The East Hampton Star Dec. 1, 2022

Tiny Trees Donated To Kiwanis

BY CHRISTOPHER GANGEMI

“There is Christmas spirit,” said Rick White, president of the East Hampton Kiwanis Club, after he received 40 trees deemed too small by East Hampton Village.

The trees will now be offered as part of the Kiwanis Club Christmas tree sale, which helps fund scholarships for local high school seniors, a holiday toy drive, and a donation to Katy’s Courage, among other causes.

“Trees are hard to get now,” he said. “Last year we sold out really quickly. The nice part about the trees the village donated is that they’re smaller trees. We also donate trees to local families and often, they like the smaller trees.”

The story of the donation began last week, when the village received fourfoot trees from Fowler’s Garden Center in Southampton instead of the 8to-10-foot trees it had ordered back in September.

“As soon as I found out the trees were shorter than expected,” said Rick Fowler, vice president of Fowler’s Garden Center, “I called the village and told them. They said, ‘We’ll take what you can give us.’ “However, after in-

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Eat Shoots? So, Leave

New deer ‘exclosure’ could help town protect forests

BY TOM GOGOLA

In an attempt to get a handle on the impacts of the region’s outsize deer population, East Hampton Town established a new fenced-in deer “exclosure” in mid-October in the Grassy Hollow area of Northwest Harbor.

The exclosure is intended to help the town find ways to protect the environment from “browse” — a term for the apparent preference of hungry deer for the woody-leaf forest flora that is abundant here.

In a letter to the town board dated Oct. 14, Andrew Gaites of the East Hampton Land Acquisition and Management Department noted that “yearto-year changes in the forest from deer browsing are gradual and subtle, so much so that if one visits the forest on a regular basis, one might not realize what is really going on.”

The idea of it is pretty simple: Deer are restricted from feasting inside the fence, so that the plant life inside “can be compared to vegetation outside of it to determine the impact deer ‘browse’ is having,” Mr. Gaites wrote.

The town has been monitoring the eating habits of deer in this area since 2017, when it set up two un-fenced vegetation monitoring plots in Grassy Hollow. Officials have been collecting data since then, and those areas will now serve as control areas for data collection alongside the new exclosure. Another

data-collection plot was set up in the now-enclosed area in fall of 2019.

The organization Long Island Wildlife estimates that there are more than 20,000 whitetail deer living on Long Island. Without much in the way of natural predators to keep those numbers in check — human hunters and the very occasional coyote notwithstanding — deer are generally free to roam and forage at their leisure. The weekly police roundup of car-versus-deer accidents on local roads is another matter.

The town’s Wildlife Management Advisory Committee and Nature Preserve Committee advocated for an exclosure in years past, but Mr. Gaites noted that money was finally allocated this year. The result is an 8-foot-tall fence that was erected in October in the Grassy Hollow Nature Preserve, located off Northwest Road and near the Van Scoy Homestead, at a cost of $16,000. It measures 10,000 square feet (100 feet by 100 feet) and is built with agricultural-style fencing and a walk-through gate that’s closed to the public.

The installation runs along the Paumanok Path and Foster’s Trail, and there’s a sign explaining to the public why there’s suddenly a fence in the middle of the woods.

“A more permanent sign or kiosk will be considered,” Mr. Gaites wrote.

The deer exclosure is new to East

Another Icon Is Sold

BY TOM GOGOLA

The Sail Inn in Montauk’s dock area has been sold for $4.65 million to the mother-son team of Colleen Croft and Luca Guaitolini. The new owners, who also own the upscale Upper East Side restaurant Elio’s on Second Avenue, told The Star this week that — praise the mozzarella sticks and pass the pool cue! — they are not planning to go luxe on the longtime locals’ joint at 548 West Lake Drive when it reopens in the spring.

“I don’t want people to expect ‘Elio’s East,’ “ said Ms. Croft. “We very much wanted to keep the Sail Inn as the neighborhood place — we’re not going to make changes to the bar, other than to clean it up. There was some” — she paused before adding, with a chuckle — “deferred maintenance.”

Ms. Croft, who owns a house in Montauk and has been a regular presence in the hamlet for three decades. praised the former owner, George Gallaway, to high heaven for keeping his “traditional Montauk” business in operation for more than three decades, even as the “Hamptons crowd” started to arrive in force.

The mother-son duo will keep the

name, the hand-painted signage out front, and the half-dilapidated old lit-up boat-planter that stands at the entrance to the parking lot like some sagging local who’s had a little too much.

“We have some history to protect here,” Ms. Croft said, ticking off several other Montauk businesses that remain ruggedly family-run despite recent changes in the character of the hamlet, among them Gosman’s, the Dock, and Uihlein’s Marina.

She and her son would make every effort to “keep as many people who’ve been working at the Sail Inn, continuing to work there,” she said, adding that they may designate two of the 10 hotel rooms for worker housing. The pool table’s not going anywhere either, she said.

The new owners will continue to run Elio’s, whose namesake, her former husband, Elio Guaitolini, died in 2016. A New York Times obituary said his restaurant, like Elaine’s not far up the avenue, was known as “an informal clubhouse for Manhattan’s social and media elite.” (Some would argue that Montauk, once known as a middle-classfriendly drinking town with a fishing problem, now fits the same description.)

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This ‘Nutcracker’ Is Even More Of a Family Show

Siblings dance as siblings in Hampton Ballet production

BY CHRISTINE SAMPSON

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School has put on a performance of the classic holiday ballet “The Nutcracker” nearly every year since 2009 — the one exception a byproduct of Covid in 2020 — but this year is the first time in school history that the annual production will feature a pair of real-life siblings in the roles of Clara and her brother Fritz.

Shoshana Sobey and Ami Sobey are siblings from Sag Harbor who dance the roles of Clara and Fritz, respectively, and they are looking forward to dancing together onstage this weekend. As the story goes, on Christmas Eve, Drosselmeyer, Clara’s godfather, presents the children with a wooden nutcracker carved to look like a little man. Clara is immediately enthralled by it, but Fritz promptly breaks it, and Drosselmeyer has to fix it — thus setting the stage for the magic that happens later, after the clock strikes midnight.

“I like to do stuff right here at home to annoy her,” Ami, 10, said of his sister.

But Shoshana, 12, who has danced at Hampton Ballet Theatre School since the age of 3, seemed unfazed. “My brother always keeps it exciting,” she said.

Sara Jo Strickland, who started the ballet school in 2007, said the siblings bring a sweet element to the show. “They’re playing themselves a little bit onstage because the brother teases the sister. It’s so cute that they’re doing it together,” she said.

Ami is one of two male students in the show and has been dancing for six years. Being a boy in ballet has its challenges, of course, but he said that “it helps you with soccer . . . and it can help you get stronger.” It also involves an element of acting, he said.

Shoshana said she has dreamt of being Clara for years and even dressed the part once for Halloween. “It can be stressful at some points,” she said. “We’re putting a lot of energy into it, but it’s fun.”

The family connection for Shoshana and Ami doesn’t stop there. Their father, Dr. Steven Sobey, helped with sets and will perform onstage with them in the party scene, and Jordana Sobey, Continued on A6

Rethinking A C.P.F. Offer In Sag Harbor?

Southampton Town stalls on Marsden Street

BY CHRISTINE SAMPSON

Southampton Town appears to be rethinking its offer of $6 million toward the purchase of land on Marsden Street in Sag Harbor Village in conjunction with the Sag Harbor School District for a new sports field.

After a Nov. 3 community vote, the school district has a green light to spend its share from a capital reserve account — $2.575 million — on four contiguous lots, plus additional money for the outright purchase of a fifth lot and additional closing costs, with the intention of creating an athletic field and related amenities. The town’s money comes from the community preservation fund via a real estate transfer tax on high-end second homes, and can legally be spent on land preservation, recreational space, historic preservation, farmland protection, and water quality projects that are vetted beforehand by town officials.

When the land deal was first announced in September, town officials told the school district and news reporters that a public hearing and formal vote would be held in October; those have not come to pass. The second review, confirmed by two town officials this week, signals a possible change of opinion among members of the

Southampton Town Board, which had authorized the C.P.F. to make the $6 million offer to the school district in June after lengthy negotiations.

But Alex Kriegsman, a land-use and real-estate attorney who sits on the Sag Harbor School Board and has been active in the negotiations, said Tuesday that such an offer letter doesn’t get issued without the approval of the town board ahead of time.

“I think that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding about the process here,” Mr. Kriegsman said. “As anyone who’s familiar with the C.P.F. process knows, the vetting by the town board and decision whether to purchase or approve something happens before they make the offer.”

Mr. Kriegsman said the school district had told Southampton’s C.P.F. manager, Lisa Kombrink, who has since retired, that it wants an athletic field, “and she reported back to the town board. . . . As far as the school district was concerned, the town said they wanted a commitment from us that when our kids weren’t using the field that it would be available to the community, and they wanted a contribution from the school district. We made

Ukraine: Eight Tons of Aid So Far

BY CHRISTOPHER GANGEMI

A year ago, Natalie Massa couldn’t have guessed that she’d be the chairwoman of a nonprofit organization, iloveukraine.org, donating money to orphanages in Kyiv. But the world changed when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and for many who grew up there, and whose families remain, watching events unfold without helping was impossible.

“I remember spending summers with my grandparents in Pluzhne, near where I grew up in Khmelnitsky,” said Ms. Massa in a phone conversation. “In the evenings we’d sit on the veranda, and they’d tell us their stories from World War II. I could never imagine that my generation would be telling similar stories to their children and grandchildren.”

By March, East End Ukrainians had found one another and begun organizing donations of physical items, bandages, clothing, medicine, and more. Local churches of all faiths helped collect and store goods. Ms. Massa, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, and in Southampton for the last two, made a Facebook post seeking help. The response was immediate.

“In two days, we received donations to pack up a big van.” She began working with local schools to organize more.

By the end of March, she had already shipped 2,000 pounds of supplies directly to Ukraine. Since its inception, iloveukraine.org has shipped 16,500 pounds of humanitarian aid.

“The Greek Orthodox Church in

Southampton let us use their basement to store the donations. It was flooded with items. They funded our first transportation cost to send goods to Ukraine, and they’ve continued to support us,” she said.

In late spring, she visited local schools to make crafts and educate children about Ukraine’s history. “I always wanted to work with children, and this way it combined both things, working with children and helping Ukraine,” she said.

“We attached the crafts to the donation boxes we sent. It was heartwarming. We spoke about the history of the Soviet Union. A lot of people think Ukraine is a new country, but it’s hundreds of years old, and the whole time has been fighting for freedom.”

Ms. Massa leveraged her background in finance and project management and created the nonprofit so that financial contributions could be tax-deductible. It Continued on A5

Zebra Bird Would Be Better Name

BY CHRISTOPHER GANGEMI

The first time I heard a red-bellied woodpecker, I was in my sister’s very suburban backyard. You don’t need to go deep into the woods to find these birds. I wasn’t into birds back then, but I was intrigued by the call: a burry chuckle from some invisible source. It was a mystery.

Years later when I finally realized what I was hearing, I was happy. The birds have been here forever, just waiting for us to notice them, and finally I had. What other songs was I missing?

But the red-bellied woodpecker is one of the most misidentified birds, largely because of its terrible name. Its belly is hardly red, and even if it were, the way it presses up against a tree with its stiff tail feathers to hike upward, you couldn’t see it.

So, many people call it a red-headed woodpecker, and they’re wrong. The red-headed woodpecker hardly shows up on Long Island. There are maybe one, or two, sightings a year.

Old-timers called it the red-bellied “zebra bird” for the black and white pattern on its back. Others called it “chad,” after one of its calls.

“Upon alighting, it often gives voice to the harsh, brassy cry of chad, chad, from which one of its local names has been acquired,” wrote T. Gilbert Pearson in “Birds of America.”

The 2000 presidential election tarnished that name just before the internet took over to really destroy it. Let’s stick with zebra bird, then.

The zebra bird is slightly smaller than an American robin with a bright red crown and nape. Its bill is heavy and black, and it sports a beady black eye that stands out on its white face. In flight, white wing patches show toward the end of its wings.

“In flight it exhibits to some extent the characteristic galloping undulating movement peculiar to most members of the family,” wrote Mr. Pearson. It takes a few hard flaps, gaining altitude, which it then loses as it pulls its wings tight to its body, before flapping again and ris-

ing. Because it usually lands on the vertical surface of a tree trunk, it has a unique style of approaching a tree. Mr. Pearson called the zebra bird “a beneficial tree surgeon” which eats “largely noxious” insects with a tongue that extends two inches from the end of its beak. “The tip is barbed, and the bird’s spit is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices,” explains allaboutbirds.org. “They’ve even been spotted drinking nectar from hummingbird feeders.” Nestling birds and minnows, improbably, are also on the zebra bird’s diet. It stores food in crevices.

Nonetheless, despite its ability to find food anywhere, I see these birds often at my backyard feeder, dining on seeds but more often destroying my suet cakes. They are master excavators. We’ve been lucky enough to have one nest in a dead limb of a beech tree the last three years. The male builds the nest, pounding at a hole, excavating wood pulp, and calling, repeatedly. Sometimes the male makes its “churr” call with wood pulp

During a holiday open house at Marders in Bridgehampton on Saturday, Tammy Flanell of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center introduced Vlad, a turkey vulture, to a group of curious youngsters. Durell Godfrey

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Natalie Massa has engaged local businesses and worked since February to help the citizens of Ukraine displaced by the war. iloveukraine.org

Village castoffs will help local nonprofit give back

MONTAUK

Sail Inn bought by Elio’s owners, who won’t ‘go luxe’

CARISSA KATZ ckatz@ehstar.com

Santa Parade

East Hampton Village will kick off the holiday season on Saturday when the annual Santa Parade steps off at 11 a.m. from the south part of Main Street.

Floats, fire trucks, marching bands, decked-out tractors, scout troops, and the Jolly Old Elf himself will proceed from near the Presbyterian Church to Newtown Lane, ending west of the East Hampton Middle School.

Then, later in the day, just after sunset, there will be a tree lighting at the Hook Mill at 4:30 p.m., sponsored by Prada, which has a storefront at the corner of Newtown Lane and Main Street.

Amid the parade, perhaps a little holiday shopping, and the tree lighting, the Ladies Village Improvement Society will welcome visitors during a holiday open house from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Mrs. Claus will be on hand to greet little ones, hear their wish lists, and pass out seasonal treats at L.V.I.S. headquarters on Main Street.

The village’s design review board will meet on Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Emergency Services Building on Cedar Street. The planning board meets next Thursday at 11 a.m.

Carol

The trek will offer

of Northwest Harbor and Northwest Creek, with a side trip to an early-1900s Native American homesite. The meeting place is the parking area by the Sag Harbor Golf Course off Route 114. Ms. Andrews can be reached at 631-725-3367 or Andrews81@optonline.net.

A Thousand Days

Lyle Greenfield of Amagansett will be at the East Hampton Library tonight at 6 talking about “1000 Days in St. Barth,” his memoir and photo book. His previous books include “The Soul Mate Expeditions,” a collection of short stories and letters, and “What Vienna Saw,” a mystery-thriller novella. Tomorrow at 1 p.m. the library will screen the 1983 film “To Be or Not to Be,” starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. The screening is part of a series on the 96-year-old Mr. Brooks, who has just published a memoir and has a new movie, “History of the World, Part II,” coming out on Hulu. On Friday, Dec. 9, Joan Baum will talk about his career and his style of comedy at 6 p.m. at the library.

In a virtual program from East End Libraries on Wednesday at 7 p.m., Elizabeth Hartman, an author, and Michael Horowitz, a photographer, will talk

Tiny Trees Donated to Kiwanis

Continued from A1 stalling the trees and hearing from a couple of residents, Mayor Jerry Larsen decided the trees were just too small.

“Some of those trees shouldn’t have been cut down,” he said. “They weren’t keepers.”

Even though the village was a bit late in confirming its tree order — “We place our tree orders in August,” said Mr. Fowler. “I didn’t hear back from them until mid-September.” — he “got confirmation from our grower that we’d get the right size.”

“Normally growers start cutting their trees around Halloween, but Canada had an extremely dry summer and it’s been unseasonably warm. If they cut them when it’s too warm, they die. So, they didn’t know until they went out into the plantation — and these plantations are huge — that they’d be short.”

“Considering it was so late, the grower took the liberty of swapping the smaller trees onto the order. They didn’t even call me. The alternative is that we wouldn’t have received trees at all. It wasn’t until the night before the delivery, when I received my load confir-

mation, that we realized they sent us shorter trees,” Mr. Fowler said. He had already given the village a 23-percent discount for the shorter trees and had offered to swap out the smaller ones for taller trees of a more expensive variety for the same price.

“We don’t do this to make money. This is our way to give back to the community,” he said.

As an interesting side note, while we’ve all grown accustomed to supply chain issues brought on by Covid, Christmas trees supply issues go back a bit further. “The growing cycle for a Christmas tree is over 10 years. The shortage of trees now stems back to the recession from 2008. People had less money and didn’t buy as many trees, so Canadian growers started to plant corn instead of trees, and we’re feeling the effects of that now,” said Mr. Fowler.

“We’ve had a great relationship with the village. We were just as surprised by the shorter trees,” he said this week. “It’s not like there was a bait and switch.”

Nonetheless, with Santa arriving for his annual parade down Main Street

Change Afoot at Herrick Park

Observant residents may have noticed that fencing now circles the Herrick Park bathrooms at the edge of the Reutershan parking lot in East Hampton, and that approximately 10 parking spots have been temporarily sacrificed.

The long-awaited renovation of the oft vandalized bathrooms, a fixture of the police blotter, has begun.

According to the village, the bathroom serves over 1,000 people a day during the summer months.

Plans for the bathrooms include replacing the exterior shingles and roof, and having windows made of glass capable of withstanding the force of a thrown ball.

Recessed lighting, less susceptible

to breakage, will be installed.

With a nod toward the Covid era, the sinks, soap dispensers, and toilets will all be touchless.

The renovation is beginning later than originally anticipated. At the January 2022 meeting, work was scheduled to begin in March, and be over by May. However, in a Thanksgiving letter to residents, Mayor Jerry Larsen wrote, “Due to the material shortages, our contractor spent most of the summer and fall receiving all of the materials for the renovation project so we could hit the ground running once demolition began.”

At the village board meeting last week, Mayor Larsen said it would be

about their new book, “Divine New York: Inside the Historic Churches and Synagogues of Manhattan.”

Next Thursday at 1 p.m., Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s cancer wellness team will offer the first in a two-part virtual discussion of “managing stress and expectations during the holiday season.” It is geared toward cancer patients, survivors, and their families.

Ben Schoenster, a Navy sailor serving aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman out of Norfolk, Va., has been promoted to petty officer second class. Mr. Schoenster, a 2018 East Hampton High School

and Newtown Lane on Saturday at 11 and a Prada-sponsored tree lighting at the Hook Mill scheduled the same day at 4:30 p.m., village officials felt they needed to act.

“We replaced the four-footers with more suitable trees,” said Dave Collins, who is entering his fourth winter as the village’s superintendent of public works.

On Monday, employees from the Department of Public Works visited Home Depot in Riverhead and, with $2,500 from the East Hampton Village Foundation, bought over 40 new Christmas trees. “Home Depot worked with us on the price,” said Bradford Billet, the director of the foundation. On Tuesday, the new trees went up, and the 40 shorter trees were sent to the American Legion in Amagansett for the Kiwanis Club sale.

“I’m glad it worked out for everyone in the end. We’re especially happy the trees can go to a good cause,” Mr. Fowler said. Not all of Fowler’s trees were donated. The village kept about 10 of the larger ones.

“Fowler’s has been a great vendor for us. We buy landscaping material, seed, and tools from them. But traditionally for the holidays, we get big, beautiful

“approximately 60 days” until the bathrooms are completed.

“It’ll be a nice change for those bathrooms which really needed some help,” he said.

Botta Sferrazza Architects of East Hampton billed the village $30,000 for the design. The overall renovation costs will run just under $600,000, according to Marcos Baladron, the village administrator.

In other park news, Mr. Baladron said “The Plantinum Bull” will be re-

graduate, is a son of Bernette Schoenster of East Hampton and James Schoenster of Ocala, Fla.

Friday Fellowship

The East Hampton Presbyterian Church’s First Fridays Fellowship evening tomorrow at 6 will include caroling and ornament making in the church session house.

On Dec. 11, the church will offer a service of lessons and carols at 10 a.m. On Dec. 16 a Christmas celebration will have caroling with the Dickens Carolers at 6 p.m. followed by a handbell concert at 7.

trees. Our normal street tree is 8 to 10 feet tall,” said Mr. Collins.

Tree prices started going up during the pandemic. That pushed Buckley’s, the normal supplier for the village’s trees, over the top of the purchasing limit, triggering a village law that required Mr. Collins to solicit bids from other vendors.

“There are companies that give us bids based on delivering a product. The product we ordered just wasn’t delivered this year and that created an issue. We have to look out for the taxpayer. This is the second year in a row we’ve received shorties and this year was worse than last. There are other local companies competing for this business and it’s not fair to them when another vendor wins the bid but then can’t supply the product. That was the main issue,” he said.

Mr. White said the Kiwanis Club sale will open after the parade on Saturday, at 1 p.m. After the village donation, the club has close to 300 trees to sell this year. “We have lots of members in the parade,” he said. “We bring Santa Claus.”

This year, at least, by a circuitous route, it seems Santa Claus got to them first.

moved from Herrick Park after the holidays. At the Dec. 16 Village Board meeting, Andrea Grover, executive director of Guild Hall, and Christina Mossaides Strassfield, chief curator, will present the next sculpture installations at the park as an Art in the Park series going forward.

“The board of trustees wanted to start this pilot program, but they didn’t want to be the ones curating the art,” said Mr. Baladron. C.G.

Andrews of the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society will lead a hike of three to three and a half miles on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Barcelona Neck.

views

Santa stopped by the East Hampton Garden Center on Saturday to pose for photos with children, including Ava and Owen Wilcox. Santa will be in town again this Saturday for the village’s annual Santa Parade. Durell Godfrey

Amagansett

631-324-0002

The East End Classic Boat Society will hold its annual winter open house and boat raffle drawing on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the boat shop at 301 Bluff Road, behind the East Hampton Marine Museum.

The event will reveal the winner of a classic Billy Mink dory, an 11-foot boat hand-crafted by society members, which comes with a trailer and Torqeedo electric motor. Chances cost $5.

Visitors, in addition to enjoying refreshments, can tour the club’s facility and view its latest boatbuilding and restoration projects, which include constructing a Catspaw dingy and a 20th-century motor launch. Also on display are a 1921 Herreshoff sloop and a vintage two-man kayak with variegated planking.

Since its beginnings the society has built 17 classic design boats from scratch. Memberships are $35, or $45 for families, and are available to people with or without prior boat-crafting knowledge. The group meets year round every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the RichardsonHartjen Community Boat Shop.

The Amagansett Library will launch a new series of Friday afternoon matinees tomorrow with a 1 p.m. screening of “Death on the Nile,” the 2022 film directed by Kenneth Branagh and based on the 1937 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The library will show a new film every Friday at the same time. through March. On Friday, Dec. 9, it will be Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of the musical “West Side Story.”

On Saturday, Neal Gabler will give a talk in the community room about his latest book, “Against the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Rise of Conservatism,” from 4 to 5 p.m. Registration is required with Kimberly Parry at kimberlyparry@amagansettlibrary.org.

There are only a few spaces available.

New fiction at the library this week includes: “Hunting Time” by Jeffery Deaver, “The Passenger” by Cormac McCarthy, “Thief of Fate” by Jude Deveraux, and “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng.

New nonfiction books include “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America” by Dahlia Lithwick, “How to Plant a Room and Grow a Happy Home” by Erin Harding and Morgan Doane, “The Evolution of Charles Darwin: The Epic Voyage of the Beagle That Forever Changed Our View of Life on Earth” by Diana Preston, and “Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks” by Simon Morrison.

There is a toy box in the vestibule of the library where residents can put toys for children for the library’s Christmas toy drive. Teen volunteers will sort

them out and wrap whatever toys have not been wrapped in advance.

On Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. the Tuesday Book Group book will meet.

In a Zoom program next Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m., Jo Ann Tufo will discuss the making of “Miracle on 34th Street,” and in particular the actors who starred in it. A link for advance registration can be found online on the library’s calendar page.

On Saturday, the Amagansett Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary will hold its annual wreath sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Amber Waves Farm’s Deck the Farm event will be held on Friday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. It is free to attend with a $10 suggested donation. Santa will pay a visit as well. Those planning to go might want to get there a little early: Last year there were 500 participants!

The American Legion Post 419 is holding a blood drive tomorrow at its headquarters on Abraham’s Path. Please contact the post for the schedule.

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Bridgehampton 631-324-0002

At the 10 a.m. service on Sunday at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Terry Keevil will play oboe concertos by Handel and Albinoni, with Janet Fensterer accompanying on piano. Mr. Keevil will also accompany the choir as it sings an anthem by Thomas Campion.

Emily Zabusky, an educator with the South Fork Natural History Museum, will lead a walk for adults to explore the seashells of the South Fork on Saturday at 10 a.m. Ms. Zabusky will identify shells and discuss the animals that create them. Registrations is by emailing info@sofo.org or calling 631-537-9735. There is a $15 fee for those who are not members of the museum.

On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Jean McDermott of Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt will lead a full “cold moon” hike in Vineyard Field behind the South Fork Natural History Museum. Expect this leisurely hike to last about an hour. Registration is by emailing greenbeltnews@aol.com.

Jeremy Dennis, an artist and a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, will discuss his landscape photography project, “On This Site: Indigenous Long Island,” at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton on Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mr. Dennis’s photographs map sacred, historical, and archaeological Indigenous sites throughout Long Island.

The library is offering monthly winter craft kits for adults. It will hand them out on Wednesday between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Later Wednesday, at 7, the author Elizabeth Anne Hartman and photogra-

pher Michael Horowitz discuss their new book, “Divine New York: Inside the Historic Churches and Synagogues of Manhattan.” To join this Zoom program, visit the calendar page of myhamptonlibrary.org for the link, meeting ID, and passcode.

ß Montauk

JANE BIMSON janeb@ehstar.com

The Montauk Citizens Advisory committee will meet at the Montauk School at 6 p.m. on Monday.

St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church will hold a special Mass for body, mind, and soul healing on Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the church. All are welcome to attend.

The Montauk Food Pantry is still collecting toys for the children of seasonal and migrant farm workers from the Eastern Farm Workers Association in Bellport. New toys, art supplies, games, backpacks, and sweatshirts for babies and children up to age 15 can be dropped off at the St. Therese Parish Center on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon through Friday, Dec. 9.

The annual free holiday dinner for older Montauk residents will be offered for delivery or to eat in at the Montauk Firehouse on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. Meals can be reserved by calling 631668-5695 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Montauk Playhouse is looking

for a yoga instructor for a class that meets on Mondays and Fridays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Interested instructors have been asked to call 631-668-1124.

The Montauk Chamber of Commerce has a list of upcoming events throughout the month of December beginning with a business decorating contest. Anyone can vote for their favorite holiday display by looking for the QR code on business windows. Those who vote will have their names entered in a holiday gift raffle.

Looking ahead, the chamber will hold a holiday fair on the downtown green on Dec. 10 from 1 to 6 p.m. with gift booths, a food truck, kids activities, beer and mulled wine, and a visit from Santa with his live reindeer. Shagwong Tavern will host the Chamber of Commerce’s weekend-opening holiday party at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, with festive cocktails and light bites for people 23 and older. And also on Dec. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be a Montauk Holiday boat parade and viewing party at Inlet Seafood to benefit the Montauk Food Pantry. Tickets cost $50 for children and $100 for adults, and can be bought online via Eventbrite or by calling 631-668-4272.

Also later this month, Music for Montauk will hold a holiday concert at the Montauk School on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. featuring virtuosic musicians playing new takes on holiday classics. They will play an interactive outreach concert for students on Friday, Dec. 9. Admission is free.

The architectural firm that designed the Montauk Library’s renovation and expansion, Gallin Beeler Design Studio, with Raymond Beeler as architect, received an Honor Award for Architectural Excellence from the Westchester

Architects for the project.

The librarian and genealogist April Lynn Earle and the Montauk Library’s archivist, Aimee Lusty, will present a program exploring oral history interview techniques for families on Sunday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. They will discuss interviewing and recording techniques, writing questions, and how to use oral histories as a tool for genealogy. People have been asked to call 631-668-3377 to register.

The library Classic Book Club will show Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” via Zoom next Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. On Dec. 11 at 2:30 p.m. Kate Mueth and Josh Gladstone will give selected readings from the play.

Tomorrow’s classic movie is “The Third Man,” a film noir directed by Sir Carol Reed, starring Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. It will be shown at 5 p.m. Next up in the series will be Billy Wilder’s 1944 film “Double Indemnity” on Friday, Dec. 9, at the same time. It stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson.

On Wednesday, the library will show “Jerry and Madge Go Large” at 2:30 and 6 p.m. The film is based on the true story of a couple who win the lottery and use the money to revive their small town. It stars Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening.

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Sag Harbor

CHRISTOPHER GANGEMI cg@ehstar.com

The yearly Girls Nite Out from the Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary will run from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the firehouse on Brick Kiln Road. Admission is $15, or $10 with a donation to the food pantry. There will be holiday shopping, an auction, and a 50-50 raffle, with proceeds going to the Fire Department.

Windmill Lighting

There will be a gathering at the Annie Cooper Boyd House on Main Street on Saturday at 4 p.m. for a walk with battery-powered candles to Long Wharf for the lighting of the tree and the windmill. Carols will be sung, and Sarah Conway and the Playful Souls will play holiday tunes. A countdown to the lighting starts at approximately 5:15.

Also on Saturday, the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum will throw a holiday party starting at 5 p.m. The cost is $50 at the door, or $40 with a reservation, which can be made by calling the museum.

— Cocktails With Avlon

The Friends of the John Jermain Memorial Library will host this year’s author get-together at Tutto il Giorno on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with John Avlon, a CNN commentator and village resident. He will discuss his latest book, “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace,” a historical analysis of a divided nation and Lincoln’s efforts to rebuild it after the Civil War. Tickets are available at johnjermain.org for $54.67.

In other news of the friends, the group is offering a subsidized Hampton Jitney trip for a day in Manhattan on Wednesday. Pickup is at 8 a.m. in the municipal parking lot behind Apple Bank, with drop-off at 9 p.m. The cost is $54.67 for the round-trip fare.

Sheila Flynn DeCosse visits Canio’s Books tomorrow at 5 p.m. to discuss her recent novel for teens, “Rose Alone,” set in Nova Scotia and East Hampton in the 18th century.

The village’s harbor committee meets tonight at 5 in the Municipal Building. If you’d rather watch by Zoom, sagharborny.gov has a link.

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Southampton

CHRISTINE SAMPSON csampson@ehstar.com

Lights and a Lecture

The annual lighting of the windmill at the Stony Brook Southampton campus will take place tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. Visitors can tour the windmill, which has been recently refurbished with new blades, and take advantage of children’s crafts, refreshments, caroling, and a photo booth.

After the lighting, there will be a lecture titled “Wild Long Island” at Chancellors Hall given by Christopher Paparo, the manager of the campus’s Marine Sciences Center.

Those who would like to attend have been asked to R.S.V.P. to Laura.Lyons@stonybrook.edu. Handicap-accessibility arrangements can be made by calling 631-632-6873.

ß Springs

MARK SEGAL mark@ehstar.com

The Springs Fire Department

Ladies Auxiliary will host a buffet breakfast with Santa on hand for photos on Sunday from 7 to 11 a.m. The cost is $15 per person.

Friends Bazaar

The 12th annual Friends Bazaar will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ashawagh Hall. Organized by Jamie Lerner, the bazaar will offer ceramics, photography, paintings (for under $500), prints, woodware, jewelry, small sculpture, home decorations, wearable art, scarves, kits, essential oils, soaps and skin products, and leather goods.

All offerings are made by hand, and the makers will be on hand. Admission is free.

ß Wainscott 631-324-0002

Staged Readings

Our Fabulous Variety Show has announced a new program of dramatic readings, the Staged Series, for adults who are interested in acting and performing.

The first is “The Zoo Story” by Edward Albee, starring Joe Pallister and Edward Kassar, to take place Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Clubhouse on Daniel’s Hole Road. The play explores themes of isolation, loneliness, miscommunication, social disparity, and dehumanization. Doors open at 6, and there will be a cash bar for food and drinks.

The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee meeting originally scheduled for Saturday has been postponed a week, to Dec. 10. The meeting time is 9 a.m. via Zoom. An invitation can be requested by emailing allthingswainscott@gmail.com.

Next week, a holiday pop-up boutique featuring local and regional designers and artisans is planned for Friday, Dec. 9, and Dec. 10 at the Wainscott Chapel from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A portion of the profits will be donated to the Wainscott Tree Society, and gingerbread cookies and mulled cider will be served.

Thurs. 14:124:2910:1810:43 Fri. 25:185:3211:2311:37 Sat. 36:146:2712:24 ——

Sun. 47:027:1512:281:19 Mon. 57:458:011:172:10 Tues. 68:268:462:032:56 Wed. 79:079:292:473:37 Thurs. 89:4810:123:284:17 Fri. 910:3010:564:064:56

Hudson Valley American Institute of

After flipping the switch to turn on the holiday lights on the Montauk Lighthouse Saturday evening, Nick Racanelli, a Montauk Historical Society board member, left, mingled in a crowd of thousands with Joe Gaviola, president of the society’s board. Jane Bimson

Aviation Group Withdraws Airport Lawsuit

BY CHRISTOPHER WALSH

The National Business Aviation Association, one of several entities to have filed a lawsuit to prevent East Hampton Town from privatizing its airport and enacting new restrictions on aircraft operations, has withdrawn its lawsuit.

The Aviation Association, whose 11,000 members include several tenants and users of the airport, had filed motions in United States District Court in May, three months after Blade Air Mobility, East End Hangars, and the Coalition to Keep East Hampton Airport Open filed their own lawsuits in New York State Supreme Court. Two days after the N.B.A.A. filed its action, Justice Paul Baisley Jr. of State Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the town from closing the airport and imposing restrictions based on time of day and size and type of aircraft, as well as a limit on certain aircraft to one takeoff and one landing per day.

Last month, Justice Baisley ruled that the town, by planning to conduct an environmental impact statement after the airport’s closure and reopening, “has acted both beyond its legal abilities and in an arbitrary and capricious manner” and is therefore prohibited from closing it. He also agreed with the plaintiffs that the town was not in compliance with the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act’s procedural requirements for adopting noise and access restrictions affecting certain aircraft.

The N.B.A.A. had also sought a temporary restraining order. By imposing restrictions at the airport, according to its complaint, the town “will irreparably harm N.B.A.A. by threatening the viability of its members’ businesses, potentially forcing them to reduce their aircraft fleets and layoff [sic] pilots and other employees.” The town’s “scheme,” it continued, “is in direct violation of federal law,” alluding to the 2016 decision striking down curfews and limits on aircraft operations the town had put in

place in 2015.

James Herschlein, an attorney representing the Aviation Association, wrote to Justice Joanna Seybert of United States District Court on Nov. 23 to inform her that his client was filing a voluntary dismissal without prejudice.

“The state court’s injunction covers the requirement to comply with the Airport Noise and Capacity Act,” according to a statement from the N.B.A.A. “There is no longer a need to continue litigation at the federal level and we therefore filed a request to dismiss the suit without prejudice. We look forward to working toward a balanced solution that secures the long-term future of the airport.”

“We felt that it was appropriate to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice and take this opportunity to reach out to the town,” Alex Gertsen, the N.B.A.A.’s director of airports and ground infrastructure, told The Star. Mr. Gertsen asserted that the town, in 2015 and again this year, was attempting to circumvent the Airport Noise and Capacity Act, which he said would not only have impacted operators at the airport but would have set “a dangerous precedent all around the country.” Nonetheless, he said, “we do sympathize with those impacted by noise and we see ways that we can work together with the town, and things that

we have done already over the years in terms of voluntary measures” such as working with the Eastern Region Helicopter Council “to create routes and procedures so that helicopters are arriving in the quietest way possible.”

“We’ve done a lot,” Mr. Gertsen said, “but ultimately the town felt that they wanted to take that path to close and deactivate the airport and open a new airport with restrictions . . . so we were left with no choice but to leverage the courts to help protect that change from happening.”

Prior to last week’s action, on Nov. 15, Mr. Gertsen called in to the town board’s meeting, reiterating the N.B.A.A.’s advocacy for “solutions for all type of operations to continue in an efficient and neighborly way.” He called for a collaborative effort among the town and stakeholders “to preserve a long-term future for the airport. . . . We have some ideas that we have developed internally and look forward to sharing them with you at an appropriate time.”

In an email on Monday, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said that, “While I cannot speak to the reasons why N.B.A.A. took this step, we remain confident in our defenses to N.B.A.A.’s legal claims in a lawsuit that should never have been brought in the first place.”

Seminar on Electrification

East Hampton Town will hold an inperson and virtual seminar on electrifying the home on Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at LTV Studios in Wainscott.

Installers, builders, other experts, and homeowners who have been through the process will discuss the benefits of going electric in “All-Electric Homes: Everything You Need to Know.” The session is open to the public, in person or by way of LTV’s YouTube channel.

Registration is at energizeeh.org/out-

reach-events. Recordings of previous energy and sustainability webinars on solar power, electric vehicles, home energy assessments, conservation and winterization, and green heating and cooling can also be accessed there.

The town’s Green East Hampton web page, at ehamptonny.gov/840/GreenEast-Hampton, has information on the town’s goals, accomplishments, accolades, and ongoing projects related to energy and sustainability. C.W.

White’s Pharmacy Cleared in Opioid Suit

A New York State judge has dismissed a lawsuit against NYCO Chemists III, which does business in East Hampton as White’s Apothecary, in which the pharmacy had been accused of overfilling prescriptions for opioid painkillers.

The case was brought by Peter Bistrian, who, according to court documents, was rushed to the emergency room at Southampton Hospital in January 2016 after experiencing a serious adverse reaction from taking oxycodone and Carisoprodol together with Suboxone, which he had been taking for a prior opioid addiction.

Mr. Bistrian, a former East Hampton resident who now lives primarily in Florida, filed suit in January claiming that Dr. Ralph Gibson and White’s Apothecary demonstrated negligence

when they allegedly overprescribed and overfilled painkillers. Mr. Bistrian had been taking those painkillers to ease injuries he has said he sustained 10 years earlier when he was assaulted in a federal prison while serving 51 months on a wire fraud charge.

On Nov. 15, State Supreme Court Justice Joseph C. Pastoressa ruled that “a pharmacist cannot be held liable for negligence in the absence of evidence that he or she failed to fill a prescription precisely as directed by the prescribing physician or that the prescription was so clearly contraindicated that ordinary prudence required the pharmacist to take additional measures before dispensing the medication.”

Justice Pastoressa also wrote that “there is no allegation that the pharmacy had any knowledge of the plaintiff’s

Ukraine: Eight Tons of Aid So Far

Continued from A1 took her only three weeks to launch. She runs it with her husband, James Massa, the chief technology officer, and Brittney Epley, the head of fund-raising. Through the summer she helped raise awareness for her project with a podcast, aired by LTV.

“In the beginning, the supply chain in Ukraine was broken, so we focused on shipping goods where they were needed. By the summer, economic operations in Ukraine were somewhat back to normal and transportation got very expensive. We changed course. Now we focus on financial donations and working with people we trust in Ukraine,” she said.

“A dollar goes further in Eastern Europe than here,” she added, “but it’s hard to run an operation in a country with a raging war. I can’t supervise every transaction. We work with people that we knew before the war began, and do our own due diligence.”

The goal is to help refugees and civilians who are struggling in Ukraine. Ms. Massa says they concentrate on refugees who have fled from the destroyed east-

ern parts of the country to central and western sections.

If you think summer crowds are oppressive, consider that Ms. Massa’s hometown of Khmelnitsky went from a population of 250,000 to 550,000 overnight. The 300,000 new residents aren’t wealthy vacationers, either — they’re desperate, in need of lodging, food, clothing, and jobs.

“Lots of people have nowhere to go. Their old homes have been bombed. It’s not safe to return.”

One particularly large donation allowed iloveukraine to partner with a charitable foundation, the Future of Polissya, in Kyiv, to buy an ambulance. “We bought the used ambulance in France, equipped it so doctors could use it to do basic surgeries in the field,” drove it to Ukraine, “and donated it to Kharkiv,” she said, speaking casually, as if you might tell a friend about your weekend.

Recently, financial donations paid for 2,500 pounds of food delivered to the village of Demydiv, which flooded itself by blowing up a dam so Russian soldiers couldn’t advance. “It was particularly heartbreaking, because the people of

In Montauk, Another Icon Is Sold

Continued from A1 Lower-end price points on Elio’s menu, say $18 for an anchovy appetizer, more or less begin where the top-end dishes at the Sail Inn ($21 for a shell steak entree) ended.

When it comes to the Sail Inn’s menu, said Ms. Croft, who delivers fish from Gosman’s to Elio’s each week, she and her son “absolutely will be using local fresh ingredients in whatever we make, but it will be tavern food, bar food. Luca and I need to discuss that further, but it’s what you’d want to have in the summer while you’re having some draft beers in the harbor area.” She is now in the process of securing a liquor license.

“Our focus is that it’s a bar and that it’s

a great bar,” she said.

Elio’s opened in 1981. Its clientele has provided New Yorkers with a fair share of Page Six New York Post moments. Sarah Palin, for example, dined there in July sans mask or a Covid vaccination and got the virus two days later, the paper reported with glee.

Mr. Guaitolini later described the Palin incident as an “unfortunate oversight” and stressed that the restaurant had been in strict compliance with New York City Covid protocols. He was not at Elio’s at the time the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate had dinner there, he noted. Her son was on an out-of-state boarhunting trip and unavailable for com-

medical condition” when it filled the painkillers for Mr. Bistrian.

The judge did not rule definitively on the part of the lawsuit involving Dr. Gibson, who practices in East Hampton and who last treated Mr. Bistrian in 2018, according to court documents.

Dr. Gibson’s attorneys had made a motion to dismiss the case, saying the statute of limitations had run out, but Justice Pastoressa said that the time frame had been extended under New York State executive order during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Bistrian’s attorney, Daniel A. Schnapp of the high-profile Nixon and Peabody law firm, declined to comment Tuesday. Paul Kassirer, an attorney representing White’s Apothecary, did not respond to a request for comment. C.S.

that village are farmers. Because they flooded their fields, they couldn’t farm. Our partners said the waters recently retreated, but there are still wet spots.”

They’ve also collaborated with Blagomay, a charitable fund, to buy 300 sets of linens for orphaned children in Kyiv.

“I’ve learned that what we might think Ukrainians need is different from what they actually need. It’s important to ask what they need. Our lists are constantly changing,” Ms. Massa said.

Do those lists include holiday cheer?

“For the holidays, we’re working on a food distribution project. We will donate money to Future of Polissya for them to purchase nonperishable food items that people can use easily without gasoline or electricity. Right now, we’re still focused on necessities, no festivities.”

“I’m hopeful that the war will end. I cannot change the political situation, but I’m doing what I can from here,” she said. “It’s going to take a very long time for Ukraine to rebuild itself even if the war ends. Every day I wake up, I’m still in disbelief.”

ment for this story, but Ms. Croft relayed something he’d said to her when they were in negotiations with Mr. Galway about buying the Sail Inn. “He said, you know Mom, if George were to come back here in 10 years, he would see a lot of his regulars, a lot more younger people, and everyone would have respect for what George had created here.” The sale was finalized in late October.

According to online broker listings, Mr. Gallaway, 72, built the Sail Inn and opened it in 1986. This reporter’s late father held the lease there in the 1990s.

A 2007 New York Times article about Montauk headed “Not the Hamptons. Yet” featured an interview with Mr. Gallaway, who was then listing it for sale at $3 million.

On the Wing: Zebra Bird a Better Name

Continued from A1 hanging from its beak, searching around, hoping a female bird will take notice of his work ethic.

In fact, the rise of beech leaf disease could be a temporary boon to the redbellied woodpecker. Your tree guy will always urge you to remove dead trees.

Of course, if there’s a real risk to your house, or family, they have to come down. But if your trees are not threatening your home, in time, they may become a bird’s home. Let them be. Enjoy their craggy gray appearance and watch them slowly disappear.

This time of year, the leaves are most-

ly down, and the sound underfoot is leaf on leaf and kicked rock. There’s a pleasant smell in the woods. Amanita mushrooms push through the brown carpet and the trees are suddenly gray. The sky is a presence again, making the woods brighter. The bare trees expose more zebra birds, and it seems every football field or so, another calls.

Five years ago, I counted 14 in late November in Hither Woods. This is new. Were you to take a walk in the same woods 60 years ago, you might not have heard a single zebra bird. When John Bull wrote “Birds of New York State” in 1974, he noted that they were increasing, but a pair nesting in Noyac in 1971 were the only listed breeding birds east of the canal. Back then, Long Island represented the “northeasternmost breeding limit” of the bird.

In the last 20 years, they have begun to breed as far north as Maine.

“Oh, I see him. Cool!” said Rob Wellener, a relatively new birder, when he spotted a zebra bird as we walked two weeks ago in the Long Pond Greenbelt.

And they are cool. The East End is home to five species of woodpecker. The red-bellieds are not our flashiest woodpeckers (that award goes to the northern flickers), and they are our worst named. However, they are entertaining, resourceful, and the woodpeckers you’re most likely to notice in your yard. It is the rare bird whose population is increasing, and a great bird to spot on our newly bare trees. Get out there and listen for one while you kick some leaves down a trail.

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Even though it’s only a juvenile bird, the red-bellied woodpecker pictured shows the zebra stripes from which it takes its colloquial name. Jay Rand

This ‘Nutcracker’ More of a Family Show

Continued from A1

their mother, who danced in “Nutcracker” productions when she was growing up, helps out backstage.

“What makes it all so great is that they’ve created so many friendships through ballet,” Ms. Sobey said.

Ami and Shoshana, who are among 75 kids in the cast, share their roles with two friends and fellow dancers, Catherine Porter and Savanna Lillie. Shoshana and Ami will appear in the 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday performances, while Catherine will play Clara and Savanna will play Fritz on opening night on Friday at 7 and in the Saturday matinee at 1. All performances are at Southampton High School.

Shoshana said that Catherine “is an amazing dancer. I admire her technique and how much effort she puts into everything, and it looks like she really loves it. She’s a really great friend, too.”

Ami had similar praise for his fellow Fritz. “Savanna and I have known each other since we were 3 years old, and she is a really great dancer and a good friend,” he said.

Other key members of the cast are Lua Li and Sadie Radice, who are seniors, sharing the parts of Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop, and Molly Radice, also a senior, as the elegant Snow Queen. A larger-than-usual group of

young beginner students will play mice, soldiers, and angels, and a handful of professional dancers will appear in the show for classical pas de deux (partnering work) with the advanced students.

Ms. Strickland, who danced when she was younger in productions of “The Nutcracker” that were held at Southampton High School under the director Aras Ames, explained that much of the casting is done “in the classroom.”

“I look for energy,” she said. “For certain roles they need to have a certain amount of technical skill, but sometimes I may challenge a dancer by giving her something to work towards. . . . I know the kids that are in class constantly and working the hardest can be responsible for a hard role.”

She also said that the elaborate sets fit perfectly into the larger scale of the Southampton High School stage. “We’re able to use the set in its full capacity and a snow set that we hadn’t been able to use,” she said. “Visually, it’s going to be beautiful.”

Tickets range from $20 to $40 in advance, plus an online ticket fee, and $25 to $45 on the day of the show. They can be bought via the Hampton Ballet Theatre School website. Some will be sold at the door, though Ms. Strickland said the Sunday shows tend to sell out ahead of time.

