Community News for May 13, 2021

The Peconic Land Trust, 296 Hampton Road in Southampton, will host the virtual lecture, “The Re-Wilding of Long Island,” on Thursday, May 20, from 6 to 7 p.m.

An amazing variety of wildlife not seen for years are slowly returning to Long Island. Species like coyote, bald eagle, river otter and river herring are making a comeback and have been spotted by scientists and residents alike. Join the Peconic Land Trust and Seatuck Environmental Association for a fascinating conversation to learn more. Panelists are wildlife biologist Mike Bottini, conservation policy advocate Emily Hall of Seatuck, wildlife biologist Kelly Hamilton of the state DEC, and Enrico Nardone, executive director of Seatuck. The moderator is Wildlife Conservation Policy Program Coordinator Arielle Santos of Seatuck.

To register for this free lecture, or for more information, visit PeconicLandTrust.org.

The Montauk Library has launched a Celebration Brick Program, giving residents the opportunity to set their name or the name of a loved one in a stone that will be displayed at the library and will support its renovation.

For more information, visit montauklibrary.org.bricks.

The East Hampton Historical Society will continue its virtual book club series with a talk on “A Day Like Any Other: The Great Hamptons Hurricane of 1938,” by Genie Chipps Henderson, on Thursday, May 13, at 7 p.m.

Historic photos and research will be shared by the author, who will join the discussion, as will items from the historical society archives.

For more information or to register, visit easthamptonhistory.org/events.

The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons will host its monthly Pet Food Pantry, for donations and for pick up for those in need, on Saturday, May 15, from noon to 3 p.m. at the ARF Adoption Center, 124 Daniels Hole Road in Wainscott.

For more information, visit arfhamptons.org.

The nonprofit Ladles of Love will host a telethon on Thursday, May 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at LTV Studios on Industrial Road in Wainscott, to support local food pantries.

The telethon will showcase interviews with musicians, sponsors, radio and surprise guests. Interested viewers can tune into LTV Southampton cable or stream the telethon online. Donations can also be made at easthamptonfoodpantry.org.

The East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection will present a live Zoom discussion with author Claire Bellerjeau about her book “Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth,” on Thursday, May 20, at 7 p.m. The book tells the story of Robert Townsend, a key member of the Culper Spy Ring, and his extraordinary efforts to rescue Elizabeth, an enslaved woman who had run away from his family and was re-enslaved. Documents from the Long Island Collection played a key role in telling this story.

Ms. Bellerjeau currently serves as historian and director of education at Raynham Hall Museum in Oyster Bay, and has been researching the Townsend family and their slaves for over 16 years, including curating a yearlong exhibit on the Townsend “Slave Bible” in 2005. She has spoken internationally and published several articles in scholarly journals about life and artifacts of colonial New York.

For more information, or to register, call 631-324-0222, or visit easthamptonlibrary.org.

The South Fork Natural History Museum, 377 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, will host “Secret Life of the Pond,” a program for children ages 8 and older, on Saturday, May 15, from 1 to 2 p.m.

In this hands-on program, children will discover the tiny secrets that inhabit a pond and help our friends (the turtles, frogs, ducks, and fish) to not just survive, but thrive. They will use magnifiers and microscopes to view the secrets that are too small for our unaided eye to see and discover the strange ways pond secrets breathe, catch their food, and hide from danger as they look for dragonfly young, cousins of crabs, bubble-carrying beetles, and, with luck, tadpoles. Children are advised to dress to get wet or muddy.

There is a $10 fee for adults, and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free. For more information, visit sofo.org.

The Sunday Supper will return to Cormaria Retreat House, 77 Bay Street, this Sunday, May 16, from noon to 2 p.m.

The drive-thru and pick-up supper will include spinach and ham quiche, asparagus and fennel salad, roast spring vegetable flatbread and strawberry Linzer cookies. Each donation of $20 will get guests a bag for two people. Guests are asked to follow drive-thru signs, wear masks and take their food home after picking it up.

For more information, call 631-725-4206 or visit cormaria.org.

