantry Dinner, a cooperative effort of the Joseph Slomski Knights of Columbus Council #7423, the Westhampton Rotary Club, and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Westhampton. Presenting a check in the amount of $9,189.94 to Immaculate Conception pastor Fr. Ken Grooms are, left to right: Tom Day (KofC), Beth Flanagan Hard (Rotary), Bob Montpetit (KofC), Fr. Grooms, Matson Hard (Kiwanis), Rori Jones (Kiwanis), Mike Berdinka (KofC), Phil DeBrita (KoC), Joe Sala(KofC), and Mike Doyle (Grand Knight – KofC). COURTESY JOSEPH SLOMSKI KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL

Representatives of three local service clubs gathered together recently at Immaculate Conception Church in Westhampton Beach to present the proceeds from their 27th annual Food Pantry Dinner, a cooperative effort of the Joseph Slomski Knights of Columbus Council #7423, the Westhampton Rotary Club, and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Westhampton. Presenting a check in the amount of $9,189.94 to Immaculate Conception pastor Fr. Ken Grooms are, left to right: Tom Day (KofC), Beth Flanagan Hard (Rotary), Bob Montpetit (KofC), Fr. Grooms, Matson Hard (Kiwanis), Rori Jones (Kiwanis), Mike Berdinka (KofC), Phil DeBrita (KoC), Joe Sala(KofC), and Mike Doyle (Grand Knight – KofC). COURTESY JOSEPH SLOMSKI KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL

The East End Hospice held a Tree of Lights Memorial Service on the village green on Sunday, December 8. Similar services were also held in East Hampton, Cutchogue, and Southampton. The ceremonies honor the memory of friends and family members. Ornaments are also hung in a tree in memory of loved ones who have died. At the Westhampton Beach ceremony, Mayor Ralph Urban read the names of deceased friends and family members. COURTESY EAST END HOSPICE

The East End Hospice held a Tree of Lights Memorial Service on the village green on Sunday, December 8. Similar services were also held in East Hampton, Cutchogue, and Southampton. The ceremonies honor the memory of friends and family members. Ornaments are also hung in a tree in memory of loved ones who have died. At the Westhampton Beach ceremony, Mayor Ralph Urban read the names of deceased friends and family members. COURTESY EAST END HOSPICE

East Hampton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susanne Kelly, East Hampton  Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Chamber President Barbara Layton at  the Greater East Hampton Chamber of Commerce

East Hampton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susanne Kelly, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Chamber President Barbara Layton at the Greater East Hampton Chamber of Commerce "Talk With the Town: Kathee Burke-Gonzalez,", held in the Main Meeting Room of Town Hall on December 4. Chamber directors and town government officials brought everyone up to date on future plans for the town. RICHARD LEWIN

Sarah Alford and Pam Abrahams at the  annual Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons members holiday party on Sunday. Members were asked to bring covered baked goods. As always, wine, apple cider, coffee and tea were provided. HAH President Erik Brockmeyer conducted a free raffle of chestnut tees and more.  RICHARD LEWIN

Sarah Alford and Pam Abrahams at the annual Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons members holiday party on Sunday. Members were asked to bring covered baked goods. As always, wine, apple cider, coffee and tea were provided. HAH President Erik Brockmeyer conducted a free raffle of chestnut tees and more. RICHARD LEWIN

"The Dickens Victorian Carolers;" Kate Keating, Jules Greaves, James Lombardi and Matt Fama at the at Bridgehampton Museum's Nathaniel Rogers House for, "Gifts and Carols," on Saturday evening. RICHARD LEWIN

Bridgehampton Museum Board President Andrea Madaio with Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center Executive Director Bonnie Michelle Cannon at the Bridgehampton Museum's Nathaniel Rogers House for,

Bridgehampton Museum Board President Andrea Madaio with Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center Executive Director Bonnie Michelle Cannon at the Bridgehampton Museum's Nathaniel Rogers House for, "Gifts and Carols," on Saturday evening. RICHARD LEWIN

Linda Bird Francke and Tapp Francke at 15th Annual Lighting of the Vines at Wölffer Estate Vineyard on Saturday evening. All proceeds from the evening benefit The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center.   LISA TAMBURINI

Linda Bird Francke and Tapp Francke at 15th Annual Lighting of the Vines at Wölffer Estate Vineyard on Saturday evening. All proceeds from the evening benefit The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center. LISA TAMBURINI

The 15th Annual Lighting of the Vines at Wölffer Estate Vineyard on Saturday evening. All proceeds from the evening benefit The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center.   LISA TAMBURINI

The 15th Annual Lighting of the Vines at Wölffer Estate Vineyard on Saturday evening. All proceeds from the evening benefit The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center. LISA TAMBURINI