Rethinking a C.P.F. Offer in Sag Harbor

Continued from A1 that commitment, and they gave us their approval.”

Jacqueline Fenlon, principal environmental analyst for Southampton’s community preservation fund, confirmed on Tuesday that the advisory board is again reviewing the $6 million offer.

The proposal is “generally being reviewed because the school district was putting out new information,” Ms. Fenlon said.

That news had Sag Harbor school officials scratching their heads this week. Both Mr. Kriegsman and Jeff Nichols, the district superintendent, said there hadn’t been any “new information” disseminated.

Tommy John Schiavoni, a Southampton Town Board member who formerly served on the Sag Harbor School Board, said Monday that the school district’s environmental analysis of the Marsden Street properties, a State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, determination, is the basis for that second review.

In that determination, the school district suggested that future facilities on Marsden Street could include, for example, restrooms, bleachers, and parking. It states that the proposed acquisition of the Marsden Street lots “will not have a significant effect on the environment.”

Since that was first posted, the district published a clarification letter from its architects that states that the original review document “inadvertently mentioned that the district is considering the construction of a synthetic multi-purpose field. At this time, we fully understand that no formal decisions have been made based upon the development of

the property and wanted to assure the community that the type of final finishes of the site have no issue with this overall SEQRA resolution.”

Mr. Schiavoni said the town board is waiting to receive written comments from the C.P.F. committee, which are likely to come up during the Southampton Town Board’s next meeting, on Dec. 13.

“We still do not definitively know what the school district intends with the property. They have said they want to go out to the community and develop a plan,” he said. The SEQRA report is “the most definitive document of what the school intends, however, we still do not know what the final plan is. . . . Rest assured, during public hearings, we will hear all sides of this situation, and we will make our decisions accordingly in conjunction with our advisory board.”

It was unclear as of press time whether Southampton’s C.P.F. staff had reviewed the school architects’ clarification letter in addition to the SEQRA report.

During the Nov. 21 school board meeting, Mr. Nichols said the district was waiting on the town board to make the next move. School officials have said many times that the district plans to conduct surveys and do outreach to various community groups and stakeholders to determine what kind of field surface and other facilities are most desirable.

“I’m very disappointed that from my perspective, what was initially said to us that the offer was authorized now seems to be in question,” Mr. Nichols said on Tuesday. “It feels like the town board has perhaps changed their stance on this . . . without articulating that to the school district.”

Criminal Defense, DWI, Family Law, Building Code Violations, Real Estate Purchases and Sales, Leases, Wills and Living Wills RITA BONICELLI, ESQ., PLLC Contact us today for a free consultation. 631-527-7132 67A Main Street, Suite 2, East Hampton, NY 11937 rita@bonicelliesq.com

WAINSCOTT District Spent Every Dime

BY CHRISTINE SAMPSON

Here’s how tight for cash the Wainscott School District is: In October, the tiny district closed the books on the 2021-22 school year having spent nearly every dime in its $3.83 million budget. There was no significant end-ofyear surplus to speak of.

School districts rely heavily on endof-year surpluses, or “fund balances,” as they are commonly called, to pay for unexpected costs. The lack of a consistent fund balance — which New York State caps at 4 percent of the prior school year’s budget — can signal trouble. The district has just about 4 percent now, but David Eagan, Wainscott’s school board president, said the situation was “extremely unusual.”

“We went right up to the line. It was a very tight year, there’s no doubt about it,” he said by phone on Tuesday. “These were the changes that we were talking to our voters about last year. We’ve had significant increases in special education expenses . . . and we’re actually experiencing some again this year.”

The Wainscott School spends 33 percent of its budget educating children in kindergarten through third grade in its two-room schoolhouse, and sends older students to neighboring districts on a tuition-paying basis. School officials analyzed last year’s budget and found that 63 percent of it was spent on out-of-district tuition and transportation. The remaining money was spent overseeing the Ross School’s special education programs, as required by state law for private schools that fall within district borders. Other schools reimburse Wainscott for their students’ services, but it often takes a year for those refunds to flow back into district coffers.

During an Oct. 19 school board meeting, the three trustees voted to approve more than half a million dollars — $535,197, or about 14 percent of the district’s overall spending — in budget transfers, to address negative balances in some areas.

State auditors have in the past chastised Wainscott for hanging on to more fund balance than state law allows. During the last few fiscal years, Mr. Eagan said, that led the district to spend the surplus down by using large chunks of it to offset rising costs — meaning there isn’t as much money now to cover fluctuations in out-of-district tuition and special education costs.

Because of Wainscott’s size — it essentially employs two full-time teachers, one full-time teaching assistant, a full-time clerk, a part-time superintendent, and a handful of part-time service providers for 26 children in the schoolhouse — it does not receive state education money. According to the official Oct. 16 meeting minutes, Deborah Haab, the district superintendent, said she was “working on a grant to help offset special education expenses.”

In other Wainscott School news, the district is looking to hire a new parttime gym teacher, but has had significant trouble finding candidates. According to the minutes, Ms. Haab has inquired with the neighboring Sagaponack School District to see about sharing a physical education program or staff member.

“We keep advertising it and can’t find anyone,” Mr. Eagan said, recalling a time, in 2015, when the district received more than 1,200 applicants for a single classroom teaching job. “Now, if you get 10 applicants, you’d jump up and down thinking you hit the lottery.”

Kids Culture

Holiday Spirit as Community Service

High school students take note: The winter holiday season is a great time to earn those community service hours toward high school graduation requirements.

For example, the East Hampton Library is seeking teens to volunteer to decorate a tree for the holidays today from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tomorrow, there will be take-and-make kits for teens to make “sock cupcakes” that will be included in the library’s winter coat and warm clothing drive. Supplies can be picked up from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and should be returned within a week to receive community service credit.

The Amagansett Library is also looking for high school students who will be tasked with assembling gift bags for children in need, using toys and games collected during the library’s recent gift drive. This event is next Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m., and is worth two hours of community service credits for participants.

Are you ever too young to learn the spirit of volunteering? Tomorrow from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton will lead kids 5 to 7 years old in decorating the library with handmade snowflakes and icicles.

Volunteer opportunities may also be available through food pantries, church groups, animal rescue groups, and other local organizations, making the season of giving a good time to give back.

More for Kids and Teens Amagansett Library

Owl-theme story time and painting for kids 4 and up, Saturday, 11 a.m.noon. Innovative gaming session for kids in grades three to five, Saturday, 1-3 p.m., 631-267-3810, amagansettlibrary.org.

The Church, Sag Harbor Stop-motion animation workshop for kids 8 to 12, Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m., $10, 631-919-5342, thechurchsagharbor.org.

East Hampton Library

Recycled CD art for kids 7 to 10, today, 4-5 p.m. D.I.Y. glitter snowflake dishes for teens, tomorrow, 3-5 p.m. Getting Ready to Babysit class for young teens, Saturday, 1-4 p.m. D.I.Y. snowman ornaments for kids 3 to 6, Tuesday, 4-5 p.m. Paper snowflake crafts for teens, Tuesday, 5-6 p.m. Fingerprint ornaments for kids 7-10, next Thursday, 4-5 p.m., 631-3240222, easthamptonlibrary.org.

Golden Eagle Art Store, East Hampton Gift-wrapping workshop for kids, Saturday, 1:30-3:30 p.m., $50, 631-3240603, goldeneagleart.com.

Hampton Ballet Theatre School, Southampton High School “The Nutcracker,” tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 and 7, and Sunday at 2, tickets starting at $20, 888-933-4287, hamptonballettheatreschool.com.

Hampton Library, Bridgehampton Holiday open house for all ages featuring music, activities, treats, and a visit from Santa Claus, Saturday, 2:30-4:30 p.m. D.I.Y. mint sugar scrub for teens, Tuesday, 3:30-5 p.m. STEM paper-plate mazes for kids 8 to 12, next Thursday, 4-5 p.m., 631-537-0015, myhamptonlibrary.org.

Montauk Library Pajama story time, tomorrow, 5:30 p.m. “DC League of Super Pets” (PG) movie screening, Saturday, 2-4 p.m., 631-668-3377, montauklibrary.org.

Our Fabulous Variety Show, LTV Studios, Wainscott “Puffs,” a Harry Potter parody play, tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7, general admission tickets $10 for students, $15 adults, V.I.P. tickets $25 students, $35 adults, 631-507-4603, ourfabulousvarietyshow.org.

Project Most, East Hampton Studio and Sports Experience at Most Holy Trinity School for kids 5 to 9, Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon, $57. Team sports for kids 5 to 12, Saturday, 12 p.m., $17. Team-building games for kids 5 to 12, Saturday, 2-3 p.m., $17. Rollin’ With Rambo skate class for children in kindergarten through third grade, Monday, 3:45-4:45 p.m., $22, 631-604-2777, projectmost.org.

South Fork Natural History Museum, Bridgehampton Seal walk for adults, teens, and kids 6 and up at Cupsogue County Beach, Sunday, 11 a.m., $10 children, $15 adults (museum members free), 631537-9735, sofo.org.

THE L AW OFFICESOF CARL ANDREW IRACE & ASSOCIATES, PLLC

12 GAY ROAD #5128 EAST HAMPTON, NY 11937 631-324-1233 www.southforklawyers.com cirace@southforklawyers.com

Also on the Logs

Amagansett

Michael Marcari of Old Stone Highway reported the loss of his U.S. passport on Nov. 21 and suspects it may have been stolen. He gave police a name, but they were unable to contact that person by telephone. Mr. Marcari wanted the incident documented, and the investigation into the possible theft is continuing.

East Hampton

A small brush fire broke out on Thanksgiving evening between a house on Red Dirt Road and a construction site on Wolf Way. Firefighters reported seeing nothing suspicious, and extinguished the blaze without incident.

Just before 11 p.m. on Nov. 23, a Wireless Road woman asked police for a “wellness check” on a man in a dark sweatshirt and baseball hat, sitting by the side of the road. Officers “located an African American male sitting on the side of the road smoking a cigarette,” who told them he was waiting for a ride. They concluded that he “did not present any danger to himself or others.”

On Yew Street, someone reported a man lying on the street in a pile of leaves on the early afternoon of Nov. 21. Workers at a Boxwood Street construction site nearby told police that one of their crew may have taken a nap in the leaf pile during his lunch break. Officers advised them to avoid future siestas in the street.

Sylvanious Webb of Banks Court came home from work around 10 p.m. on Nov. 19 to find that his 2014 Dodge Charger was no longer in the driveway. A family member reported last seeing it at around 5 that evening, and police subsequently tracked the car headed west through Wainscott just before 9 p.m. It was determined to be stolen, and is being sought.

Jacqueline Williams, manager of East Hampton House on Pantigo Road, reported an unpaid bill of $4,381.46, left by someone who had rented a room from Oct. 7 to Nov. 11, but fled the resort on the last evening, shortly before police arrived. The guest had initially paid the entire sum on a credit card, the manager said, but the charge was reversed on suspicion of fraud. Police did manage to get in touch with the person, who was advised to settle the bill on peril of arrest on a charge of theft of services.

In early October, a customer at Damark’s Market took two packages of caviar from a display case, opened them, and dumped their contents into his pockets. He then put the empty packages back on the shelves, bought a coffee and a package of cream cheese with a credit card, and departed in a red Honda CR-V with a pocketful of pilfered fish eggs worth $86.

Bruce Damark discovered the theft via video surveillance footage and contacted his credit-card processor, but was told there was no information on the suspect, who remains at large.

James Frank of Englewood, Colo., told town police in late September that his bank, Wells Fargo, had informed him they’d received a possible fraudulent check with his name on it. It was his check, he told police, but he didn’t know the person who cashed it, one Tanecia Taylor. He then checked his bank records and found 217 fraudulent transactions totaling $307,421.26, going back to October 2021. A heavily redacted police report did not indicate Mr. Frank’s connection to East Hampton, but did state that the case has been assigned to the detective division.

Joseph Hall reported the theft of a metal fire pit from the front yard of his Norfolk Drive rental house back in mid-September. The house was unoccupied at the time, he said.

East Hampton Village

In an otherwise quiet week, village police responded to at least 13 false alarms. Seven were unfounded reports of possible burglaries; the other six were triggered by automatic fire alarms.

Montauk

A reported brush fire at Camp Hero State Park on Nov. 22 turned out to be a Dumpster fire near the motor pool building. Firefighters made quick work of the trashy blaze.

Susan Roxbury told police on Nov. 15 that someone had mailed a $15,000 check with her name on it to a Texas resident named Kelly James, who called her asking if she’d sent the check to buy a horse. Ms. Roxbury said she most certainly had not, and informed Ms. James that the check was from a closed bank account and that her signature had been forged.

Sag Harbor

A man was not breathing when medical personnel arrived on Hampton Street Sunday just before 8 p.m. Technicians administered CPR and used a heart-shocking machine to successfully revive the man, who was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

A group of young women, possibly juveniles, stole eight bottles of Fireball Whiskey, worth $36.72, from the Gulf gas station on Hampton Street Saturday night.

Left behind at season’s end at the village boat storage area by Havens Beach were a Brooklyn Company kayak, an Airhead inflatable float, and a ladder. All were impounded on Friday.

After receiving a report on Nov. 23 of “a hazardous box of glass” in the roadway at the Jermain Avenue intersection with Hampton Street, police discovered plastic cutlery strewn across the road. The Highway Department was called in to deploy the street-sweeper.

Someone called in a “suspicious bright light” coming from 373 Main Street on the evening of Nov. 23. Police found a group of kids playing basketball and using a light to illuminate the game.

In Trouble at Camp Hero

A 14-year-old girl suffered a laceration to her head on Friday when she was hit by a three-foot section of hollow metal tubing thrown by a juvenile from the top of the radar tower at Camp Hero in Montauk.

According to an extensive, though redacted, police report documenting the incident, two juveniles and another unidentified person had trespassed on the grounds of the fenced-in tower, which is off limits to the public, and were tossing empty spray-paint cans into an open manhole cover below.

Once they ran out of paint cans, according to the report, they found the metal tube, and one of them hurled it off the tower, striking the girl on top of her head as she and an unidentified person passed by below.

When police and a parent of one of the youths arrived, the juvenile insisted they had not thrown the tube with any intent to hit the girl and said they’d been watching out for passers-by while throwing junk from the top of the tower.

They “didn’t see the girl in time and immediately offered assistance when they realized they’d caused injury,” the report said.

The police report suggests that the girl and her companion had been walking within the off-limits, fenced-in area around the radar tower.

Local police determined that there was, in fact, no malice on the youth’s part. The girl was taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, and the incident was referred to New York State Park Police. T.G.

Body on Beach Is Identified

A body that washed up on the beach at the Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island on Nov. 8 has been identified by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office as Dario Cholula.

Mr. Cholula, a 31-year-old Queens man who was working on a construction site on North Haven, went missing on Oct. 19 during a solo nighttime kayak fishing trip. He had launched the kayak almost directly across from where his body was eventually found.

His body was discovered at Smith Cove, a popular deep-water anchorage in the summer season.

The cove is located on the preserve’s southwest side, across the water from North Haven.

The body was sent to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, which notified the Southampton Town Police Department late last week that it had positively identified it as that of Mr. Cholula.

“Although it was not the outcome we were hoping for, it provided closure for the family,” Lt. Susan Ralph, a Southampton Town Police spokeswoman, said via email.

The kayak that Mr. Cholula was fishing from had been discovered on a North Haven beach on Oct. 20, partially overturned and with a fishing pole inside it. T.G.

Shoshana Sobey, 12, will dance as Clara and her brother Ami, 10, will dance as Fritz in the Hampton Ballet Theatre School’s performance of “The Nutcracker” this weekend. Jordana Sobey

Elizabeth Fasolino, 61, Former Arts Editor

Elizabeth Fasolino, 61, The Star’s arts editor for nearly two years, died of a heart attack on Nov. 5 in Gulfport, Fla., eight months after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma, for which she was being treated.

Ms. Fasolino left Sag Harbor eight years ago for Colorado Springs. Although she made a home in the mountains there for a little over five years before moving to Florida in early 2020, her heart remained in New York — Manhattan and Wallkill, where she grew up, and here on the East End, where, “for more than a decade, she cut a stylish and singular swath in her L.V.I.S. finery, zipping from one art opening or reading or benefit or beach picnic or thrift store or yard sale to the next,” recalled her friend and former partner, Adam Green, a writer for Vogue and The New Yorker.

“She was beautiful, elegant, smart, and funny in an offbeat way, and at the same time down to earth and lacking in pretense, with a gift for talking to pretty much anyone,” he wrote. “She read voraciously and could hold forth on her wide-ranging passions, from art history and interior design to the horrors of war and the lives of the people who had lived through them. She was the only person I knew who kept extra copies of Vera Brittain’s World War I memoir ‘Testament of Youth’ to give to friends and name-dropped the English journalist Malcolm Muggeridge and the gardening writer and Hungarian baronessby-marriage Eleanor Perenyi as if they were current A-list celebrities.”

Though she “could be mercurial, with a flair for melodrama and a sharp tongue,” Mr. Green wrote, Ms. Fasolino had a “gift for kindness, fun, and generosity, for entertaining and making moments, for loving without reservation.”

She was born at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan on June 7, 1961. Her father, Matthew Fasolino, ran a family real estate business and her mother, the former Patricia O’Neil, was a social worker.

The family (later joined by her sisters Brigit and Margaret) divided its time between a New York City apartment and Breezy Hill Farm, in Wallkill, which had been in her mother’s family for several generations.

She attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Catholic school on the Upper East Side. The writer Christina Haag, who was a class ahead of her, remembered her in an email as “both studious and wild” and “lit from within by intense curiosity . . . outwardly expressive and in possession of a deep interior life, as if there was a secret that she might or might not share with you.”

When she was 11, she suffered the defining loss of her life when her mother, with whom she was fiercely close, was hit by a car while crossing Madison Avenue at 86th Street on her way home from grocery shopping. She was in a coma for over a month before she died.

Her father moved with his daughters to the farm in Wallkill and enrolled them in the New Paltz schools, where the home economics class gave Ms. Fasolino the cooking and sewing skills that would serve her throughout her life.

“She would often spend all day cooking elaborate Italian meals before decking herself out in ensembles culled from her mother’s closet and serving as hostess for her father’s sprawling dinner parties,” Mr. Green wrote.

Following a series of business reversals, her father lost the family farm, and, at 13, Ms. Fasolino began working as a maid at a hotel on Lake Minnewaska and, later, as a waitress at the Mohonk Mountain House. Finances prevented her from attending Williams College, to which she’d been admitted, and forced her to withdraw from Skidmore after a few semesters. In 1992, at age 30, she finally got her B.A. in art history from the State University at New Paltz, where she was also a member of the women’s track team. She went on to receive a master’s degree in journalism from New York University in 1995.

She married Eric Hobday, whom she met when they were both waiting tables in Brooklyn, in April 1982. They divorced in 1986. She later married Eric Horsbol, with whom she discovered a love of foreign travel. They separated in 1997 and divorced in 2003. In 1997, she met Adam Green on the message boards of a now-defunct online community called Echo after striking up a conversation about pentimentos on the sides of buildings in Times Square.

After several years running a catering business, selling real estate, and work-

ing as a secretary, Ms. Fasolino landed at HBO, where she worked as a documentary film publicist. She left in 2004 and went on to handle public relations for N.Y.U. Law School, before joining The Star’s staff in January 2007.

Ms. Fasolino and Mr. Green lived on West 17th Street, but he missed the East End, where he had spent summers at his family’s house in East Hampton. In the summer of 2002, his parents rented a house in Water Mill, where he and Ms. Fasolino spent weekends, “and she, too, fell in love with it out here,” he wrote.

They stayed on to rent the house in the off-season, when it was emptied of all furniture. Ms. Fasolino drove east from the city and in one afternoon furnished it, complete with artwork, all bought from the Ladies Village Improvement Society furniture barn. She would do this again and again as the couple moved from one rented place to another between 2002 and 2014 — living in Sag Harbor, Springs, Northwest Woods, East Hampton Village, and then back in Sag Harbor. “Elizabeth used her sprezzatura eye for design, gift for stretching a buck, fearlessness with power tools, and those home ec sewing skills to somehow make each place look fabulous and feel like home,” Mr. Green recalled.

Ms. Fasolino found her greatest career satisfaction, and an outlet for her literary and people skills, during her tenure as The Star’s arts editor. “On her first day on the job, she called me in a panic because she’d been assigned a piece about that winter’s unseasonably warm weather that she needed to turn in by noon. She made the deadline and went on to write other general features — including a wry and affectionate (and secretly autobiographical) piece about the annual panic that set in among devoted patrons of the L.V.I.S. thrift store when it shut down for a month every February” before becoming the paper’s arts editor.

For the next year and a half, she threw herself into the job with everything she had, waking up at 6 on Sunday mornings to write the following week’s “Art Scene” column. She put thousands of miles on her gold 1998 Mercedes wagon, crisscrossing the towns to interview artists, artisans, writers, gallerists, actors, entrepreneurs, chefs, musicians, and surfers. She was “an instantly recognizable figure at gallery openings and post-opening dinners in her smashing, almost-over-the-top outfits, brandishing a digital camera and a reporter’s notebook,” Mr. Green recalled.

In addition to her sisters, Brigit Vucic of Buffalo and Margaret Gullickson of Colorado Springs, her nephews Joseph Vucic and Sam Vucic, and Finn Gullickson and Leo Gullickson, survive.

Ms. Fasolino was cremated. Some of her ashes will be buried next to her mother in a family plot at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Gardiner, N.Y., at noon on Saturday, followed by a small memorial at 2:30 at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. A South Fork memorial is being planned for the near future. The rest of her ashes will be buried under a tree on Mr. Green’s property, next to the ashes of Quincy, the dog they had together.

of 55 residential treatment facilities in 10 states, where it still operates, and provided a model for drug treatment programs around the world. Today there are Phoenix Houses in Britain, the Netherlands, and Israel.

Dr. Rosenthal, who lived in East Hampton and Manhattan, died of complications of pneumonia on Nov. 14 at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 87.

“Throughout history, ‘hopeless’ has been among the most common tags applied to people addicted to alcohol and drugs,” Dr. Rosenthal wrote earlier this year in his unpublished autobiography.

“Stigmatized as weak characters and moral degenerates, ‘alkies’ and ‘dope fiends’ were shunned by much of the medical profession. Few wanted to have anything to do with them. That is, until the arrival in earnest of TC, or the therapeutic community model, in the 1960s. It was the first ray of hope.”

Mitchell Rosenthal was born in Brooklyn on June 12, 1935, to Abner and Adele Rosenthal. His father was a physician. He attended Jamaica High School in Queens and Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., where he majored in biology and minored in psychology. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York’s Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn in 1960.

After his service in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, he was hired by Mayor Lindsay and eventually became deputy commissioner for rehabilitation at New York City’s Addiction Services Agency.

Dr. Rosenthal served as a drug adviser to the Reagan administration and traveled across the country with Nancy Reagan to promote her “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign. He appeared regularly as a guest child psychologist on NBC’s “Today” show and was a successful fund-raiser, enlisting public figures and philanthropists to generate government grants and private contributions for Phoenix House.

Throughout his career he opposed the legalization of hard drugs, warned against decriminalization of marijuana, and expressed doubts about the longterm success of methadone. He also argued that treatment was more effective and less expensive than prison at reducing drug-related crime and other social problems.

Dr. Rosenthal left Phoenix House in 2007 and established a separate nonprofit, the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies. He also served as a special consultant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, chairman of the New York State Advisory Council on Substance Abuse, and acting chairman of the board of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

His first marriage, to Ellen Slosberg Nagy, ended in divorce. In 1990 he married Sarah Simms, a psychotherapist. She survives, as do three children from his first marriage, David Rosenthal of Los Angeles, Claudia Plepler of Norwalk, Conn., and Alexis Proceller of Weston, Conn., and seven grandchildren.

Marijane Meaker, 95, Groundbreaking Author

Marijane Meaker, the author of more than 60 books and the founder of the Ashawagh Hall Writers Workshop, died of cardiopulmonary arrest at home on Deep Six Drive in Springs on Nov. 21. She was 95, and had lived in the hamlet for the past 60 years.