The John Jermain Memorial Library, 201 Main Street in Sag Harbor, will host the virtual lecture, Tomatomania! on Thursday, May 20, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Garden writer Jessica Damiano, creator and 13-year host of The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge, will give participants a primer on growing great tomatoes.

Advanced registration is requested. To register please visit our calendar of events or email programs@johnjermain.org.

On May 22, at 5 p.m., 12 luxury motor yachts will launch from Sag Harbor, assemble as a fleet and cruise to Shelter Island and back as a part of a charity fundraiser, “Boaters Against Cancer.”

A $ 250 donation will reserve a space on one of the yachts, and proceeds will benefit Fighting Chance, a nonprofit that provides resources and support for those fighting cancer, as well as their families. For 19 years, Fighting Chance has had an office in Sag Harbor, providing free emotional support counseling to East End cancer patients. In 2019, the charity opened up a second office, provided rent-free, at the Phillips Family Cancer Center in Southampton.

Most of the yachts in the fleet will take on four guests and some will accommodate six — plenty of room for social distancing. All the yachts have spacious cockpits and foredecks so that Boaters Against Cancer will be an outdoor event. Guests will enjoy a steady, gentle breeze, as yachts cruise along at six knots or more. Refreshments will be served. Event leadership include Jim Larocca, Joe Ialacci, Bruce Tait, Tim Davis, Stu Schoener, Charlie Canavan, Brian Brady, Roman Roth and Ray Smith.

For more information, visit fightingchance.org.

Group for the East End, Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons, Montauk Seaweed Company, Perfect Earth Project, and many more will join together at the Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton, for a Natural Garden Fair on Saturday, May 15, from noon to 4 p.m. The fair will include talks, locally-sourced products, a native plant sale, nature books, children’s arts and crafts, and more and will take place on the Center’s west lawn.

For more information, visit southamptonartscenter.org.

The Town of Southampton will host the 2021 Great East End Clean-Up, Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 16. The annual event is a volunteer-based program to remove litter and debris from Southampton Town’s roadsides. Last year, over 500 volunteers removed over 22.89 tons of garbage and metal, including 27 tires that were sorted for recycling, from beaches, parks, trails and roadsides throughout the town.

For more information, call 631-283-5210 or email greateastendcleanup@southamptontownny.gov.

The Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton, will be home to a screening of “Conscience Point,” preceded by a panel discussion, on Sunday, May 16, beginning at 6 p.m. The panel will be moderated by Express News Group Executive Editor Joseph Shaw, with panelists Tela Rroge, Shane Weeks, Kelly Dennis, Becky Genia and Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, and will explore honoring the Shinnecock Indian Nation.

The event is free. For more information, visit southamptonartscenter.org.

Healing Power Of Birds

The Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton will host “The Healing Power of Birds and How We Restore Their Ecosystems,” on Wednesday, May 19, from 6 to 7 p.m. as a part of its ongoing programming connected to its Earth - Art as Activists exhibit, on view through July 11.

Featuring birding instructor and ornithological educator, Holly Merker, and Edwina von Gal, landscape designer and founder of the Perfect Earth Project, this virtual event is for bird lovers and gardeners alike. The evening will focus on ornitherapy — the practice of observing birds to calm and ground oneself — as well as “Two Thirds for the Birds,” a new initiative aimed to restore their habitats using native plants.

For more information, visit southamptonartscenter.org.

The Hampton Bays Public Library, 52 Ponquogue Avenue, will host the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society on Tuesday, May 18, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a discussion on “Marine Debris: Changing the Tide.” Biologists will introduce guests to the dangers of marine debris on the environment and how proper beach clean-ups can protect ecology.

For more information or to register, visit hamptonbayslibrary.org.

Manorville Troop 221 will host its sixth annual Golf Outing on May 24 at The Woods at Cherry Creek in Riverhead. The proceeds will support a group of Scouts who will be attending Northern Tier High Adventure Scout Camp in northern Minnesota.

For more information, email event organizers Donna Robano and Kathy Wehrs at photonnut246@msn.com and kwehrs@optonline.net.