Santa arrives at the First Presbyterian

Santa arrives at the First Presbyterian "Old Whalers" Church in Sag Harbor on December 5 to light the tree. DANA SHAW

The tree is lit at the First Presbyterian

The tree is lit at the First Presbyterian "Old Whalers" Church in Sag Harbor on December 5. DANA SHAW

authorStaff Writer on Dec 9, 2024

You May Also Like:

An Awful Noise

People who don’t know, ask: What is that awful noise? And then it stops. A different tree now gradually comes alive; the leaves nearly vibrate as the buzzing builds. The sound of an individual cicada is, of course, not an awful noise — it’s just loud, and the pitch is not designed to attract the human ear. The loud things we generally live with are human sounds: parties, lawnmowers, farm equipment. Yesterday, while harvesting tomatoes in the middle of a 50-acre field, I could hear, in the distance, the distinctive crunch of a house being demolished. But, other times, what ... 16 Sep 2025 by Marilee Foster

Saving the Waterfront

A little over 50 years ago, the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Program was launched, based on a first-in-the nation concept of sale of “development rights.” Then-Suffolk County Executive John V.N. Klein was pivotal, in 1974, to the inception of that program. This month, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed the Conservation of Working Waterfronts bill, with the current county executive, Ed Romaine, playing a critical role, too. It also involves future development. For centuries, farming and fishing have been at the economic foundation of Suffolk County. Great strides have been made in preserving farming in Suffolk — and keeping Suffolk ... by Karl Grossman

Captain Courageous

Because of a bevy of other headlines, somewhat overlooked earlier this month was the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The signing ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, was a formality, because the war essentially ended two weeks earlier, when Emperor Hirohito told his people that Japan was giving up. That allowed the Allies to begin liberating the POW camps containing thousands of inmates. A particularly brutal one was Omori, on the outskirts of Tokyo. The following is an excerpt from toward the end of “Running Deep,” which will be published next month. On ... by Tom Clavin

Community News, September 18

YOUTH CORNER Read and Play The John Jermain Memorial Library, 201 Main Street in Sag ... 15 Sep 2025 by Staff Writer

A Leadership Pipeline

There’ll be a question for voters on the election ballot in November on whether the terms should be extended, from the present two years to four, for the 18 members of the Suffolk County Legislature, of which most of the major government officials in Suffolk County in the last five decades have been members. One was Republican John V. N. Klein of Smithtown, the first presiding officer of the legislature. He brought continuity between it and the centuries-old Suffolk County Board of Supervisors when the legislature replaced the board in 1970 as the county’s governing body. It was determined in ... 9 Sep 2025 by Karl Grossman

Not Over Yet

A heron departing the wetlands flies up and across the morning sun. With each wingbeat it grows closer to silhouette: white, then silver, then black. Then the bird has risen directly into the sun’s path, and you must drop your watch of this or be blinded. You close your eyes to recover. September — they say summer is over. That position does not give summer much credit. How could she just end? Something so vibrant and desirably warm, the season of fruit, green grass and fresh vegetables, does not die in a day. September is the culmination of summer, the ... by Marilee Foster

Does the New York City Mayor’s Race Matter Here?

2025 is what political pundits call an “off-year” election: There is no election for president or governor. It is the most local of the four-year election cycle, with only local town and county races on the ballot. Yet, just 100 miles to our west is a high-profile election to choose the next mayor of New York. It has drawn national attention since an unknown state assemblyman turned the political world upside down by winning the Democratic primary. His name is Zohran Mamdani. Why was this a political earthquake? Well, first of all, he is an avowed Democratic Socialist who, just ... 8 Sep 2025 by FRED THIELE

Community News, September 11

YOUTH CORNER Circle of Fun The John Jermain Memorial Library, 201 Main Street in Sag ... by Staff Writer

In the Weeds

Late summer is reductive work. You harvest, take away the best, and plants, likewise, contract. The oldest growth — green leaves rimmed in death, tattered at their edge — cannot hide the fruit. A life cycle is complete … or, at least, nearing completion. Weeds, robust, and some 6 feet tall, tower over the remnants of the first melon planting. Their seeds are not mature, but the threat is burgeoning. One year at seed takes seven to weed. So the mower goes. We battle weeds all season, but in August, when the farmer is too busy reaping to spend time ... 2 Sep 2025 by Marilee Foster

Souvenirs

With less than a week to go before Labor Day, I panicked that I haven’t been to the ocean as often as I thought I would. I headed down to Ponquoque Beach to spend time with my son and granddaughters. At the end of August, in the parking lot, it’s not unusual to see broken beach chairs, single flip-flops or battered paperbacks with pages curling from the salt air — remnants of summer vacation. The beach buckets filled with sand, and maybe a hermit crab or a carefully curated shell collection, brought back memories. There’s a gentle melancholy in these ... by Denise Gray Meehan