Alleen Pace Nilsen, in her book “Presenting M.E. Kerr,” discussed the persistence and strength of Ms. Kerr (one of Ms. Meaker’s various pseudonyms) in portraying the underdog in her work.

Tolerance, prejudices, denial and acceptance of different kinds of people with different backgrounds, beliefs, lifestyles, and socioeconomic status were frequent concerns in all her books, by both M.E. Kerr and Mary James, according to Ms. Nilsen.

with a degree in English literature. From there she moved to New York City, where she sold her first article under the name of Laura Winston to Ladies Home Journal.

Once established as a writer under various pseudonyms, most notably as the mystery writer Vin Packer, she was encouraged by Louise Fitzhugh, a friend and author, to launch her career as a writer of young-adult fiction.

“Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!” was her first book as M.E. Kerr. Published in 1972, it was named one of the 20th century’s 100 most significant books for children and young adults by School Library Journal in 2000.

Ms. Meaker was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southampton College, and her many awards included the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contributions to young-adult literature. In 1995 The New York Times Book Review called her “one of the grand masters of young-adult fiction.”

“Ms. Meaker’s books feature complex characters that have difficult relationships and complicated problems, who rail against conformity, and who often suffer unpopularity,” said Ms. Kamitses. “I remember being depressed by all the neatly tied-up, happy-ending stories, the abundance of winners, the themes of winning, solving, finding — when around me it didn’t seem that easy,” Ms. Meaker said of her approach. “So I write with a different feeling when I write for young adults. I guess I write for myself at that age.”

In addition to the Ashawagh Hall workshop, whose members produced 20 published novels, she was a founding member of the East End Gay Organization.

Ms. Meaker has no primary survivors. However, “She leaves behind a legion of loving readers and friends who have been positively altered by her writing and her presence in their lives,” Ms. Kamitses said.

Donations in her memory have been suggested to the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons at arfhamptons.org. No service has been planned yet, and the dispersal of her ashes will take place at a future time. M.S.

Deer: Eat Shoots? So, Leave

Continued from A1 Hampton, but there are two of them already up and running at the Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island.

Established in 2008, those tracts demonstrate that “a strikingly different forest has developed inside the fence, both in terms of species composition and the physical structure of the forest floor and understory,” Mr. Gaites told the East Hampton Town Board.

The results can be dramatic: “Botanists found over 30 species of plants thriving inside the exclosure,” he reported, “but it was hard to find flowering and fruiting elsewhere in the preserve.”

Let’s munch on some dietary facts about deer: According to the website of the National Deer Association, a group that says its mission is “ensuring the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat, and hunting,” a single deer needs to eat “between 6 and 8 percent of its body weight daily, from spring through fall, in green foliage and browse, to stay healthy.”

The organization sums it up this way: “That’s a lot. Like, an insane amount.”

The National Deer Association breaks down the whitetail deer’s main food sources: browse, referring to the leaves, buds, and twigs of woody to semiwoody, broad-leaved plants; “masts,” or hard or soft fruiting bodies like apples, berries, and nuts; “forbs,” defined as non-woody, broad-leaved plants, a major part of their diet in the spring and summer; and grass, too, but mostly in a pinch, the organization says.

“Grasses are less digestible and contain lower nutrient content than more desirable forages,” the organization reports.

born, the family built a house in the BeachHampton section of Amagansett, where they spent weekends and summers for decades. He learned to swim in the bay and enjoyed surfing at the beach in Ditch Plain in Montauk.

Mr. Arceri grew up in North Babylon and attended school there, leaving before graduation to begin working. He later passed the G.E.D. exam to earn his high school diploma. In 1990, he moved from Fire Island to the family home in BeachHampton.

He leaves his four siblings, Mary Jane Arceri of Springs, Nancy Arceri and LJ Arceri of East Hampton, and Kenneth Arceri of the Mastic and Shirley area. Also surviving are his nieces and nephew, Rose Schellinger, June Arceri, and Nicholas Arceri, and their young children, Tucker, Sawyer, and Phoebe.

Mr. Arceri was cremated. A memorial ceremony will take place on Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. on Napeague Beach, followed by a gathering at the family home on Wyandanch Lane. His family has suggested memorial donations to East End Hospice, at eeh.org, or the Springs Food Pantry, at springsfoodpantry.com.

Janet Van Sickle

Janet Marian Van Sickle, who had lifelong passions for the seashore and horticulture, “was a pioneer who lived fully, with a great sense of adventure,” her son, Krae Van Sickle, wrote.

Ms. Van Sickle died at home in Montauk on Nov. 8. She was 86 and had had a series of health problems in recent years.

She studied art and ceramics at Bard College, and then moved to Paris in the 1950s and to Greenwich Village after that. She was immersed in the art scene there, working at Cafe Figaro from 1958 to 1964.

In 1958 she married Ken Van Sickle, with whom she had a son. The marriage ended in divorce.

Lastly, deer will also consume lichens or funguses, but only if they’re really hungry.

Browse is the focus of East Hampton’s exclosure study. The National Deer Association says the high fiber content of that food group means the deer have less ability to properly digest that food, so “when deer eat browse, they are undoubtedly consuming the youngest shoots and leaves within reach.”

That rapacious appetite for newgrowth vegetation underscores Mr. Gaites’s observation to the board that “East Hampton residents that frequent the town’s trails and preserves are unaware of the ecological impacts our large deer population is having.”

Back in July 2011, Thomas Rawinksi of the U.S. Forest Service toured the Mashomack deer exclosures, four years after they were erected.

In his official report, Mr. Rawinski positively gushed at what he saw: “How fascinating it was to see the plant life within the exclosures!” He noted that plants inside the fence, such as mapleleaf viburnum (a member of the honeysuckle family), were “in fine fruit — after only four short years.”

Other woody plant species that had made a comeback in the Mashomack exclosures were fox grape, flowering dogwood, and big-toothed aspen, as well as less human-friendly plants such as poison ivy.

Mr. Gaites said the Land Acquisition and Management Department will use the Mashomack example as a model and “will continue to collect data at least annually to monitor changes in vegetation.”

Mitchell Rosenthal, Phoenix House Founder

One day in 1967, Mitchell Rosenthal, a young psychiatrist serving in the administration of New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay, entered a dilapidated building on the Upper West Side where nine men who had gone through drug detoxification were trying to stay clean without help.

Inspired in part by his military service in the mid-1960s, when he worked with addicted sailors and Marines at the Oakland Naval Hospital in California, he restored order to the lives of the nine men. A chart defined where each resident was during the day, and residents were given jobs that covered every aspect of life there.

Every day, the residents recited a mantra: “Our symbol, the Phoenix, derives from the Egyptian myth of the great bird which is said to have destroyed itself by fire and to have risen again from its own ashes.” Thus was born the first Phoenix House, from which all nine residents escaped their lives of addiction.

One, Julio Martinez, eventually became New York State’s commissioner of substance abuse services.

Phoenix House grew into a network

Ms. Meaker’s pen names were Vin Packer (mystery and crime), Ann Aldrich (lesbian nonfiction), Mary James (younger children), M.E. Kerr (young adult), M.J. Meaker (nonfiction), and Marijane Meaker (novels and biographies).

Among her best-loved books, according to Zoe Kamitses, a writer and friend, are “Shockproof Sidney Skate” by Marijane Meaker, “Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!” and “Gentlehands” by M.E. Kerr, and “Take a Lesbian to Lunch” by Ann Aldrich. “Spring Fire” by Vin Packer has been credited with beginning the genre of lesbian pulp fiction.

As Marijane Meaker she wrote “Highsmith,” a memoir of her two-year affair with the psychological crime thriller writer Patricia Highsmith, author of “Strangers on a Train” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” among others. Ms. Meaker figures prominently in the recently released documentary “Loving Highsmith,” which is now streaming on several platforms.

Marijane Meaker was born in Auburn, N.Y., on May 27, 1927, to Ellis R. Meaker and the former Ida Jonick. She grew up in Auburn before attending boarding school at Stuart Hall in Staunton, Va. One of the books she noted reading and being moved by as a child was Carson McCullers’s “The Member of the Wedding.”

After a year at Vermont Junior College, she attended the University of Missouri, where she graduated in 1949

James J. Arceri, 60

Jim Arceri of Amagansett had “an interesting and varied life” that always brought him back to the beach, his family said.

He died of heart failure in the care of East End Hospice in Quiogue on Nov. 19 after a short illness. He was 60.

Having worked in the kitchens of Gordon’s and Bountiful Board restaurants here, Mr. Arceri learned to cook. He also liked to drive heavy equipment, a skill he honed as a municipal employee of the Village of Ocean Beach on Fire Island, where he lived for 20 years. He worked as a house mover and piledriver during the offseason, and plowed snow for Metcalf Carting in winter.

He “was able to adapt to whatever the job called for,” his family said.

More recently, Mr. Arceri delivered equipment and car parts to job sites and auto repair shops. “He loved to drive, and found our busy roads a great challenge,” his family said.

He never married, but was known as a loyal friend to many. His friends at the Bock Auto repair shop in Amagansett “helped him immensely, especially during his time of need,” according to his family.

James J. Arceri was born in Bay Shore on March 27, 1962, the youngest of five children of the former Patricia Bornstadt and Louis Arceri. The year he was

She spent her summers alternately on Fire Island and Vieques, Puerto Rico. In 1971 she moved to Boulder Creek, Calif., to a small-market organic farm and garden. There she learned to split her own wood, grow her own food and flowers, roof a house, pour cement, design the irrigation for a garden, and gained an “appreciation of the wisdom of natural systems design,” her son wrote.

After time in El Salvador exploring gardening in the tropics, she taught “life systems” on a farm at a boarding school in Vermont, did a food and water

self-sufficiency study for the Heartwood Institute, a healing center in Garberville, Calif., and taught organic farming at Evergreen State College in Washington State.

In 1990 she moved to the South Fork “to be with her family, whom she adored and was the center of her life,” her son wrote. She lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, from 1999 to 2004, and in Montauk since then.

Ms. Van Sickle served on the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee and East Hampton Town’s agricultural, energy and sustainability, and transfer station committees. In addition to horticulture, she enjoyed reading and had an enduring interest in progressive politics, nature, and natural systems planning.

She was born in the Bronx on Sept. 6, 1936, to Max Goldenberg and the former Florence Berkson. She grew up there and in Manhattan.

In addition to her son, who lives in Springs, she is survived by two grandchildren, Elias Van Sickle of Springs and Brooklyn and Siena Van Sickle of Springs, and by two brothers, Richard Goldenberg of Plainfield, N.J., and Michael Freund of Stockbridge, Vt.

Ms. Van Sickle was buried at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in East Hampton. A memorial to celebrate her life will be announced for a date in 2023.

A memorial mass will be held for Carlos on Sunday, December 4 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Montauk

In memory of CARLOS HERNANDEZ loving son of Ana and Luis, who passed away on December 5, 1997

Voters of Color Still Face Roadblocks

Georgia voters on Monday set an early voting record, easily surpassing the previous highest one-day figure, set before the Nov. 6 election. Georgians appeared determined to have their say on the runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, despite intentional roadblocks to their participation. In many election locations, waits of an hour or more were reported on Monday and Tuesday, especially in nonwhite areas. This follows a long pattern of discrimination in which the number of voting locations and equipment were limited by election officials at the state and county level, generally in places with high Black voter registration.

During the 2020 election, according to news reports, wait times were up to six hours in some locations. A Georgia law, new that year, reduced the number of ballot boxes in communities of color, limited voting hours, added additional voter ID requirements, and also made it illegal to provide those waiting in line with food or water, among other measures, according to the strenuously nonpartisan League of Women Voters. Georgia is not alone in seeking to suppress voter turnout. Similar measures have been attempted across the country.

At the federal level, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act seeks to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were struck down by United States Supreme Court conservative justices. Led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court concluded that the voter protections that had been in place for nearly 50 years were no longer necessary. Demonstrably false, Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the majority decision that the 1965 law was unconstitutional because the standards for its enforcement were, “based on decades-old data and eradicated practices.” This was a partisan lie then and it remains a lie today. Without federal involvement, race-based voter exclusions crafted by Republican state leaders have grown dramatically in number. Measures have included unwarranted arrests, strict voter ID laws, reducing polling hours and early voting drop-box locations, making false claims regarding voter registration, and purging voter rolls using intentionally discriminatory criteria aimed at Black people.

Voter fraud, which is cited as the reason why these repressive laws are put in place, has been shown time and again by impartial experts to be so rare as to have no impact whatsoever on election results.

The John Lewis Act would reinstate federal and/or judicial oversight of elections in states with a history of race-based discrimination. Like the gutted 1965 act, it would work by requiring “preclearance” before state and local changes to voting procedures can take effect. The preclearance requirement would be imposed, for example, based on a state or county’s record of voting rights violations during the preceding 25 years; if a state itself were responsible for the violations, the threshold would be just three during the 25-year lookback period. The House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Act almost a year and a half ago. It narrowly failed twice in the Senate; President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for its passage, including in a statement issued by the White House this week. Whether the John Lewis Act can gain enough votes to override a likely filibuster by Republicans remains unclear — what is obvious is that racist suppression practices will remain until it or something like it again becomes the law of the land.

Tacky Takeover Of Village’s Iconic Mills

If you might excuse the cliché, Nathaniel Dominy IV is probably turning in his grave over what has gone on lately with his windmills.

Ever since a new mind-set took over Village Hall, the once-seasonal Christmas lights on the vanes have been left on year round, cheapening their effect at the holidays. But worse — and making a mockery of the windmills’ restrained dignity as a symbol of the entire town — they have been bathed in upward-pointed light — red and a “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” green at the moment, that can be changed as fancy strikes.

The lights are tacky and in bad taste, certainly, but there is a more serious issue: disregard for the Main Street Historic District, as well as for village law itself. As in the village code, holiday lights are allowed only between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15 of the following year. “Uplighting,” of the sort pointed into trees or onto sides of the mills, is prohibited.

East Hampton Town can lay claim to three windmills built by the celebrated early American Dominy craftsman: a 1795 mill on Gardiner’s Island, the 1804 Gardiner Mill on James Lane, and the 1806 Hook Mill. There is also a Dominy windmill at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island, built in 1810. But mills to grind wheat, rye, flax seed, and corn were far from the Dominy family’s only contribution to East Hampton and beyond. Another mill owned by the village and built by Samuel Schellinger at the beginning of the 19th century has been tarted up as well.

The story begins with Nathaniel Dominy IV, who was born in 1737 and died in 1812, and his father, listed in town records as a carpenter. Windmills were only part of the younger Dominy’s work. In addition to running an all-purpose workshop, where one could get a gunstock made or a wooden rake repaired, Dominy mastered clockmaking and pocket watch repair.

Nathaniel Dominy V (1770 to 1852) expanded the family’s output into fine cabinets and furniture, houses, and barns. Felix Dominy (born 1800, died 1868), trained with his grandfather, Nathaniel IV, and concentrated on clockmaking and watch repair. Beginning in 1940, Dominy heirs worked with the internationally recognized Winterthur Museum in Delaware to preserve many of the family’s tools, accounts, and manuscripts. Winterthur displays examples of Dominy furniture and household objects and has recreated their clock and woodwork shops as “a rare opportunity to glimpse a typical working environment of rural craftsmen active two centuries ago.”

Each of the East Hampton mills is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the East Hampton Village Historic District, which centers on Woods and James Lane, and includes most of Main Street. The register is administered by the National Park Service — and that should be recognition enough, without the Las Vegas lighting.

Thursday’s Thought

HOUSTON CHRONICLE — Moreover, while more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female, you wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week. Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession or name.

A Day With Pelé

The pictures of Pelé flashing on TV as FIFA World Cup fever spreads from Qatar to Queens bring back memories of my “date” with him. A local hero as well, he was a 37-year resident of Waterhole Road on the waterfront in Springs. It all began with a very different athletic activity — disco roller-skating.

Elaine’s, table four, late night, early 1981. I was a copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding — a pressure cooker. I was chilling out to beat flaming out.

A guy who looked like a Jewish Ben Franklin handed me his embossed card: “Steven Greenberg, President, Anametrics.” Whatever that was. Among other things, he was a partner in a brandnew roller disco club in Chelsea, the Roxy.

“Hot, the Studio 54 of roller rinks, a party tomorrow night, like to go? You can rent skates if you don’t own them.” I didn’t. My last ones, metal that clamped onto my shoes, needed a key.

It was the fastest “yes” in the East.

Olivia Newton-John was singing “Let’s get physical, physical.” An invitation. Colored spotlights strobed, illuminating skaters. But there was a rental glitch. My wide feet. And bunions. The fourth pair was the charm. Wobbly but intrepid, I was soon at ease, an instant regular.

I dashed to Bloomingdale’s the next morning, and there they were. Caramel calfskin roller shoe-skates, blue and red wheels with a yellow stopper. Gorgeous. A score for $90.

After skating the next Thursday — New York’s Saturday night — my friend Lili and I cabbed to Cafe Un Deux Trois on West 44th Street, a happening new French brasserie, where a bunch of guys surrounded someone in the corner. One moved to reveal — wait — Pelé. I had to get his autograph to repay my brother, who’d gotten me the tennis idol Bjorn Borg’s.

Lili and I pooled info. Soccer. Brazilian national treasure. Number 10 for the New York Cosmos, $7 million contract. Mega star. She drily opined, “He’s possibly the most famous athlete on the planet.” This did not make it easier. I downed a Dewar’s on the rocks, draped my skates over my shoulders for security, hovered, got my nerve up, and held on to Lili’s elbow.

Pelé sat front and center on a banquette, holding court, royalty. “Excuse me, sir, may I have your autograph?” The “sir” sounded wrong. It didn’t matter; he didn’t speak English.

One of his entourage translated, “Edson, she wants your autograph.” I echoed it. I spoke Spanish.

Pelé looked me in the eye, smiled that smile, and said, in my rough translation, “Sure, as long as you give me your phone number.”

I was shocked. My phone number for his autograph. A trade. A pass, perhaps. He kept smiling, pointed at my skates, gave me a thumbs-up. He liked them.

I liked him, smiled back, nodded my head. After a scramble, someone offered me a match cover and pencil for my number.

I tore off a piece of a paper place mat and he signed “Pelé” with a flourish. The deal was done.

He phoned quickly, on a Friday, and we made plans for Tuesday. He’d come by at 5 to pick me up. Please dress up, he said. Music to my ears.

I’d leave work early. A once-in-a-lifetime offer.

Meanwhile, back at Bloomie’s, I struck gold with a cold-shoulder, swinging black mini. I’d wear it with long pearls, kinda Liza. Eddie, the disgruntled doorman at my onebedroom Upper East Side co-op, grumbled over the intercom in his deep Bronx accent, “Pelé.” Did I detect a lilt?

I opened the door — big hair, my best Joan Collins slouch. “Bienvenido. Mi casa es su casa.”

He wore a gray silk suit, a shirt and tie. Not that tall, he was maybe 5-7. He looked around my pad, spied my skates parked at the ready against a taxicab-yellow wall. He pointed, asking permission to try them on.

A million things went through my mind, starting with shame — my feet were too big. A glint was in his eye, nothing in this world or the next was going to stop him.

He sat down on my low modular couch, took off his jacket, loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves and pants, tossed off his shoes, and slid that famous right foot in. It fit. Our feet were the same size. He beamed like a kid with a new toy.

I saw the writing on the wall as he hurriedly laced up the left. He was going to break a million-dollar leg, and I’d be responsible. I took up the Persian throw rugs and played “Fame” while Pelé grabbed the solid pine hutch to get his bearings and started to skate around my 15-by-25foot living room. I showed him how to stop — skate pigeon-toed, use the yellow stopper in an emergency. And how to bounce to keep the beat.

Fifteen minutes later, Pelé, in motion and in heaven, had mastered it, a natural. He checked his Rolex, shrugged his shoulders, sorry, we had reservations. He helped me with my glam white Tibetan lamb jacket.

We rode the elevator down to the lobby. A line of fans snaked out the door onto 76th, right to the corner of Lexington, around to D’Agostino’s. Eddie had spread the word; they’d waited while Pelé skated. He obliged and signed autographs, gracious.

Eddie opened the door of a white stretch limo parked in the no-parking zone, and inside was Mickey, the P.R. guy, to promote Pelé’s soon-tobe-released film, “Victory,” with Sly Stallone and Michael Caine.

We left planet Manhattan, drove across the Brooklyn Bridge, curled back around to the River Cafe, where more fans and paparazzi had gathered. Pelé gave out more autographs, posed for press pics in front of a “Victory” poster showing him just behind Stallone and Caine in a V formation. Buzzy O’Keeffe, the restaurant’s owner, escorted us and Mickey into his magical kingdom on a barge under the bridge, to a window table people killed for.

We looked out on the view-of-all-views, to the picture-postcard twinkling lights of the Manhattan skyline. In the limelight people stared, pretending not to, the whole room’s eyes on us — on him. I was with a living legend, could feel the heat, but wondered why I didn’t feel hot in this Continued on B4

The Mast-Head Ron’s Warning Call

Preoccupied by other things, I put off calling back a friend I’d known since my teenage years after his number popped up on my phone recently. Ron, as he asked to be identified here, was persistent and left a message for me at work. I knew it was serious.

Ron is the kind of friend you see parked outside a deli in his truck, always good for a joke or maybe a comment about how it has all gone to hell in a handbasket. I could not remember the last time we had spoken on the phone.

He got right down to it, telling me in detail about how he had skirted death after three aneurysms in his abdomen, already past the usual rupture measurement, were detected at the 11th hour. Had he gone to work that day, instead of seeing Dr. Blake Kerr in Wainscott, his doctors later told him, he would have been dead.

Though that day is unavoidably coming, I have not had to deal with more than one or two obituaries of people with whom I was close growing up, and did not want to start now.

Point Of View

Like many men, Ron, a pack-aday smoker, had gone years without visiting a doctor. Now, having survived his ordeal, it was his goal to get in touch with every person he knew to urge them to get their checkups. Ron was home by the time he finally got me. He described a Southampton radiology technician’s hands shaking after his initial exam, then a blazing fast ambulance ride to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Up to that point, he had thought he was just having back pain.

Asked at the emergency room about his medical history, Ron answered, “What medical history?” He was in the intensive care unit several days before his early-morning surgery. Thirteen days after he went in, Ron was sent home and started calling friends.

After the surgery Ron said he wanted “everyone to relax and try to be nicer to each other.” He also hoped that nurses and emergency medical technicians would get more recognition for what they do. And, “Get a yearly checkup,” he said. David E. Rattray

The Angst of Thanksgiving

So caught up in Mary’s decluttering fervor with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I may — I say “may,” for it’s not actually been proved that I did — have thrown out Ina Garten’s “Store-Bought Thanksgiving” section that came with The Times a week ago.

It is, I suppose, possible. Subconsciously, as has long been the case with Christmas, I may want Thanksgiving to just go away. Well, not the bonhomie and the coming together and all of that, but the angst of Thanksgiving, if you know what I mean, all the stuff that leads up to it. It’s a wonder I haven’t cast myself into the dump along with everything else deemed tangential or unsightly. (As for calming the nerves on the actual day itself, I know pitchers of margaritas can do the trick.)

On Thanksgiving, as everyone’s saying what they’re thankful for, I’m thinking I’ll say, “I’m thankful that we’re never having Thanksgiving at our house again.”

I had, while it was still summer, I

think, checked in with the 1770 House to see if I couldn’t reserve a table for two in the pub room for Thanksgiving, but was told that I was a bit premature. Then we learned that this would be the last Thanksgiving here for Mary’s brother and his wife, who are moving to Florida at the beginning of December. That decided it. Only half the family is coming, which is to say about 15 people and a dog. “Next year in Vero Beach,” I’ll say, as I raise my glass.

I shouldn’t be too curmudgeonly, although a local run on cremini mushrooms that were to go in the “mushroom and gruyere bread pudding” I’m making, had me out of sorts, but that’s a mere truffle. Thanksgiving is one of the few times during the year that more than two people and a dog, and various crickets and spiders, are in our house, so I should be thankful for the chance to socialize, and, for once, to listen. Mary’s usually the

Gristmill Screen Oddities

The streaming-service binge is not exactly conducive to mental health, by design, although of course I’ve indulged.

Season one of Netflix’s “Daredevil,” the hero of Hell’s Kitchen, was my first experience with such addiction upon its all-at-once release in 2015.

That show was more sophisticated than it sounds, progressively fleshed out as it found its footing, and full of fresh takes — a sympathetic crime ring boss, Catholicism made cool, not creepy, thanks in part to a straight-talking, pool-playing priest. To say nothing of the novelty of a blind urban crusader in bloodred leather and gratuitous hand-tohand violence, streaming-style, meaning just because they can.

And so over Thanksgiving break, when my 14-year-old daughter got hooked on “Wednesday,” another Netflix series, this one brand-new, I was halfway prepared, if naturally helpless to do anything about it as she watched in her bedroom on her iPhone. But past my suspicion, I saw that she got something out of it, made some connections, applied

some analysis, while the subject matter — the Addams Family — transported me back to my ill-spent kid years in front of 1960s reruns and their incredible character actors, like the wild-eyed John Astin as Gomez Addams.

I’m still trying to figure out, for one, how Larry Hagman — a couple of decades before he went nuts as J.R. Ewing in “Dallas,” helpless to snap out of the character when off set — could be so mesmerizingly twitchy and put-upon as Major Nelson in “I Dream of Jeannie,” or how Bill Daily could communicate such unending nervousness as Major Healey, his best buddy. Naturals, I guess you’d call them.

And should you ever catch the episode with a rubber-faced Paul Lynde as an I.R.S. agent hot on Major Nelson’s trail, watch out. It’s a virtuosic orgy of peculiarly American unease.

What a weird golden age of outlandishly talented actors punching below their weight in the name of

GUESTWORDS: By Susan Israelson

Susan Israelson lives in East Hampton and Palm Beach. Pelé’s native Brazil plays Cameroon tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the World Cup.

Fire on the water

Max Philip Dobler

Part of This Place

Sagaponack

November 26, 2022

To the Editor, Okay, Bess or David or whoever also must be part of this accolade, perhaps it is because we got a small little space in the holiday East magazine that I paged through and read more intensely, but it is more likely that because the issue is such a work of art and so beautifully a statement of what is actually part of this place that I can’t place it aside and remain mute.

From Viktor Butko, his work of winter light and honest architecture, to Paul Davis and Suzie Zuzek, you have accomplished much more than sales. The style, the writing, the rhythm. Peter Spacek, who launches us into hope, and the acute photographic eye combining cookie cutters with festive gift wrap. But beyond these incrementals, it is the quiet foundation of history that holds us all together. Best to all.

Sincerely, LEE FOSTER

More Grateful

To the Editor,

been taken away. The political leadership in Iran is not enforcing hijab for ministerial reasons; they are exerting this practice to have jurisdiction over women.

The dehumanization of Central Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African people is diabolical. We have been made into political pawns, and this can no longer continue.

We, as Americans, have continued to demand and work toward freedom: a more perfect union. Most recently, we have demanded change for bodily autonomy and freedom for all people. This will never be realized, for us and others, without global unity.

Where has this anger gone for those who are marginalized, for those who are distanced by borders, for those who are not safe living in a society where they are stripped of their humanity, on their own land and abroad? How did this disappear?

We, as descendants of the diaspora, are at a loss. We are depleted by continuous silencing and censorship. To our beloved community and institutions: We ask you to honor the ethos of the mission statement which you were founded upon. We are asking for you to stand with us, and use your voice.

November 27, 2022

Amagansett November 28, 2022

This Thanksgiving, we have more to be grateful for than usual. At the beginning of the month, a fire broke out on our roof in the early morning hours. First responders in our community — the 911 operator, the East Hampton police men and women, and the team from the Amagansett Fire Department — displayed skill, professionalism, and care in combating the fire. We will always be grateful to them for saving our house and protecting our lives.

Sincerely, D. ELAM N. DONOHUE

Call to Action

East Hampton November 21, 2022

Dear David, We would like to call on the local communities on the East End and ask for undivided attention for the people of Iran, who are leading a revolution for women’s rights, human rights, and freedom.

For generations, women’s rights and human rights alike in Iran have regressed, and the dictatorship and oppression have compounded to a pinnacle of no return: the face of Mahsa (Jina) Amini has become the face of the people’s revolution.

Due to misinformation, these atrocities are not because of the hijab. The mandatory hijab is one of many symbols that exemplify the brutality of the current administration. Hijab has always been, and will always be, a choice for women, and this is a basic right that has

“The fragrance of freedom will rain upon us.”

Sincerely yours, BRONTE ZUNIS FRANKIE BADEMCI

In Full Sight

Dear David

Springs November 28, 2022

As I was driving home on SpringsFireplace Road, I listed to an NPR News report, in part saying that, despite the bomb and missile destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine, they have managed to restore and maintain 80 percent of their cellular service. And here I was, in Springs, practically within shouting distance of the firehouse and emergency medical services, in full sight of a standing but unused tower that remains safe from Putin’s attack (I won’t get into local combatants) with no cell service.

It’s really disappointing that as a community — not to mention a nation — we can’t work together to solve important quality-of-life issues that affect everyone.

GEOF DRUMMOND

Santa Comes to Town East Hampton November 27, 2022

Dear David, This year Santa comes to Herrick Park via helicopter? Next year, Santa comes to town via seaplane on Town Pond?

PAMELA KEEN MOREY

Keep in Mind Springs

FOUNDED IN 1885 I PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY

Helen S. Rattray, Publisher

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Editor and Publisher, 1974-1980

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Editor and Publisher, 1954-1958

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The Star publishes every letter to the editor it receives exclusively, with the exception of those sent anonymously, or those judged to be proselytizing, an invasion of privacy, libelous, or obscene.

Letters that are copies of those sent to public officials, contain lengthy quotations, or are press releases addressed as letters will be handled as appropriate. Writers are directed to make use of The Star’s free “Cards of Thanks” when more than three individuals or businesses must be listed.

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Address: letters@easthamptonstar.com

Hampton — Amagansett is on the verge of being “Ditched.”

On Tuesday, there will be a public hearing before the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals to consider an application to redevelop 175 Atlantic Avenue in Amagansett, a half-acre corner lot abutting the entrance and public parking lot of beautiful Atlantic Avenue Beach.

The speculative-developer and Hamptons-juggernaut Farrell Building, according to published deed transfer records, purchased the lot for $2.3 million in 2017 and is marketing the project with renderings on its website as a “precompletion home with ocean views” priced at $19.995 million.

Though 175 Atlantic, at just over half an acre, is a relatively small plot of land, the impact of anything even close to what is being proposed will be giant indeed. So, I am writing to encourage East Hampton citizens to participate in this process if they, like me, have concerns about this aggressive development and what will be its irrevocable impact on the surroundings. Robust and reasoned public participation is critical at public hearings such as this one. It can and does make a difference.

Dear Editor,

We are in a recession and facing some of the harshest economic times in over a generation. Fiscally, the country is a mess and current indications are it’s not going to improve any time soon. As we begin the holiday season, we start with Thanksgiving. We should keep in mind those who are less fortunate right here in East Hampton and, if possible, be benevolent, understanding, and giving.

Two wonderful causes come to mind. One run by East Hampton Most Holy Trinity helps families with difficulty paying for heating oil. Donations can be made directly to Most Holy Trinity in East Hampton at 631-324-0134.

The second local charity is the East Hampton Food Pantry at 631-324-2300.

Throughout town, you will see food collection boxes. Please, during your holiday shopping, buy something extra and drop it into the box. In many instances, your donation could be a difference between a meal for that day or none.

These, as in all charitable organizations, depend on your generous donations to help those in a tough spot. I know it can never be said enough: Thank you for your generosity.

On behalf of all the members of the East Hampton Town Republican Committee, we wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, full of good health and prosperity with family and friends, and God bless you.

MANNY VILAR Chairman

East Hampton Town Republican Committee

Has Anyone Thought?

East Hampton November 25, 2022

To the Editor, Has anyone ever thought of not dredging for scallops for the next few years and letting them multiply?

Has anyone thought about the banning of lawn chemicals that wash directly into the bays?

Regarding the Stern’s property: Wouldn’t some two-bedroom apart-

Back on Their Word

East Hampton November 23, 2022 Dear David,

You know when you’re getting a con job because it feels oily and slippery and talks at you a lot but says nothing pertinent. Cons don’t like the word, “no,” either. The rules don’t apply to them and those they represent. They use the back door and come in with complaints of unfairness and overkill and “hysteria.”

No one is hysterical; least of all this town board and this community of citizens who have steadfastly gathered information — cold, hard facts about how sand mining on Long Island is a pollutant and specifically on the East End, where the groundwater and our sole source aquifer are in peril. Not could be — is. But when you don’t like the facts and someone’s paying you to say so, you object. You create a story and throw around buzzwords like PFAS, knowing full well the Health Department has identified and determined all of these chemicals are dangerous to the water supply.

But they go on and talk nonsense, like the Department of Environmental Conservation is doing its job. Wrong, right out of the box. They have not done their job at all concerning monitoring sand mines in East Hampton or anywhere on Long Island. Instead, they have been rubberstamping mining permits for years. File a Freedom of Information Law request? Been there, heard the lies and witnessed the disappearing paperwork. Enough.

To actually think that our town board is going to go back on their word and not pass local legislation to oversee the sand mines in their jurisdiction is beyond arrogant: It’s ludicrous. Our town board knows better.

They went out of their way because it’s their job and they’re doing it. And they listened to the community that has been fighting for the monitoring and eventual closing of these mines for

years. Precedent-setting, proven pollution of a local mine was enough to see the writing on the wall.

There is no way we’re going backward on this proposed law. There are too many knowledgeable experts, and there’s been work done to show that careful and stringent monitoring of the mines is a start. Reclaiming the land and closing them is the only future for the community.

No one in a neighborhood filled with children needs a dangerous nuisance of a mine or a mine-dug lake when you’re finally done mining into the aquifer. It’s insane. Take your dog-and-pony, bigmoney show elsewhere. We’re over you.

Sincerely, NANCI

LAGARENNE

On Top of It All

Amagansett November 28, 2022 Dear David,

Back in June of this year, Lou Cortese of Montauk wrote a letter to these pages titled “That Freak Giant,” referencing the house under construction at 40 DeForest Road, a one-acre lot abutting the public parking area at iconic Ditch Plain Beach.

Writing to make the L.L.C.-obscured developer aware of the impact of what they’ve done by building a “profane mega-mansion in a hallowed location where human beings have been enticed by nature to commune with it in its untarnished beauty,” and hoping to discourage this from being repeated on any of the other three contiguous lots, Mr. Cortese implored: “That freak giant of a house you built is a blight, a stain on everything that we all love about Montauk and, particularly, in one of our mostcherished spots. . . ”

I’ve visited 40 DeForest several times over the last six months, and to my eyes, the impact of that build is entirely out of scale with, and destructive to, the irreplaceable and idiosyncratic natural-resources-based character and cultural context of the surroundings.

And now, it appears a Freak Giant II of sorts is coming to loom over another of our most-cherished spots in East

The 175 Atlantic parcel is significant, not just for its relationship to the largest of the public ocean beaches in East Hampton Town, but also because of several other contextual facets. It sits within an East Hampton Scenic Area of Statewide Significance, and directly across the road from the important and sensitive Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge. As well, it’s located across the road from the boundary of the Amagansett Bluff Road Historic District, and importantly, diagonally across the road from one of Amagansett’s and the town’s most valued historical resources, the Amagansett Life-Saving Station.

In terms of current conditions at 175 Atlantic, the lot contains topography, extensive dune vegetation, and wildlife habitat that warrant clearing and development only at the most minimal level.

As I understand it, just 16 percent of its area has been cleared, and there is a longstanding 1,400-square-foot, three bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom house, as well as another small cottagestyle accessory structure on it, both quite authentic to the surroundings.

In comparison, the application includes a 3,790-square-foot residence structure built to maximum allowable height. But the mass and scale will loom much larger when taking into account what looks like another 2,000 or so square feet of attached, covered, outdoor living spaces and decks, 1,200 square feet of pool and pool-patio structure, and a potential full roof-spanning outdoor living and entertaining area on top of it all.

Like Ditch Plain, Atlantic Avenue Beach is an iconic and beloved location where thousands of residents and visitors come not just to access the ocean beach, but also to experience the beauty and wildness of the duneland and what East Hampton and Amagansett are all about. If approved as planned, or anywhere close to it, a significant swath of beauty and wildness will be wiped away. This development will dominate the lot and its surroundings, irrevocably spoiling a public beach frequented by an array of people who go there to be part of nature unblemished.

And here’s the thing: A prior version of this application had a public hearing Continued on B3

Louse Point Area

Old Stone Market

Selling the Hamptons Since 1994

Brian J. Nicholson

ments serve more people? There are so very few places for the not-so-rich to live. SUSAN MANDEVILLE

Autumn leftovers

Durell Godfrey

Recovering the Past: A Star Contest

From The East Hampton Star, December 3

It has been reported that an alligator six feet long has been seen to crawl out of Hook Pond, East Hampton, and come over the dunes to the ocean. We thought East Hampton was a prohibition town.

The Rev. Mr. Marsland preached a very forcible sermon last Sunday evening against dancing. The older heads connected with the church approve the pastor’s course, and while the young people do not agree entirely with the pastor’s views they admire the fearless way in which he does what he considers his duty.

The Peanut Cure

Peanuts are highly recommended by the medical fraternity for pulmonary troubles, indigestion, and insomnia and we know they are good for quick consumption. Take one pint after dinner, gradually increasing the amount. We have a fresh stock — the best we can buy. Give them a trial. Montauk Domestic Bakery. — Advertisement

From The East Hampton Star, December 1

East Hampton has a vast tract of wooded land on its northern boundary with woods roads a-plenty leading from the village to such points as Hands Creek, Cedar Point, Three-Mile Harbor, and numerous other places, all of which are fast becoming popular to the autoist and those who love to ride horseback. Especially in the fall are these wooded roads attractive.

Years ago, our summer residents would scarcely ever venture into the wood, not being familiar with that section. The automobile has changed this as well as many other habits. It is a common occurrence to meet two or three autos when driving in the Northwest woods, and it only goes to show that this number will be greatly increased as the years roll by and the public becomes acquainted with this pretty country.

During the past two or three years, or perhaps longer than that, the residents of the town have removed their rubbish themselves or had it carted away, its usual destination being, however, alongside some of the pretty woods roads we have mentioned. If any of our readers want to see a most unattractive spot and spoilage of natural beauty, they should take a short drive down the old Hands Creek Road. You will not have to go over a quarter of a mile from the outskirts of the village before your attention will be attracted by vast piles of rubbish, tin cans, paper, glassware, twisted wire and everything imaginable. It is a disgrace.

From The East Hampton Star, December 4 Mrs. Percy Ingalls asked that everyone enter the LVIS’s contest for the best outdoor Christmas decorations. Written entries should be made, and the decorations should be ready by Dec. 22; entrants are asked to state whether their decorations will be seen best in daylight or after dark.

The Southampton Hospital to date has cost over $1,600,000. This money was contributed by thousands of generous men and women over the thirty-eight years of the hospital’s existence. It is estimated that to replace the present hospital and its equipment would cost over $2,500,000. The hospital’s financial situation is critical. If this amount is not raised, it will only be a question of time before the hospital will have to consider closing its doors.

A meeting was held this week in Guild Hall to discuss dances to be held during the winter for young people; Ralph C. Frood, chairman of Winter activities; Rev. Nat Griswold, who has held very successful squaredances at the Methodist Church hall; Mrs. Stephen L. Marley, chairman for the junior dances; and Mrs. Warren Whipple talked it over, and further committee meetings will be held shortly.

From The East Hampton Star, November 30

A new road called “Pondview Lane,” beginning at Main Street just northeast of Guild Hall, running in a straight line parallel to Dunemere Lane for 2,800 feet to a dead end, and providing the only access to 13 new houses arrayed to the south of it; this prospect is the first to be pondered by East Hampton Village’s new, two-week-old Planning Board.

The owner of apartments near Sag Harbor’s waterfront should be made to replace cesspools with a sewage treatment plant, a Sag Harbor conservation group maintains. In a recent letter to the Sag Harbor Village Board, the “Sag Harbor Conservationists” noted that the developer, Robert L. Rowe, had signed an agreement two years ago with the Suffolk County Health Department committing him to construct a treatment plant for his 32-unit grouping at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Bridge Street, provided that the Village had not installed by this time a plant to treat the sewage of the business district.

Jack Knowles, the author, was telling us one night how difficult it is to walk his German shepherd through the trails near his house in Noyac these days for fear of the hunters — the pock-a-pock-a-pock boys we get used to with the rising sun these mornings, but we don’t have dogs and good luck, Jack.

We were, however, in the same bar a few nights later, empty it was, save for a young man with a shock of hair straight out of “Skeezix,” having himself a couple, and a bartender I shall call Pete, and myself. The young man had just had his first kill and he was telling us about it and drowning his sorrow or celebrating it at the same time.

“It was weird,” he kept saying.

From The East Hampton Star, December 4

As early as next spring, boaters who tie their vessels to docks and moorings leased from the East Hampton Town Trustees will be required to fasten the valves of their marine heads in the closed position when in port. That would be two, or three, years earlier than proponents of Federal no-discharge zones expected a similar regulation to take effect. The vote, taken on Nov. 25, has marine industry representatives fuming.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Cathy Lester said on Monday that the Trustees’ decision would serve to put boaters on notice, but that enforced no-discharge zones were not expected until spring of 1999 at the earliest.

Rhodes W. Fairbridge, a professor emeritus of geology at Columbia University who is considered an expert on global erosion, has been charged with violating the East Hampton Town Code.

According to papers filed in Justice Court, Mr. Fairbridge allegedly built an illegal 75-foot rock revetment on town property next to his Fresh Pond Road, Amagansett, house, which looks out into Gardiner’s Bay.

The lame duck Republican majority on the East Hampton Town Board hopes to move forward with planned work on the Town Airport’s main runway, although the incoming Democratic Town Board majority is set against it without further environmental review.

As it stands, “It is very definitely the policy of the town that this project should proceed,” Councilman Thomas Knobel said last week, pointing to a string of Town Board resolutions that set the project in motion. Mr. Knobel and Councilman Len Bernard took issue with a headline in last week’s Star stating that a $2.5 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for the project had been canceled.

This is a scene from a November more than 20 years ago. Tell us where and who and you will win your choice of a Star or East hat — 631-324-0002. ✩ No one responded regarding the folks in last week’s contest. We know their names, but do you?

dance of fields at Mashashimuet Park, a short walk away?) Is an artificial turf field worth the unraveling of the good will and vision the preservation fund was founded on?

“Do it for the kids!” is the catchphrase we’ve heard often from supporters of the Marsden Street development. Any Google search will tell you that the kids (right across America) want their leaders to do what’s right for the environment and to make the most of the beautiful nature we have right on our doorstep. Sincerely, HOWARD COLLINGE

Instruction to Kill

Dear David:

North Haven November 21, 2022

When will it stop? When will the radical right stop their constant stream of dangerous lethal lies, and other destructive B.S.? How much more of this warped behavior must we tolerate, as more and more people are viciously murdered?

People like Lauren Bobert use guns in their flamboyant ads, promoting gun rights and arrogant gun-use behavior. They don’t pull the trigger on people directly, but they knowingly incite others. They all share credit for creating circumstances that lead to nutjobs committing mass murders.

This recent shooting in Colorado Springs, Bobert’s own backyard, left five more people dead, and 25 others wounded. That’s 30 lives changed forever, plus the lives of their friends, families, and associates.

Let’s think about just a few of the other recent mass shootings in Colorado in recent years: 1999, Columbine High School, 15 dead; 2012, Aurora movie theater, 12 dead; 2015, Colorado Springs, four dead and three dead at Planned Parenthood; 2021, Boulder, 10 dead and Colorado Springs, seven dead, and 2022, Colorado Springs, five dead at Club Q. That’s just a sample. All those people dead, injured, and otherwise affected, likely amount to far greater than the measly margin of victory Bobert claims in the midterm elections. Is winning by her standards of behavior and rhetoric really worth it?

media. Even this paper shows some remaining nonsense. Although Manny Vilar still claims to represent all Republicans, his pre-midterm flaming accusations have become almost believably conciliatory. Not true for Busy Bea though, who goes on fact-free, as usual. Please understand that the horrible crime statistics she rails about actually apply throughout the “red states.” She should check her facts. Let’s not slip into madness, as has Colorado. The Washington windbags haven’t cleaned up their act much either. Shame on them all.

Some of these awful politicians actually win elections based on their foulmouthed rhetoric. Bobert of Colorado seems to have narrowly won office, and I guess she is satisfied with herself. It’s obvious these mass killings, with weapons that have no business in public hands, are the result of ugly political rhetoric. It’s hard to figure whether they really believe their own B.S., but one must understand how dangerous it is, and how people of weak mind take those words and read them as instruction to kill.

When will it stop? When will election deniers and gun addicts stop their lethal nonsense?

ANTHONY CORON

The Automat

East Hampton November 28, 2022

David, Last week, we had the fortunate pleasure to watch a film on Turner Classics, “The Automat,” directed by Lisa Hurwitz. The film was about two guys, Horn and Hardart, who put together a concept for serving inexpensive quality food in a beautiful setting.

The restaurants were first class, the service impeccable, and the food good. For a nickel (they only used nickels), you could get a coffee or a dessert or a plate of vegetables and chicken. It was all self-service and fast food.

in front of the Z.B.A. on Oct. 23, 2018. The board voted unanimously to deny the application in a decision published in January 2019, finding the applicant did not meet the well-defined standards to secure a natural resources special permit. Among their conclusions, they found that the proposed development “would cause undue disturbance to fragile and important natural features,” that the lot area was “not sufficient, appropriate, or adequate” for the proposed construction, and that it “would be out of character not only with the historic district . . . and would negatively impact the character of the neighborhood.”

Rather than taking into consideration the zoning board’s response and guidance that any development and natural resources disturbance on the property should be the most minimal necessary, instead, the applicant brought an Article 78 legal action to cause the denial decision to be overturned. However, the court upheld the validity of the zoning board’s decision. And, rather than take the court’s ruling under advisement by rethinking and rescoping the plans in order to meet code-based standards, the applicant has appealed the court’s decision and is returning to the zoning board with a revised set of plans, which, as I read them — with the exception of an adjustment to the size and sprawl of the pool patio — are substantially similar in mass and scope as their first go at this.

David, much as you wrote in a recent editorial, “All hail the wild places; we can never have too many of them,” this southern section of Atlantic Avenue, and this half-acre slice of it, is something of “a wild place.” I hope we can all come together to protect it.

Sincerely,

JAINE MEHRING

A Suggestion

To the Editor,

Amagansett November 28, 2022

It seems the town code has become only a suggestion. Refusing to follow it has become the norm. Perhaps everyone just feels emboldened to go rogue. Then again, you only notice these things if you care.

Still here, JOE

KARPINSKI

Misuse of Funds

Sag Harbor November 21, 2022

To the Editor, I write in response to recent articles published in The East Hampton Star on the proposed Marsden Street athletic field. While this has been viewed simply as an addition of a sports field, the far-reaching consequences have not been addressed.

If the Marsden Street properties are acquired using community preservation fund money, it will become a landmark case study for future generations, an example of misuse of funds for development and expansion across the entire East End; of bending interpretations of Southampton Town Code to serve a relatively small group of athletes; of acting against the interests of young people in Sag Harbor and across the East End who overwhelmingly support environmental preservation over development of any kind, and of approving an expen-

An investigation will drag on, but we already know why this happened. Colorado used to be known for its wonderful scenery and bountiful, healthy outdoor activity. World-class skiing, fishing, mountaineering, and many other healthful activities always drew a population of accomplished and kind people, as I recall from the days I had vacation property there years ago. What the hell happened to that state — and to the rest of our country?

Politicians’ standards have degraded to lies, wielding guns, and spewing hate speech. They actually threaten their own constituents! Today, it’s Bobert in Colorado. Other days, it’s other rightwing flaming zealots from other states. After the midterm elections we still see poisonous rhetoric throughout the

The owners believed that everyone should have a place to eat that they could afford. They refused to discriminate against anyone — not women or kids or people of color. They treated their workers as family. They created a big food-service business in a way that had never existed. They created a model that was perfect for feeding large groups of people with dignity. At their peak, they supposedly fed 10 percent of Philadelphia every day. They also made out pretty well.

When one contrasts the automat with what exists today, it is easy to realize that we’ve been substantially dehumanized by our obsession with money. The bottom line is the only line and it’s hardly a straight one.

Maybe the model of the automat is no longer possible in our dysfunctional world but it needs to be revisited, if only because the people in the film represent a spiritual and human awareness that we seem to have left to previous generations.

NEIL HAUSIG

Recorded Deeds

The prices below have been calculated from the county transfer tax. Unless otherwise noted, the parcels contain structures.

BRIDGEHAMPTON

104 Halsey L.L.C. to SMGP L.L.C., 104 Halsey Lane, Sept. 29, $15,500,000.

EAST HAMPTON A. Lloyd Schaumloffel to 27 Guernsey L.L.C., 27 Guernsey Lane (vacant), July 12, $815,000.

MONTAUK

Allison and John Carroll to 104 West Lake Drive L.L.C., 104 West Lake Drive, June 1, $1,425,000.

NOYAC

Deborah Losee to Orkun Gonul, 41 Noyac Harbor Road, May 26, $998,000.

SAG HARBOR

Landes Commercial Real Estate L.L.C. to 1742 Sag Bridge Turnpike L.L.C., 1742 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike (commercial), July 5, $3,300,000.

Sag Harbor Antique Fire Trucks Inc. to Town of Southampton, 426 Main Street (commercial), Oct. 5, $775,000.

Gristmill

SOUTHAMPTON

Ice Lender XXI L.L.C. to 51 Blackwatch Court L.L.C., 51 Blackwatch Court, July 15, $1,450,000.

Lorraine Duryea to Whelan Martino Real Estate Development L.L.C., 32 Inlet Road East, Sept. 12, $830,000.

SOUTHAMPTON VILLAGE Nicolai Nielsen to 36 Windmill Lane L.L.C., 36 Windmill Lane (commercial), July 14, $3,950,000.

North Main 509 L.L.C. to Louis and Maria LaRose, 509 North Main Street, July 20, $2,800,000.

SPRINGS

Ann D. Balliro to Lincoln Pilcher, 791 Springs-Fireplace Road, June 8, $2,525,000.

WATER MILL

Marianne and Eugene Santa Cattanina to Shea Meadow L.L.C., 899 North Sea Mecox Road, July 22, $7,387,500.

Data provided by The Real Estate Report.

Continued from B1 small-screen silliness. These days, despite what seems like society’s continued disintegration, we have any number of new and different golden ages, from children’s picture books to young-adult novels to scripted television for streaming services, even as the demand for “content” clearly outpaces quality. But enough of that. It’s late and I need to sneak in another episode of “The While Lotus.” Baylis Greene

Guestwords

Continued from B1 most romantic spot. Probably because I’d never seen him play. And three’s a crowd. We spoke Spanish, his heavily Portuguese-accented, difficult to under-

stand, the conversation halting, plus he never asked anything about me. A super-private man. All I found out was his full name, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, and sparse details about his life — he had a house in the Hamptons, a wife. And kids. A deal breaker.

Then, boom, I got it. I was arm candy. I could stop sweating for Mrs. Pelé, the gawkers, our awkward connection, and enjoy the show, bask in the glow of a folk hero.

They dropped me off at midnight. No kiss goodnight, too crowded. A sport, a gent, he said he’d call again. (He did.) My claim to fame: I’d shown him roller disco dancing. Safe to say, I got a kick out of Pelé. The GOAT.

The fate of the skates? A series of closets. They’re in storage now. I know exactly where they are. Just in case. Que me digas? What say, Pelé?

Point of View

Continued from B1

one who asks how people are, not me. I should follow her lead in that.

In the end, it’s the silence that gets you when it’s all over, when the tumult and shouting at the now forlorn dining room table’s done, and when those who made everything fun have left, and when you surprise yourself by saying, “Come back, come back, let’s do it again.”

Jack Graves

n THE CLASSIFIEDS n

REACHING MORE HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES THAN ANY OTHER CLASSIFIEDS EAST OF THE SHINNE COCK CANAL

CLASSIFIED RATES AND STYLES

REGULAR $1.00 per word for first insertion. Ten word minimum.

$0.85 per word for repeats of the same ad BOXED - $15.00 per week additional charge.

ILLUSTRATED - $20 per week additional charge.

AD-VANTAGES For items up to $200 only. Ten word maximum

No copy changes allowed.

$5.00 single insertion. $10 for up to four weeks.

FREE ADS Lost or found pet, bereavement/illness cards of thanks, and other community thank-you notes.

Two week maximumfor pet ads. One week for all others.

Spanish language ads that duplicate ads placed in English.

La duplicacion en español de los avisos camerciales publicados en inglés. Llame para más detalles.

CLASSIFIED DEADLINE: MONDAY AT 5:00 P.M.

Items

Ad-Vantages

LINDT STYMEIST – YO HAN dinner plates. $200. 631276-9651.

Giveaways

SOFA – Large sectional with corner unit. White. Call 631-3242823.

Articles for Sale

FIREWOOD – Cord $440. Half $220. Delivered and stacked. Sea soned dry wood. Locally owned. Joe Benanti 631-636-9175.

FIREWOOD – Seasoned. $410 cord (delivered and stacked), $350 cord (dumped). $225 1/2 cord (delivered and stacked), $195 1/2 cord (dumped). Jim, 631-921-9957.

FOR SALE – Mitchell & Gold beige sofa, 72 in. and chair. Ask ing $250. Please call 631-3294804.

MOVING OUT – Outdoor dining table with 8 chairs, $500. Tempur-Pedic California king mattress, $500. 2 vintage wicker chairs $300. Bric-a-brac, pottery, sculptures, posters, paintings, outdoor furniture Call Isa in Sag Harbor, 646-337-7425.

VINTAGE ARTWORK – By important local artists: Syd Sol omon, Esteban Vicente, David Porter, Sydney Butchkes, Eric Ernst, Zacharias, Arnold Hoff man, Sheila Isham, Rose Liccardi and many, many others. Call Roc co, 631-537-1095.

Articles Wanted

SILVER DOLLARS – Gold dollars pre 1964 ($20-$1,000). Also Pre 1964 dimes, quarters and half dollars. We buy and sell Eu ros. We buy gold (10k, 14k, 18k, 24k). Contact Bernard at Village Hardware East Hampton, 631324-2456.

Retail Tag Sales

HOLIDAY POP UP – Bou tique. Vintage and new designer clothing. handbags, couture, and costume jewelry. Chic home de cor. 8 fabulous vendors. Decem ber 9 and 10. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wain scott Chapel. 65 Main Street, Wainscott. 11975.

Yard Sales

116 NORFOLK – Drive. Sat urday, December 3. Estate sale. Partial home contents sale. Bar gain prices. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

TAG TEAM ESTATE SALE 31 MORRISON LANEWATERMILL 12/2 - 12/3 9:30 A.M.-4 P.M.

THIS SALE IS NOT TO BE MISSED! We are selling the contents of a beautifully appointed estate on Mecox Bay designed by Michael Smyth. Items of interest include fine art , vintage French posters, huge collection of vintage iron toy soldiers, high end antiques, beautiful accessories for the home, designer clothes and so much more! For photos and details visit Tagteamestatesale.com

Pets

MAINE COON – Kittens. Gor geous pure white, red, traditional tabby. Healthy, raised under foot. Please call Alison 934-222-1707.

SMART CLEANING – Ser vices. We provide professional, specialized and designed clean ing services to your needs for your residential, commercial, construction cleaning as well as real estate services for homes of all types and sizes in Suffolk County. Call or text for your free estimate! 631-310-2945 or 631494-8328.

EAST HAMPTON STAR CLASSSIFIEDS

The Best Value for your advertising dollar! Call 631-324-0002.

Employment

Help Wanted

ARTIST STUDIO – Assis tant. East Hampton location 2-3 days per week (Monday-Friday). Flexible hours (4-6 hours per day). Should be someone with some experience with studio ma terials and practices. Salary com mensurate with skills and experi ence Send bio and cover letter to eb@ eugenebrodsky.com

BOOKSELLERS

Sag Harbor Books & Southampton Books Now Hiring Full-Time & Part-Time Email to apply info@southamptonsagharbor books.com

SEEKING EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER, For elderly gentleman. East Hampton 917-645-2696.

CBD RETAIL SALES – Parttime initially. Knowledge of CBD helpful but will train the right person. Great working environ ment. Employee discounts. Call Bill, 631-901-5119 for more info.

ELECTRICAL/ MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Local Manufacturer of security equipment has an opening for a fulltime entry level electrical engineering position. We offer a very competitive salary and benefits package. Email resumes to John@ Dortronics.com view website www.Dortronics. com

GROUND PERSON – Want ed. Top pay based on experience. Unmatched benefits for the industry. Good working atmo sphere. No experience required. Year-round, full-time work. 631287-7125.

HVAC – Tech. Bridgehamp ton. HVAC technician position capable of plumbing, electrical and HVAC skills responsible for performing repairs, troubleshoot ing, preventative maintenance and emergency service, full-time 401k with employer match med ical paid time off paid holidays competative salary and bonuses training and development ca reer advancement opportunities, great work environment . 631537-0193 ext. 112.

IRON OPPORTUNITY. Get paid to learn a trade. Custom metal business seeks competent and creative person for entry level position. Please contact 631-329-2966.

LP GAS – Tech. Needed with experience. Full-time or Parttime. Full-time employees re ceive generous benefits pack age. Call 631-668-9169 or email resume to darikian@marshalland sons.com

SOUTHAMPTON BOOKS SAG HARBOR BOOKS RARE BOOK CATALOGER Office Position Call/ Email to apply 631283-0270 info@south amptonsagharborbooks.com

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

NEW BUSINESS – Tallie’s Tonics, LLC. Specializing in small batch, handcrafted oils, soaps and more founded by Ni cole O’Brien. More information about individual orders, and wholesale pricing, email no brien@talliestonics.com. #hand crafted_oils

TAKE NOTICE – Any entry on Gardiner’s Island whether for hunting, clamming, fishing, trap ping, the taking of shellfish or any other purpose is trespassing and is strictly forbidden under penalty of the law. The Trustees of Gardiner’s Island.

Home Services

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS

Call Joe for free estimate. Licensed/Insured. 631-680-6561.

BENNETT HOUSE WATCHING - Checking on your home while you’re out of town. Monthly rates. www.

BennettHouseWatching.com or @Gmail

CARPENTRY – Decks, roof ing, siding. 631-324-0920 or 631377-0321.

EXPERT PAINTING – In terior, exterior, power washing, staining. Licensed/Insured. 631324-0920 or 631-377-0321.

Found

FOUND IN – Amagansett. Please call 631-499-5022, ask for Maureen. I.D. was sent to Turk ish Consulate, 821 1st Ave, New York, N.Y. 212-351-7200.

ELECTRICAL – Contractor looking for Mechanics, Jr. Me chanics and Helper. Experience preferred. Must have transpor tation, hand tools, clean license and speak fluent English. Salary based on experience. Company based in Wainscott. Call 631267-6500.

EXECUTIVE CHEF – High volume seasonal seafood restau rant seeking executive chef with seafood experience, expediting and working with runners. Re sume. Please call 631-660-1991.

FARM FIELD MANAGER

GOSMAN’S FISH MARKET IS SEEKING A PART-TIME maintenance person for approximately 15-20 hours per week. General repairs and maintenance of facility and equipment. Mechanical experience preferred (as well as some electrical, painting and carpentry).

Wage commensurate with experience and qualifications. Please contact 631-668-2447 or email bryan@gosmans.com if interested.

HOW TO PLACE YOUR AD

CALL - 631-324-0002 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ONLINE - Visit easthamptonstar.com Available all day, every day.

153 Main Street • P.O. Box 5002 East Hampton, N.Y. 11937

Phone: 631-324-0002 classy@easthamptonstar.com

PLUMBER NEEDED – With experience. Full-time or Parttime. Full-time employees re ceive generous benefits pack age. Call 631-668-9169 or email resume to darikian@marshalland sons.com

RECEPTIONIST – Seeks receptionist, licensed Veterinary Technician and veterinary as sistants. Will train. Competitive salary and benefits. Saturdays a must. Full-time or part-time. Southforkanimalhospital.com Email resume sfah@optonline. net SALES – East Hampton Ad vance Auto Parts looking for commercial salesperson, 45 hours, full-time. Benefits avail able, 401k vacation and sick time, employee discount. Automotive experience necessary. Apply on line or call the store and ask for manager. www.advanceautoparts. jobs 631-324-8877.

SITTER FOR – 8 year old boy needed for Thanksgiving week, Wednesday-Sunday and alter nate weekends tabcaputo18@ gmail.com

SPRAY TECH – IPM mon itor. Established tree company looking for a motivated individ ual with valid New York State driver’s license and communica tion skills. Offering competitive wages and benefits. Field Plant ID a bonus. 631-287-7125.

TRUCK DRIVER – Wanted. Class 1 or Class 3 License. Good Pay and Benefits. Contact: 631267-6502.

WANTED 911!!!!!!! EAST HAMPTON TOWN HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTIN NEED OF SNOW PLOW DRIVERS. BOTH CDL DRIVERS TO DRIVE OUR TRUCKS AND DRIVERS THAT HAVE THEIR OWN TRUCKS AND PLOWS. NEED IMMEDATELY FOR THIS COMING SNOW SEASON. CALL 631324-0925 OR STOP BY THE OFFICE AT 258 SPRINGS FIREPLACE RD EAST HAMPTON NY 11937.

Jobs Wanted

CAREGIVER – Certified CNA. Experienced in nursing home/ and in home Montauk. 954-319-6819.

CAREGIVER – Experienced caregiver available. CNA certi fied with 25 years experience. 631-258-0828.

Real Estate for Rent

SAG HARBOR – 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Affordable. Waterfront dock. Share or rent whole house. 917-848-0456.

SERENITY – $500/week, 1/1 2 month minimum, available un til 3/1/23. WiFi, cable, utilities included. Quiet 3 acres. South ampton. 516-306-9409.

HousesYear Round

EAST HAMPTON – Pri vate separate one bedroom cottage on Three Mile Har bor. Full kitchen and bath, laundry, private patio and side yard, lots of light. Available im mediately. $3,250 per month, plus utilities. Call or text 917-628-4435.

Rooms

BEAUTIFUL – Second-floor suite for one person in quiet Springs neighborhood close to everything. Private entrance, large bedroom, private living room, private bath. No kitchen, but has small fridge, microwave, kettle for light food prep. Now through Sept. 15, 2023, with possible extension, $1,975 per month including utilities. No smoking or pets. Excellent ref erences and one month security required. Text 631-379-4848

ROOM RENTAL – Springs, East Hampton. Room for rent in quiet Springs home. Private bath. Furnished. Laundry, WiFi, cable and heat included. Walk to bay beaches. Healthy lifestyle envi ronment. $1,250/month. Avail able as soon as December 10, or Jan. 1, for winter or year-round rental. email danrattray@hotmail. com

SPRINGS – Sanctuary. A beau tifully furnished room for one/ two guests. Clean, quiet, cre ative, restful. Small dog possible. 631-402-2391 text/call.

Commercial Rentals

HAMPTON’S OFFICE UNITS FOR LEASE Southampton, Sag Harbor, East Hampton

FLEXIBLE SIZES / FLEXIBLE TERMS Jeff Sztorc 631-903-5022 Hal Zwick 631-678-2460 Compass Commercial

RESTAURANT – Great op portunity to lease year-round restaurant located in historic Montauk Manor. Great kitchen, fabulous cocktail bar in lobby with fireplace. Reasonable rent. Seats 84 inside/outside. Call Jan ice Nessel, 631-668-4400.

FREE ADS – Lost or found pets, cards of thanks and other community thank-yous. Call 631324-0002 to learn more!

MISSING CAT

Narla, a young tiger striped cat has been missing since Thanksgiving Day from the Hands Creek Rd. East Hampton area. Please call 516-578-6655 or 631-599-3340 if you have seen her or have any other information concerning her whereabouts.

HANDYMAN – Carpenter. Interior and exterior jobs, fram ing and decks, roofing and siding, painting, tile, sheetrock. 631-4138959.

HANDYMAN – Carpentry, painting, fencing, cleanup, gar dening etc. Call 631-255-1874.

HANDYMAN – Painting, car pentry, repairs, powerwashing, cleanups. Carlos Munoz, 631375-9209.

HOUSE WATCHING – And Dog Walking. Also getting your home ready for the weekend, holidays, etc. Local woman, great references. Call June at 631-2414288 for more information.

PAINTING – Quality Paint ing. Serving the Hamptons since 1983. Reasonable rates. Interior, exterior. Free estimates, many references. Licensed & Insured. 631-329-0055 or 631-827-3902.

Share the Harvest Farm, a small non profit farm in East Hampton, NY, has an immediate year round position available as a Farm Field Manager. Multi crop farm experience utilizing organic sustainable methodology and tractor hours are a prerequisite. Salary commensurate with experience. For further info regarding the farm please see: www. sharetheharvestfarm.

org. Contact: info@ sharetheharvestfarm.org

FLOOR MANAGER – For seasonal high volume seafood restaurant, with experience man aging the floor, and Micros sys tems. Resume. Please call 631660-1991.

GARDEN LOVERS – Help Montauk Historical Society spruce up the gardens at Sec ond House Museum. Clean up, weeding, cultivating, planting. Candidate should be willing to take direction and work in dependently. Part-time, flex ible days and hours, ideally 2 half-days per week. Pay $18./ hr. Please send inquiries to jonathan@montaukhistorical society.org

Houses-Summer

2 BEDROOM HOME – Cozy new 2 bedroom home in East Hampton, backyard private oa sis, 10 minute walk into town, 5 minute walk to Round Swamp, 5 minute drive to town beaches, location, location, location!! Text 631-413-0202.

AMAGANSETT – Village summer rental. 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. heated pool, A/C. 1 acre. Walk to ocean, village, Jit ney. Memorial Day-Labor Day, $100,000. Call 516-659-5976.

Houses-Winter

FOR RENT!

December through April. Minutes to East Hampton, Wainscott, and Sag Harbor. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (2 full), amazing living spaces. furnished beautifully not like a rental at all! Tons of light, wood stove, every room is stunning. Open to a few roommates to share the house. A pet is possible. $4,950, utilities. Call 970-921-3197.

LOCATION! SIDEWALK TO EAST HAMPTON VILLAGE , LEAVE THE CAR AT HOME, BRING YOUR SUITCASE.

Architect Post Modern Designed, high end furnishings, 3 bedroom home 5 minute drive to fantastic ocean beaches, Mid-century postmodern 2 floors. 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, modern interior. Suitable for up to 4 people, pet friendly. Bright, many windows, & skylights. Large yard, pet friendly, living room with great brick fireplace. Close to everything East Hampton has to offer. 3 queen beds, modern furnishings, linens, A/C, internet, 2 flat screen TVs. $4,600 plus utilities per month, Avail. December 10th 2022 to June 10th, 2023 maybe flexible on dates. contact: sidewalktotown@ gmail.com

The East Hampton Star reaches an average of 34,600 readers each week, including over 2,000 readers in Manhattan.

(That’s 34,600 people who pay to see your ad.)

Call 631-324-0002.

Newspapers still enjoy what matters most to any medium – the best audience. A recent Buzzfeed survey reports that American adults cite print newspapers as their most trusted source. 74% of American adults trust print newspapers. 69% of American adults trust newspaper websites –making them the second most trusted source.And their premium, brand-safe environments lend trust and credibility to businesses advertising there.*

Newspapers still enjoy what matters most to any medium – the best audience. A recent Buzzfeed survey reports that American adults cite print newspapers as their most trusted source. 74% of American adults trust print newspapers. 69% of American adults trust newspaper websites –making them the second most trusted source.And their premium, brand-safe environments lend trust and credibility to businesses advertising there.*

Long Island Books Off the Rails

By Genie Chipps henderson

Read this book. Here’s why. Fiction though this novel may be, it is no fiction as to what is going on in our country. How did we get to this red and blue firing line? When I was growing up in the long-ago post-World War II world, Republicans and Democrats were more or less congenial neighbors. Differences yes, debate certainly, but lies, fantasies, grim and desperate conflict? No. Just as most of us were glued to the recent elections, so opens A.M. Homes’s riveting novel “The Unfolding.” Chilling, funny, scary are also words that come to mind. It is 2008 and Barack Hussein Obama has just been elected the 44th president of the United States. While millions cheer, dancing in the streets in celebration, not so our main character, known only as the Big Guy, a rich, white, die-hard Republican for whom the election of a Black man to the White House is a major traumatic event. It goes beyond racism, signaling to him the beginning of the end of an America that is meant to be run by, well, rich, white Republicans. This very basic tenet of American life has been breached and the Big Guy plans to do something about it. And what he plans brings this novel, a satire of sorts, into a dark place indeed. But Ms. Homes brilliantly feeds her readers with char acters and situations of fine-tuned satiric observation so that the sting of this fiction is not quite so painful as the realness of the world we live in.

“The Unfolding” is also a family saga opening on the Big Guy with his wife and daughter in Phoenix in anticipation of a celebratory win for their chosen candidate, John McCain. Meghan, who has flown home from boarding school in Virginia to vote for the very first time and who admires her glad-handing father, and Charlotte, the dutiful wife though reluctant partygoer (save for the steady flow from the drinks table), stand around the high-rollers cocktail party looking at the crowd.

Hamptons Doc Fest Is Now 15

Opinion Into the Woods

By Jennifer Landes

The Southampton Arts Center has established itself as having a com munity approach to programs, whether concerts or film series, studio or meditation classes, talks or dance, and even programs for children.

Its exhibition space is handled much the same way. The old Parrish Art Museum galleries are finding new life through a talented pool of curatorial talent and their unique visions for how to show local artists thematically.

The latest exhibition of this nature is “A Celebration of Trees,” which has taken over every inch of the space. It features artwork by well-known and less familiar names from the East End juxtaposed with some interna tional art stars.

Here, Laurie Dolphin, Daniela Kronemeyer, and Coco Myers are the curators in charge, and their selections for this “ecological multimedia art exhibition created to educate and expand thought and consciousness about the world’s vast network of trees” are too many to list.

So let’s take a look at some highlights and celebrate some trees. As numerous as the mediums in the show (paintings, sculpture, photographs, even Susanna Bauer’s leaves and cotton thread) are the interpretations of the subject matter and theme. Many are quite literal but others can take a less direct turn, like Idoline Duke’s “Tree of Life,” a beautiful blue-andwhite, Eastern-inspired meditation, or Freeman Vines’s guitars made out of hanging trees and Tim Duffy’s photos of him with them.

Charles Gaines’s whispered drawings are quite literal but barely there, and the extra effort to see them increases a viewer’s engagement. Jack Leigh’s photos are straightforward in black-and-white gelatin silver prints, Continued on C2

By mark seGaL

Hamptons Doc Fest will celebrate its 15th an niversary with a six-day program of 25 docu mentaries, starting today at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor and the Sag Harbor Cinema.

A highlight will be the presentation of the Penne baker Career Achievement Award to Sam Pollard on Saturday evening, by the filmmaker Lana Jokel, the award’s sponsor, and Chris Hegedus, D.A. Pennebak er’s partner and co-director.

During his 50-year career as a director, producer, and editor, Mr. Pollard has won multiple Peabody and Emmy Awards, as well as an Academy Award nomina tion for the 1997 documentary “4 Little Girls,” directed by Spike Lee, edited and co-produced by Mr. Pollard. He has shown four previous films at Doc Fest, includ ing the festival award winners “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me” (2015) and “Citizen Ashe” (2021).

This year’s Pennebaker award program will begin at 7 with a reception at Bay Street Theater. The pre sentation will begin at 8, followed by a screening of Mr. Pollard’s newest film, “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power.” Co-directed by Geeta Gand bhir, the film celebrates the people of that Alabama county who risked their lives in 1960 to win suffrage for its residents, 80 percent of whom were Black and unregistered to vote.

The festival’s opening-night film, to be shown this evening at 7:30 at the Sag Harbor Cinema, is Camille Hardman and Gary Lane’s “Still Working 9 to 5,” which takes a fresh look at the 1980 comedy classic

Big Things Cooking at FoodLab

By Christopher GanGemi

Winter approaches, but there’s a feeling of spring in the air at the FoodLab at the Stony Brook South ampton campus.

In October, Stony Brook named Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz its director of FoodLab education, and starting Jan. 17 Food Lab will offer two new community courses in small-scale agriculture.

“There’s so much happening here. A big buzz about farm ing,” said Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz, who, until this summer, taught about the intersection of agriculture and technology at Bridgehampton High School. She is looking to regenerate the FoodLab, slowed by the Covid pandemic and funding issues.

The mission of the FoodLab is to study the food-related issues facing the world, especially how to feed a population that just surpassed eight billion. Climate change and dimin ishing natural resources will add to the challenge, and preparing the future work force is a goal.

“We want to be the place to train the next generation of local farmers and food producers,” said Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz.

“We started FoodLab for the good of the campus and for the good of the community,” said Robert Reeves, the associate provost of the Stony Brook Southampton graduate arts campus. FoodLab will operate out of the Lichtenstein Center.

“We’ve gotten some more funds to help develop an edu cation wing, which has always been part of the long-term plan,” he said. “Three large donors gave $750,000 to be spread over the next three years to see what develops. Judi ann is a gifted food educator, and this is a perfect match for what she wants to do. She’s going to build a wonderful edu cation wing.”

Agritourism is the potato of today’s East End farm. At a recent lantern walk at Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett, 200 participants showed up to design lanterns out of Ball Jars and then take a simple sunset stroll around the field.

When the walk ended, an attractive cafe and retail space awaited attendees, offering Amber Waves’ own hot sauces, vegetables, and trucker caps. Welcome to a successful East End farm in 2022. All on under 10 acres.

It’s that sort of interest and positive energy surrounding East End farms and farm culture, in addition to the region’s storied agricultural history, that Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz believes has the potential to breathe new life into the FoodLab.

“Are you interested in being a farmer but didn’t inherit the family farm?” asks the class teaser at thefoodlab.org. “Master the methodology and techniques of successful and regener ative small-scale farming (10 acres and under) in FoodLab’s Small-Scale Farming training program.”

Ian Calder-Piedmonte, a co-owner of Balsam Farms, will teach the class, which acts as a supplement to J.M. Fortier’s the Garden Market Institute Masterclass. J.M. Fortier is an internet rock star of small-scale farming.

“I plan on localizing Mr. Fortier’s program. Having his class is a great benefit. Students will get that with the added per spective of a local small-scale farmer. I’ve learned a lot and I plan on being a great resource for students. I’m happy to be involved,” said Mr. Calder-Piedmonte.

Students who complete the class can apply for a paid internship at Amber Waves for the spring and summer.

“My vision is to connect a lot of the players in this space together through the FoodLab,” said Ms. Carmack Fayyaz. “We want to create a pipeline so people can get to where they want to go in the industry.”

“The

After the screening, Susan Lacy, the creator of the “American Masters” series on PBS, will interview the directors, Larry Lane, the executive producer, and Ellen Cassedy, co-founder of 9to5, the National Asso ciation of Working Women.

Also showing today, at 5 p.m. at Bay Street, is “Fashion Reimagined,” this year’s winner of the fes

tival’s Environmental Award. Directed by Becky Hutner, the film follows Amy Powney, designer of the London brand Mother of Pearl, who set out in 2018 to produce an “ethical and sustainable” fashion col lection.

“Last Flight Home,” which garnered the Film maker Impact Award for Ondi Timoner, tells the story of the director’s father, Eli Timoner, who founded Air Florida, a low-cost carrier that experienced great suc cess and devastating setbacks.

Soren Sorensen’s “Omar Sosa’s 88 Well-Tuned Drums” was named the winner of the Art and Inspi ration Award from the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation. The film is a portrait of the Cuban-born jazz pianist and composer, who performs as many as 100 concerts across six continents every year.

“Four Winters,” Julia Mintz’s film about partisan Jewish resistance during World War II, won the Human Rights Award. The last surviving fighters tell their stories through interviews, family photographs, and archival footage.

The closing night film, set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Bay Street, is “All That Breathes.” Directed by Shaunak Sen, it is the story of two brothers in New Delhi who keep a bird hospital in their tiny basement, caring for thousands of injured birds against the back ground of the city’s collapsing ecology and rising social tensions.

Tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the cinema, a special pro gram will honor National Geographic Films for the Continued on C4

“You can’t just grow a crop and feed a family anymore,” she continued. “You need to be business savvy as well. We’re gearing up to prepare people and give them the tools they need to succeed.”

A

“We’ll provide the education, Amber Waves provides the apprenticeship, and then we’ll connect them with the land preservationists when they’re ready to start their own place.

I see a whole generation of people who are interested in local

programs are for anyone who is interested in transi tioning into the agriculture and food business. They’re also for anyone who is already in the field and wants to develop additional skills. Or even for foodies who simply want to be more involved in the production of food,” she said.

course taught by Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz, How to Start and Develop a Food Business, begins in February. Through case studies, interviews, and podcasts, students will learn what made some businesses successful, while others failed.

that starred Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman. The film explores the evolu tion of gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace since 1980.

By February, Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz hopes this greenhouse will be full of students taking a horticulture workshop.

Courtesy of Judiann Carmack Fayyaz

Sam Pollard, a director, producer, and editor, is the recipient of this year’s Hamptons Doc Fest Penne baker Career Achievement Award. CB Grubb

“Trees 2” is a graphite drawing by Barbara Thomas.

Hamptons Doc Fest celebrates 15 years with a weeklong program of documentaries and talks beginning today. Some of the films to be featured are, clockwise from top left, “The Territory,” “The Thief Collector,” “Four Winters,” and “Fashion Reimagined.”

The Art Scene

By Mark Segal

Kendrick in Conversation

The sculptor Mel Kendrick, who is having a major survey at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, will discuss his practice with Nancy Princenthal, an art critic and contributor to the exhibition catalog, tomorrow at 6 p.m.

“Mel Kendrick: Seeing Things in Things” highlights his four-decade career, showing how he pushes the limits of materials such as wood, rubber, and concrete to create works that reveal the processes by which they were made.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for senior citizens. They are free for museum members and for residents or employees of the Tuckahoe and South ampton school districts; members of the Shinnecock Nation; veterans and active duty military and their families; college students with ID; SNAP recipients, and those 18 and under.

Small Works

ArtSprings Studio, a working artist’s studio and art showcase in Springs, has partnered with Folioeast to present

“Holiday Small Works Art Sale,” which will open on Saturday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and continue through Dec. 23.

The show includes work by Roisin Bateman, Scott Bluedorn, Emily Brown, Mary Anne Citrino, James DeMartis, Diane Englander, Melinda Hackett, Christa Maiwald, Christine Matthai, Pamela Morgan, Leslie Obrock, Barbara Thomas, Aurelio Torres, and Amy Wickersham.

Group Show at AB NY

“Delicious Leftovers,” a group exhi bition, is at AB NY Gallery in East Hampton through December. Partici pating artists are Valley Bak, Elise Ansel, Luke Cooper, Peter Dayton, Darius Yektai, Quentin Curry, Kristy Schopper, Walter Schrank, William Quigley, Barbara Dayton, Jackson O’brasky, Tomasso Fattovich, Alexan der Reinwald, Thomas Kovachevich, and Suzannah Wainhouse.

Into the Woods and Inside the Museum

Continued from C1

which make them more lyrical. Still, his compositions, while including trees, often capture people interacting with them, whether swinging from a rope, sitting in their shade on bleachers, or fishing under one by a stream.

Sculptures are either made of wood, like one of Franco Cuttica’s familiar horses and Aurelio Torres’s shaped and stacked reclaimed lumber, or they offer reasonable facsimiles. Donald Lipski’s recurring sculptures from his “Exqui site Corpse” series fall into the latter category. A result of a collaboration with Jonquil LeMaster, a master artisan of artificial trees, the trunk-like forms are transformed into twists, knots, and a triangle, causing pause and wonder.

Beth Moon’s photographs are also a source of wonder. Looking like flights of fancy, her baobab trees from Africa are quite real and the result of study and

watchfulness as she scouts the best angle and light for capturing them before her shutter clicks. Her negatives are scanned and enlarged on a computer and then used in a complicated process to yield a platinum print. She is known internationally, and her contributions to this show are not to be missed.

Kryn Olson’s apparent trunk cross sec tion, “Savannah’s Heat,” is a Fauvist interpretation in acrylic on canvas and mixed media. It is a good example of min imal means used to express something real and larger than what it first seems.

Arlo Namingha’s “Mother Earth” series is composed of wall sculptures of rich and specific wood types in striated layers or simple blocks in a frame. They have elements such as African mahog any, curly maple, and poplar woods in one piece or poplar, yellow heart, and curly maple in another. The conceptual element of these works adds another

layer to the overall experience of the exhibition and underlines the thought fulness in how the curators went about their work in gathering pieces suitable for it from a variety of directions.

This is just a smattering of what’s available to see from the dozens of art ists assembled, including Shirin Neshat, Kiki Smith, Andy Warhol, April Gornik, Michael Butler, Philippe Cheng, Wil liam King, Ned Smyth, and so many others. No summary can satisfy all of the pieces worthy of mention, so go once and go often to witness this eclec tic, surprising, and captivating mix.

For those in an acquisitive mood for the holidays, many of the works are on

sale, ranging from about $800 to $100,000. It is also worth noting that the show has partnered with the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit orga nization that creates “libraries of old-growth trees for the purpose of functional reforestation.”

The show will close on Dec. 18, and the center is offering a number of pro grams in conjunction with it through Dec. 17, when a closing reception will feature folk music by Elizabeth LaPrelle and Brian Dolphin. Other pro grams, including a free tour of the show by its curators and some of its exhibitors on Sunday at noon, are listed on the center’s website.

South Fork Art Is Down South

By Jennifer landeS

Although the art market is often unpredictable, the art world is steadier, with definite certainties. One of those certainties is that around this time each year galleries from around the world fly to southern Florida with their artists and/or their artwork to participate in one of the many fairs that make up Miami Art Week.

The South Fork is no exception, and those who are planning a visit should keep a lookout for some familiar names and faces. At the big fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, the Eric Firestone Gal lery is in booth F2 and showing the work of Ellsworth Ausby, Judy Bowman, Sally Cook, Abigail DeVille, Martha Edelheit, FUTURA2000, Sana Musa sama, Joe Overstreet, Pat Passlof, Jeanne Reynal, Thomas Sills, Paul Waters, Peter Williams, and Nina Yankowitz.

The gallery describes these artists as a cross-generational group of postwar and contemporary figures who use “rad ical color, intuitive poetics, and inventive techniques to highlight Black American history, women’s perspec tives, and their personal experiences.” Some of the artists will be introduced to this audience for the first time, even if they had success or were part of the artistic elite at earlier points in their careers. Mr. Waters is also represented in the Meridians section of the same fair.

Pace Gallery, which recently closed its East Hampton location, is showing the South Fork artists Lynda Benglis, Julian Schnabel, and Andy Warhol among their headliners. The Montauk part-timer Lisa Spellman’s 303 Gallery has Mary Heilmann, who has a house and studio in Bridgehampton, on its roster of artists at the fair. Hauser & Wirth, which has two galleries in South ampton, is also at the big fair, held at Miami Beach’s convention center. It is

showing, among several artists, work by Gary Simmons. DC Moore has Valerie Jaudon, with others, on view.

The New Art Dealers Association, or NADA, is back at the Ice Palace Stu dios, not far from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts at North Miami Avenue and NE 15th Street.

There, Halsey McKay Gallery can be found in booth 1.12. The gallery is showing artists such as Glen Baldridge, Patrick Brennan, Elias Hansen, Joseph Hart, Raymie Iadevaia, Matthew Kirk, Annabeth Marks, Jagdeep Raina, and Andrew Schoultz.

Also nearby, at the fair that started it all -- Art Miami -- the Mark Borghi gal lery is showing an eclectic selection of art ranging from Abstract Expression ism to Pop, Minimalism, Neo-Dada, and more contemporary styles. Some of the artists associated with the East End with work on view are John Chamber lain, Arshile Gorky, Adolph Gottlieb, John Graham, Ellsworth Kelly, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Mer cedes Matter, Joan Mitchell, Joel Perlman, Richard Prince, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Hedda Sterne, Andy Warhol, and Michael West.

Keyes Art is at booth AM308 in Art Miami with an eclectic group of artists including Peter Beard, Jamie DePasquale, Virva Hinnemo, Alex Katz, Claude Lawrence, John Little, Alfonso Ossorio, Larry Rivers, Ed Ruscha and several more local and international legends.

The fair was held in the Design Dis trict for many years, but has since moved to just north of the Perez Art Museum on the other side of Route 395 on the bay.

The fairs are open through the week end with differing hours and pricing.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or through each fair’s website.

Glen Baldridge’s gouache on paper “No Way Wait What,” from this year, is in the Halsey McKay Gallery booth at the New Art Dealers Association fair in Miami this week.

Kryn Olson’s “Savannah Heat,” an acrylic on canvas and mixed-media piece, left, and Philippe Cheng’s untitled C-print on aluminum are part of “A Celebra tion of Trees” at the Southampton Arts Center. The exhibition is inspired by trees in all their many forms.

Bits and Pieces

‘Winter Fantasia’

Two performances of “Winter Fanta sia,” the annual holiday concert of the Choral Society of the Hamptons, will take place on Sunday afternoon at 3 and 5:30 at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church.

Walter Klauss, a frequent choral soci ety guest director and musical director at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor, will lead the chorus. Profes sional soloists and the South Fork Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Song-A Cho, will accompany the chorus. The program will include works by Michael Altenburg, J.S. Bach, Diet rich Buxtehude, Gerald Finzi, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Tickets are $35, $75 for preferred seating, and $10 for students. Raffle tickets are for sale for $5 or $25 for six, by phone at 631-204-9402 and at the

door. Prizes include cash, local wines, and more.

Guitar Aficionados

The past, present, and future of the guitar will be the subject of a conversa tion among G.E. Smith, Matt Umanov, and John Monteleone at The Church in Sag Harbor tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Mr. Smith, the guitarist and former bandleader on “Saturday Night Live,” has recorded and toured with musicians including Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, and Hall & Oates.

Mr. Umanov began restoring Martin guitars and making electric guitars pro fessionally in the early 1960s, and opened a store in Greenwich Village five years later. While the retail side of the store closed recently, its restoration and repair department continues to serve musicians from all over the world.

Mr. Monteleone began professionally restoring and building stringed instru ments in 1973. He first gained fame for the innovative design of his mandolins.

He has become increasingly respected as a top guitar maker, having introduced

Jazz and Mel Brooks

The Lady Blue Saxophone Quartet will perform a program of jazz standards and seasonal music on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton. The group’s concerts combine talent, musical training, inven tiveness, and humor.

“The Career and Films of Mel Brooks,” a talk by Greg Blank, a Long Island-based filmmaker, film historian, and lecturer, will take place at the library on Monday at 6 p.m. The pre sentation will range from Mr. Brooks’s early days as a Borscht Belt comedian and performer to his iconic comedies, including “Young Frankenstein,”

“Blazing Saddles,” and “The Producers.”

Holiday Market

The Madoo Conservancy in Sagapo nack will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Merry Madoo, its annual hol iday market. Offerings include Madoo-grown paperwhites, lady apple pomanders with vintage velvet ribbons, fresh-cut boughs, pottery from Mae Mougin, and more. Gretchen Comly, Layer, and Local Wool Company will be among the vendors.

The free event will also include chestnuts roasted over an open fire (for those “Christmas Song” fans), hot mulled cider, and, after noon, vin chaud.

Hamptons Doc Fest Celebrates 15 Years

from C1

notable documentaries it has pro duced over the years. Chris Albert, executive vice president of global communications, will accept the award for the company.

The presentation will be followed by a screening of “The Territory,” Alex Pritz’s award-winning film about the fight against deforestation and illegal settlers by the Indigenous Uru-eu-wauwau people of the Brazilian Amazon.

Other films include “Subject,” by Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall, which examines the impacts on people who are subjects of documentaries, and the ethical concerns faced by documentarians.

Allison Otto’s “The Thief Collector” chronicles the 1985 theft of a Willem de Kooning painting from the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The $160 million artwork was rediscovered 32 years later in the bedroom of a New Mexico home.

For 20 years, Patrick Dykstra dedi cated his life to swimming with whales, attempting to communicate with them.

Mark Fletcher’s “Patrick and the Whale” uses dramatic underwater cin ematography to follow Mr. Dykstra on his quest.

“Say Amen, Somebody,” George T. Nierenberg’s 1982 tribute to Thomas A. Dorsey, considered the father of gospel music, and his associate, Willie Mae Ford Smith, will have a 40th anniver sary screening. A conversation with Mr. Nierenberg and Don Lenzer, the film’s cinematographer, will follow.

Chronic Lyme disease is the subject of “The Quiet Epidemic,” Lindsay Keys and Winslow Crane-Murdoch’s film about a young, wheelchair-bound girl from Brooklyn who suffered years of symptoms, and a doctor who needed a heart transplant after misdiagnosed Lyme. Ms. Hegedus, who produced the film, will discuss it with the filmmakers.

Fresh from its East Coast premiere at the Hamptons International Film Fes tival is “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy,” Nancy Buirski’s film that examines both the context and the legacy of the 1969 Oscar winner through film clips, inter views, and archival material.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s “The Grab” chronicles a probe by Nathan Halverson of the Center for Investiga tive Reporting into the covert actions of China and other nations as they have exploited lands and resources in other countries.

“The Smell of Money” by Shawn Bannon follows Elsie Herring in her years-long battle against the powerful pork industry, which moved in, unin vited, to the rural North Carolina property that her grandfather, born into slavery, had purchased after becoming a free man.

“Turn Every Page” illuminates the 50-year relationship between Robert Caro, the author of “The Power Broker” and “The Years of Lyndon Johnson,” and Robert Gottlieb, Mr. Caro’s long time editor. Lizzie Gottlieb, the editor’s daughter, directs, and will discuss the film with Mr. Caro.

Paolo Di Paolo photographed such famous Italians as Bernardo Bertolucci, Anna Magnani, and Marcello Mastroi anni, but his images were hidden away for 50 years before being unearthed by his daughter. The discovery inspired the filmmaker and photographer Bruce Weber to make “The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo.” Mr. Weber will discuss the film with the photographer’s daughter.

The fur-farming industry in Canada and the animal activists who are dedi cated to exposing its consequences are the subjects of “Real Fur,” a film by Taimoor Choudhry, whose discovery of animal cruelty in his native Pakistan, and later in Canada, led him to promote animal rights through film.

Key events during the first 10 weeks after the discovery of Covid-19, which were crucial to the pandemic’s spread, are the subject of Michael Welch’s “COVID Century: The Pandemic Preparedness Dilemma.” The film reveals that Chinese authorities with held crucial information from the international community.

Rosemary Reed’s “Playing in the FM Band: The Steve Post Story” fol lows the life and career of a New York City radio icon who emerged from a difficult childhood to become a cult on-the-air personality with a Satur day-night, free-form broadcast at WBAI-FM for 15 years.

In addition to its many feature films, the festival will include a program of four short documentaries, as well as its annual Young Voices Program for local middle and high school students.

Tickets are $15, $25 for opening night and tribute films, and $50 for the Pen nebaker Award program. A festival pass is $250. The Hamptons Doc Fest web site is the source for tickets and the most up-to-date information about all the directors

who will be present for post-screening discussions.

Continued

a number of innovations, both acoustic and aesthetic.

Tomorrow’s program is held in con junction with the venue’s current

exhibition, “Hand Made: Guitars Accord ing to G.E. Smith and the American Artists’ Hands Archive,” which can be seen through Dec. 22. Tickets are $15.

The Lady Blue Saxophone Quartet will perform a program of jazz standards and seasonal music at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton. Late-breaking

A scene from “The Territory,” set in the Brazilian Amazon,

will be shown in Hamptons Doc Fest’s tribute to National Geographic Doc umentary Films.

BAY STREET

‘What a Season This Will Be!’

By Mark Segal

Bay Street Theater, seeking to build anticipation for next year’s high season, has announced its summer theater schedule, which will launch on May 30 with the world premiere of “Double Helix,” a new musical by Madeline Myers.

Directed by Scott Schwartz, the theater’s artistic director, with chore ography by Addy Chan, “Double Helix” puts to music the story of Rosalind Franklin, whose photograph, now famous, revealed the structure of DNA to be a double helix, but who has been left out, until now, of the dominant narrative about the momen tous discovery.

Ms. Myers’s musicals include “Flat bush Avenue,” “Masterpiece,” and “The Devil’s Apprentice,” which had its world premiere in Copenhagen. Ms. Chan has worked extensively as a choreographer in television, film, and theater.

The upcoming season follows Bay Street’s successful formula of mixing new works with revivals, and musicals with dramas.

Murder,” the suspense thriller made famous by Hitchcock’s 1954 film, will follow “Double Helix.” Directed by Walter Bobbie, the story centers on Tony’s suspicions that his wife, Margot, a wealthy socialite, is having an affair. As he plots to have her killed in a stylish game of cat-and-mouse, the tension mounts.

Mr. Hatcher, who recently adapted Theodore Dreiser’s novel “An Amer ican Tragedy” for the stage, has also written the screenplays “The Good Liar” and “Mr. Holmes.” Mr. Bobbie’s direction of the Broadway hit “Chi cago” earned him Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards.

Bay Street will shift from murder back to music with “Sammy & Me,” an award-winning one-man musical biography of Sammy Davis Jr. written by Wendy Dann and Eric Jordan Young. It is directed by Ms. Dann, whose regional work includes produc tions in Dallas, St. Louis, Syracuse, and Albany, and stars Mr. Young.

The play tells Davis’s story from his vaudeville childhood to the Las Vegas strip. At the same time, it unpacks the complexities experienced by Mr. Young, a Black American producer,

director, choreographer, writer, and actor with extensive Broadway and Off Broadway credits, caught between acknowledging racial identity and trying to transcend it as a performer.

The season will wrap with “Master Class,” Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play from 1996.

Directed by Susan Stroman, a fivetime Tony Award winner, and starring Kate Burton, the daughter of the actors Richard Burton and Sybil Christopher, who was a founder of Bay Street Theater, the play catches up with Maria Callas in the waning years of her life, when she retreats into memories of acclaim and adversity while dealing with her students during a funny and brutal master class in singing.

“Wow, what a season this will be!” said Mr. Schwartz. “From a new musi cal written by a thrilling new voice to a personal and timely one-man show, to cherished plays directed by Tony Award-winning leaders in the Ameri can theater, all four productions will showcase the best that theater can be. To welcome back Kate Burton, not only one of the greatest actors of our time, but also someone who has been a part of Bay Street from the very beginning, is a particular joy for us.”

Subscriptions for the 2023 season are now on sale.

Eric Jordan Young as Sammy Davis Jr. in the musical biography “Sammy & Me,” which will be shown at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor next summer.

A new adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher of Frederick Knott’s play “Dial M for

“Double Helix,” written by Madeline Myers, left, and directed by Scott Schwartz, center, will open Bay Street Theater’s 2023 season. Jeffrey Hatcher, right, adapted Frederick Knott’s play “Dial M for Murder.” Courtesy of Bay Street Theater

News for Foodies

By Jennifer Landes

Dine and Wine Nick and Toni’s restaurant in East Hampton will have a wine pairing dinner celebrating the feast of the seven fishes next Thursday. A sixcourse menu will be paired with wines from Italy with special event pricing for wine orders made that evening through Domaine Franey.

Hors d’oeuvres, which are served with Bisson Vino Frizzante Travigniana from 2021, are baccala with squid ink aioli, fritto misto di mare, shrimp scampi, and roasted little neck clams with pancetta. An antipasti course is a local blackfish crudo with Dorigo Fruili Collo Orientali from 2020. The primi course is local squid with chestnut and salsa verde with Villa Vente Tre Able Bianco Emilia-Romagna IGT from 2021. This is followed by a pasta course of linguini with lobster fra diavolo with Bisson Golfo del Tigullio from 2021. The last course is codfish with fennel and olives paired with Di Majo Dorante Ramitello Molise D.O.C. 2016, fol lowed by a dessert of panettone with candied fruit and whipped ricotta and panforte di Siena with chocolate and hazelnuts. The dessert course is served with Vigneti a Prua Late Harvest D.O.C. 2015.

The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and costs $150, not including tax and tip. Reservations can be made on the restaurant’s website.

Almond Artists

The Artists and Writers series of din ners at Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton continues on Tuesday with LoVid, a duo consisting of Talin Hinkis and Kyle Lapidus, at 7 p.m. Through performances, public art, tex tiles, prints, app-based art, experimental video, and immersive installations, they examine how technology relates to and shapes culture.

A three-course family-style meal will be served with one glass of wine or draft beer for $59, with tax and tip extra. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the restaurant at 631-537-5665.

A Persimmonious Drink

Origen Holistic Spirits, familiar from retailers like Sag Harbor Liquor, Wines by Morrell in East Hampton, Chur chill’s in Bridgehampton, and Amagansett Wine and Spirits has a spe cial drink it is recommending for the holiday season.

The Persimmonious, which was devised by Nick Mautone, has two ounces of vodka, one ounce of St. Ger

in Noyac

celebrating the holidays and invites others to join in the festivities by book ing their parties there, large or small. Menus and seating can be customized to suit the group and gathering. Book ings can be made by calling the restaurant at 631-725-3400 or emailing info@bellandanchor.com.

Also thinking about the holidays is EHP Resort and Marina, which has one and two-bedroom cottages with fire places for holiday getaways. Guests may request holiday decor either predeter mined or delivered to the room for guests to do the honors. Until Jan. 3, the resort will offer a regular or spiked hot chocolate upon arrival, cocktail classes with a holiday theme at Si Si restaurant, wine tastings, holiday cookie baking and decorating kits plus arts and crafts for children, a chauffeured ride to Buckskill Winter Club for ice skating, and a holi day lights tour to either Montauk or Sag Harbor with hot chocolate, holiday treats, music, and photo ops. A midweek stay through the end of December is 20 percent off the regular price. Reserva tions can be made through the website, where other special holiday events are noted, such as Santa visits, caroling, and candlelight tours.

On Shelter Island, Leon 1909 has a special holiday menu designed for groups and a private dining room for intimate affairs. Some of the menu highlights are a red-wine-braised bris ket that serves eight to 10 people with a horseradish creme fraiche, olive bread and butter, mashed potatoes, a kohlrabi and apple salad, roasted baby carrots, and lemon meringue tart. There are also a whole salt-baked striped bass for eight to 10, a whole roasted duck for four to six guests, roasted capon for four to six, and a Syl vester Manor holiday glazed ham for eight to 10. All entrees have similar accompaniments customized for each dish. Information and pricing is avail able through the website.

Big Things Are Now Cooking at FoodLab

Continued from C1

food production, and I want to help break them into the world.”

Geoffrey Drummond will remain as the executive director of the lab.

“We founded the Food Lab in 2015 and Geoffrey developed the confer ences. “He knows everybody in the food world, and has been a wonderful presence as executive director,” said Mr. Reeves.

“The FoodLab is really a convener of food-interested people on the East End,” said Mr. Drummond. “Our main activity and event for these first years has been holding conferences, which we’ll continue, on topics ranging from eating and cooking local to diversity, to food as medicine and culinary entrepre neurship. They were very popular often gaining 200 attendees, but they stopped when Covid hit.”

Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz wants to lever

age the success of the conferences with the new funding to steward the program into new areas of growth.

“Ultimately I want to include horti culture. This whole discussion about food has to include landscape mainte nance,” she said. FoodLab will host horticultural workshops for the commu nity in the Southampton campus greenhouse.

“We’re number one in aquaculture in the state, but with our landscaping prac tices, we’re destroying our local waters. Food is fish. We need to address that,” she said. “Down the line, we hope to change the aesthetic of landscaping, and train the people who are the land scape laborers.”

Interested parties can sign up to receive more information at thefoodlab.org or by emailing Ms. Carmack-Fayyaz at judiann. carmack-fayyaz@stonybrook.edu.

Bell and Anchor, above, in Noyac is marking the holidays with private dinners. Jason Penney

Silver Bell and Others Bell and Anchor restaurant

is

main elderflower liqueur, one ounce of lemon juice, one ounce of simple syrup, and a half of a persimmon, diced. It begins by muddling the syrup and per simmon in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. The rest of the ingredients can then be added and shaken. It should then be poured into two flutes or two coupe glasses and topped with cham pagne and a sprig of mint.

Nick and Toni’s

Long

Island Books: Off the Rails

Her mother takes a piece of celery from a crudité sculpture. “Have this, it’ll keep you occupied and away from the —” “Penis nuts,” Meghan says.

Her mother smiles. Penis nuts.

That’s what her mother calls com munal bowls of nuts. There are things one teaches a young girl: never eat the penis nuts. Men don’t wash their hands after they use the facilities. They sink their paws into the nuts while they’re waiting for a drink. If you must eat, take some thing that’s sticking straight up, celery, a cheese stick, a carrot, but god forbid, don’t dip it into any thing; that’s the other weak spot, double-dippers.

Both Charlotte and Meghan, intro duced as mere satellites to the Big Guy, are poised to reinvent themselves as the story unfolds. Charlotte, a clever, intriguing, and most extraordinarily articulate alcoholic, soon departs for the Betty Ford Clinic. And Meghan, return ing to Virginia, finds the first of many hidden truths ahead for her while riding her horse in the woods near her school.

Years prior another student was mur dered there, and learning this Meghan feels “the threat of outside forces.” Had she known about the murder she might not have taken her own chances at being alone in those woods.

“Indeed,” the wise headmistress says. “That is the question. Does know ing empower or inhibit? . . . One wants to believe that there are systems in

South Fork Poetry

‘He Said, She Said’

By Dianne Moritz

“If you’re angry,” he said, “dig deep for the source.”

Should I dance on Daddy’s grave?

“Relief for rage,” she said, “is boxing, karate, running. Take revenge on terra firma.”

“Try writing,” he said.

“It’s good therapy.”

“Punch pillows,” she said.

Weighing the choices, I take up the mighty pen. Writing, righting my life . . .

With an illusive stab, or two.

place that protect us; but, in fact, we are all a little more on our own than one might realize.”

All that Meghan believes to be true, all that her father has led her to believe to be true now begins to come into question. Meghan is a smart young woman and she handles her father in ways that sometimes belie her years. Yet it will be Charlotte, newly recovering from addiction, who voices the solid truths to the inner workings and subter fuge of power-seeking politicos.

A.M. Homes Marie Sanford of the American people. And those very people, the average Joes, were prime fodder for the power seekers.

“Whether or not I care about Joe is irrelevant,” the Big Guy says. “We need to harness the power of Joe; there are millions of Joes in this country; we need to bring Joe into the fold. And if Joe doesn’t know the difference between number one and number two, that’s fine — we just have to tell him what to think. We remind him that in America democracy is capitalism, guns, and lower taxes. Because Joe is the one who is going to get the work done.”

As his family begins to disintegrate, the Big Guy is actively pulling together a strange cabal of manic thinkers with deep pockets of dark money to further his plans to regain the God-given rights of wealthy, white American males. No brief review can color in these nefarious characters, but they are fascinating, relentless, and alarmingly all too real.

Ms. Homes is a master of dialogue, and these gents deliver with snap and crackle their disturbing thoughts and jibes over extravagant meals, hunting expeditions, and the links.

“The Unfolding” has been called prescient, and it is. Foreshadowing the discontent of today’s America, Ms. Homes sets the novel in the two and a half months between Obama’s election and his inauguration. As we know, that election was monumental on so many levels, but here we are some 14 years later wondering if it unleashed some hidden nationalist fury. Did it create a climate in which attacks on the nation’s capital and front-running candidates who deny invincible truths are given front-row opportunities?

Ms. Homes has said the book took form before Trump was a serious presi dential player and developed out of an awareness that the political establish ment on both sides of the aisle was losing connection with a large segment

Chaos, the cabal concludes, will bring Joe into the fold, and the Big Guy, even as his wife turns away and leaves him, and his beloved daughter figures out the double-edged sword of truth, cannot stop fanning the flame for a new America:

“The Unfolding”

A.M. Homes Viking, $28

“There will be a seamless transition unfolding in the corridors of power, a slow turn to the right that no one sees coming. In the name of what it means to be an American, we will spearhead the development within the military and outside it, of separatist soldiers who believe that they are following the true wishes of their leaders culmi nating in the erosion of civil liberties under the guise of protection. This combined with the withering of offi cial law enforcement, economic setbacks, and failing infrastructure will become part of the picture that coincides with a period of economic, social, and political unrest; the desta bilization in this country will give rise to rogue nonpoliticians.”

There is no resolution to this story, but it compensates with sharp prose on the debate over how the hope of signif icant change in our country got pushed off the rails into the riots of today.

Winter Nights

It has been said, if you want to know the facts, read nonfiction. If you want the truth, read fiction. So again I say, read this book.

Genie Chipps Henderson’s last novel, “A Day Like Any Other,” set in East Hampton, tells a story of the Hurricane of ’38. She lives in Springs. A.M. Homes lives part time in East Hampton.

Seeking ‘Guestwords’ Submissions

van Kempen Proprietor

Dianne Moritz is a children’s book author who lives in North Sea.

Fowkes Sets Record In the Trots’ 6-Miler

By Jack Graves

Runners, especially those who had been confronted with strong winds and a deluge 11 days before at the Dock Race, couldn’t have asked for better conditions in which to run the East Hampton Town Recreation Depart ment’s 3 and 6-mile Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving Day in Montauk.

And this year, in contrast to 2021, when because of a wave of last-minute registrants things became so discom bobulated that results never resulted and the identity of the 3-miler’s female winner, Samantha Whitmore, was not known until a week afterward, every thing went smoothly.

“There was a fantastic turnout” of 970 registrants, “and despite that we started on time,” said the town’s recre ation director, John Rooney, who had Elitefeats of Islandia time the races this year. The net proceeds, he added, were to be apportioned among the town’s food pantries. Asked about the frozen turkeys that used to be handed out to winners in the past, Rooney said, “We stopped that years ago -- the logistics were just too complicated.”

Ryan Fowkes, 21, a George Washing ton University junior, won the 6-miler in a record-setting 29:25.04, eclipsing his winning time of last year by two and a half minutes. Recently, he placed sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference 8K cross-country championships in a school-record 24:11.6. He also ran a school-record 30:49.9 in finishing 28th in the N.C.A.A. Mid-Atlantic Regional 10K race this fall.

A 29-year-old first-timer, Bassel Zikry, won the 3-miler in 15 minutes and 52.01 seconds. Erik Engstrom, 24, the first to cross the finish line last year, in 15:47, according to his watch, took it easy looping Fort Pond this time around, placing ninth in 17:51.54.

There were some swimmers in the field that day too, including Ava Cas

tillo, who recently returned from the state girls swimming championships near Rochester, her coach, Craig Brier ley, and Tom Cohill (pushing two of his children in a stroller), who coaches the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter’s youth swim team, the Hurricanes. Next up for the Hurricanes, Cohill said, will be the Cross Island and Flushing Y Hol iday Invitational at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow from Dec. 9 to 11.

Brierley and East Hampton fans can now boast of a state champion, appar ently the first ever here in either girls or boys swimming, in Jane Brierley (no relation), who won the state’s breast stroke final in 1 minute and 3.75 seconds after having been the run ner-up in a preliminary heat.

“We’re very proud of her — she’s very motivated,” Coach Brierley said of Jane Brierley, who’s been with him on the varsity for four years and is a Hurri cane and a town lifeguard to boot. The breaststroke, he said, is “the most diffi cult. It’s the slowest of the four strokes, and so you’re swimming longer. It takes a lot of upper-body strength. In addition to all of her work in the pool, she does a lot of strength training on her own.”

Back to the road races, the 3-miler’s female winner and fifth over all was Kosana Weir, 23, in 17:18.23. Samantha Whitmore, 31, of Flagstaff, Ariz., a first cousin once removed of Charlie and Jack Whitmore, was fourth this year in 19:20.99. Though she ran the distance three seconds faster than she had in 2021, Whitmore was also preceded over the line by Hanna Jerome, 26, in 18:32.97, and by Kerianne Kreger, 37, in 19:13.79. Whitmore’s husband, James Leakos, 24, a former cross-country runner at Harvard, was the runner-up in the 6-miler.

Tim Rossi, a member of the Brooklyn Track Club who had been the perennial 6-mile winner here until Fowkes beat

him last year, finished fifth in the 6-mile field in 34:47.79, behind Fowkes, Leakos (30:10.41), Richard Sturtevant (30:40.26), and Hashem Zikry (32:10.09), though Rossi’s girlfriend, Erin Gregoire, repeated as the 6’s female winner in 34:50.40.

“There were a lot of young, fast run ners here today,” said Neil Falkenhan, the 3-miler’s runner-up in 16:23.49. Rounding out the 3’s top 10 were Brayan Rivera (16:39.99), Diego Rojas (16:53.06), Weir, Eric Perez (17:23.94), Griffin Schwartz (17:25.50), Brian Mar ciniak (17:30.04), Engstrom, and Evan Masi (18:08.33). Rivera and Rojas ran this fall with East Hampton High’s league-runner-up boys cross-country team. Perez, Engstrom (a former county cross-country champion), and Masi are

East Hampton cross-country alumni. Geary Gubbins, a former Southamp ton High and Duke University runner who runs the Gubbins Running Ahead store in East Hampton, ran with Aldo, a one-and-a-half-year-old Portuguese water dog, finishing 71st in 23:09.46. Gubbins entered a Turkey Trot team whose members included Sharon McCobb, the Old Montauk Athletic Club’s president, Paul Hamilton, a former county champion in the mile, Sturtevant, whose father, Thomas, is the Ross School’s headmaster, Rivera, Rojas, John Cinelli, a former Harvard runner, his 8-year-old son, Luke, and three Bohnsack siblings from Amagansett, Chase, 12, Walker, 10, and Hudson, 9.

Team Should Finally Reach Its Full Potential

By Jack Graves

When this writer began reciting the woes of last winter the other day, remarking on a virtual season-ending knee injury suffered by East Hampton High’s star point guard, Luke Reese, in the first home game and on a subse quent Covid-caused 10-day pause that forced the Bonackers to play seven league games in close succession, Dan White said he’d rather talk about the present, which looks quite promising for his boys basketball team.

To begin with, Reese, one of three returning senior starters, has “made a full recovery,” White said, which is good news because Reese runs the offense with aplomb and can hit from the out side, drive to the hoop, and is deadly from the foul line. Then there’s Jack Dickinson and Finn Byrnes, two solid ly-built athletes who are expected to control the paint, and Liam Fowkes, a junior swingman, who can be lights-out from 3-point range.

Rounding out White’s core group are Mike Locascio, an agile junior guard, Cash Muse, a tall junior forward, two

seniors, Nick Cordone and Ben Zazula, who saw significant playing time last year, Carter Dickinson, Jack’s younger brother, a stocky sophomore, and Toby Foster, a freshman who White said may stay up with the varsity.

Needless to say, East Hampton did not make the playoffs last year, though should everyone stay healthy -- White in that regard is sitting Jack Dickinson, who tweaked a knee in a recent prac tice, for the first three games — the chances seem good for making them this winter.

“We should finally reach our poten tial,” White said last February as he was envisioning the 2022-23 campaign.

The team is one of those that will play closer to home than it had in the past, thanks to Section XI’s approving a plan put forward by the former athletic direc tor, Joe Vas. White’s crew will no longer have to travel to play league games at Amityville, Half Hollow Hills West, Har borfields, and Kings Park; Sayville will be its farthest-flung league opponent. Other teams in East Hampton’s league are Comsewogue, Mount Sinai, Miller Place,

Rocky Point, Shoreham-Wading River, Bayport-Blue Point, Westhampton Beach, Eastport-South Manor, and Hampton Bays, all Class A schools.

Concerning his players, White said, “They’re a good group, they work hard, they’re very physical, and they know how to play unselfishly.” They’re ver satile, he added, capable of varying offensive and defensive sets without skipping a beat. “Luke and Liam can hit the 3, and Jack and Finn can go to the rim.”

The Bonackers played in a three-way scrimmage Saturday at Center Moriches. The third team was Copiague. East Hampton’s first home appearance will be in the revived Kendall Madison Foundation tournament on Friday, Dec. 9, and Dec. 10. East Hampton is to play Bridgehampton and Southampton is to play East Islip in first-round games on the evening of Friday, the 9th, with the consolation and championship games to be played the next evening. East Hamp ton will open its league season at Sayville on Dec. 13, and will play Rocky Point here on Dec. 19.

Remembering Normandy

By Jon M. Diat

The morning before Thanksgiving, Terie and I took three ferry rides in order to get to New London, Conn., on our way to visit her brother and sister, as well as several of our nieces and nephews in the Boston area to celebrate the holiday together for the first time in three years since Covid-19 broke out.

Sitting in the warm main cabin of the Cape Henlopen ferry, I enjoyed the final leg of our 90-minute journey from Orient Point to New London, con stantly peering out to the south and east off the starboard side.

Personally, I was curious to see where boats were set on anchor in their pursuit of blackfish. Once a fisherman, always a fisherman. The blackfish bite is still on, but it will come to an end shortly with the rapidly cooling waters, and the season closes on Dec. 22.

That said, most significantly as I sat in my seat on the Cape Henlopen, I was reminded that she has a most incredible history that few aboard that morning probably knew about.

Rather drab and unassuming in appearance, the 314-foot solid steel ship, which holds some 100 vehicles, earned the Ship of the Year award last year from the Steamship Historical

Society of America. The award is given in recognition of a significant milestone or any accomplishment contributing to the historical importance of the engine-powered vessel. And this one had quite a note in history.

The humble ferry boat of today par ticipated in the historic invasion of Normandy on D-Day in World War II, dropping off 200 men and 70 vehicles of the 29th Infantry Division. She then moved a few miles north of Omaha Beach, where she stood tall, taking on soldiers who were wounded in the inva sion that changed the tide of the war.

As the story goes, after a period of inactivity following the war, the Cape Henlopen was decommissioned and sold to the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Dis trict of Norfolk, Va., where she began a second career. For over two decades, the Cape Henlopen operated between Lewes, Del., and Cape May, N.J., for the Delaware River and Bay Authority, and since 1983, she has served the waters between New London and Orient Point. She has certainly experi enced a wonderful long life on the water.

Back to Normandy, I’ve been most fortunate to have twice visited the

Gratifying Turnout For Bonac Wrestling

By Jack Graves

East Hampton High’s wrestling pro gram, which was on the ropes not all that long ago, continues to grow. The team’s coach, Ethan Mitchell, who is in his second year, said over the weekend that he has 50 out for the squad, a grat ifying number, probably unparalleled in recent times.

That cohort, which packs the school’s wrestling room during practices, includes 17 seniors, six of whom — J.P. Amaden, Cooper Ceva, Jose Calderon, Alex Hatgistavrou, Isaiah Robins, and Joe Scully — have experience. The 11 others are Aryan Chugh, Ike Fagin, Richie Maio, Dennis Guanga, Jack Guerrero, Marcus Krotman, Chase Lieder, Kevin Sumba, Chaz Weimar, Steve Baculima, and Edwin Espinoza. The latter two have seen some action, the others none, though Mitchell said he admired the senior newcomers’ cour age considering that it’s likely their opponents will be far more match-savvy than they.

Needless to say, or pretty much need less to say, “provided the kids stay healthy” all 13 of the weight classes, from 102 to 285 pounds, will be covered this winter, which hasn’t been the case lately. Forfeits at 102, 170, and 285 pounds were common last year.

Last year’s team, which finished with a 5-12 record, was a resurgent one, faring better in the second half of the season than it did in the first half, as Mitchell had predicted last Christmas time. “It will be hard to replace Santi [Maya] and Caleb [Peralta],” Mitchell said of last year’s co-captains, five-year starters whom he had credited with bringing the program back, “but we’re hoping to keep the momentum going

— we’re very excited.”

Mitchell added that East Hampton ought to be strong in the lighter weights, less so in the upper ones.

His charges’ first outing will be at home Saturday in the all-day Frank (Sprig) Gardner Tournament, which honors the innovative wrestling coach whose career began here as East Hamp ton’s football and baseball coach in 1930. He began coaching wrestling here three years later. In 1937, Gardner moved to Mepham High School in North Bellmore, where his training techniques were so effective that Mepham teams were undefeated in dual meets for 20 years. A member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and of three others, including East Hampton’s, Gardner’s career record at Mepham was 254-5-1.

East Hampton, as was the case last year, faces a tough schedule, probably even tougher than last year’s inasmuch as the team has been moved up from League IV to V, a league that has in it such teams as Bellport, East Islip, Com sewogue, Westhampton Beach, and Kings Park.

The Bonackers are scheduled to com pete in the Doc Fallot Tournament at Hampton Bays High School on Dec. 10. Deer Park opens the league season here on Dec. 14. East Hampton will be at Smithtown West on Dec. 16, and Bell port will wrestle here on Dec. 21.

In January, it will be East Hampton at North Babylon on the 4th, West Bab ylon here on the 6th, and East Hampton at West Islip on the 11th. Mitchell’s team is to go to the Anthony Cipriano Invitational Tournament at Copiague High School on Jan. 14.

beautiful coastline where the invasion took place. Each trek I made to the windy, damp, and gray landscape brought tears to my eyes. Looking down the 200-foot cliffs to Omaha Beach below, one cannot help but

wonder how any soldier could have sur vived the onslaught of enemy gunfire from high above. They were sitting ducks on the sandy beach.

Not far from the beach, the Nor mandy American Cemetery and

Memorial was built on the site of a burial ground established by American forces on June 8, 1944. There, it honors the graves of 9,387 United States sol diers who were killed in the landings and ensuing operations (over 425,000 Allied and German troops were ulti mately killed during the invasion). The estimated total battle casualties for the U.S. were 135,000, including 29,000 killed and 106,000 wounded and missing.

A walk through the American ceme tery is beyond surreal and incredibly emotional. It’s impossible not to weep and visualize the events of those days. Upon my first visit, I was totally exhausted. After our tour, I recall attending a dinner in nearby Honfleur, a most scenic seaside village, where I could barely lift a fork. I had no appetite.

As for Thanksgiving last week, the voyage aboard the Cape Henlopen brought a greater appreciation for how much we should be thankful for. May she continue to experience fair winds and following seas in her crossings.

It may sound like a broken vinyl record, but Brandon Sausele of Lake Grove once again won the Montauk SurfMasters fall striped bass tourna ment. For Sausele, it marks the sixth time he has taken the top prize in either the spring or fall event. He also won the Montauk Surf Fishing Classic back in early October. By the way, Sausele is only 25 years old.

As for his background, Sausele spends

countless hours in the dark of night in and around Montauk as his work sched ule allows (the 70-mile drive each way deserves an award in itself). The 38-pound striper that he caught and released back in October proved to be the winning fish. Coming in second was Bill Wetzel with a 30-pound fish, with Bill Schulken close behind with his 29-pounder. Both are also seasoned surf rats.

It appears Sausele has now graduated into a class of his own. He is widely respected by many of his peers and is considered to be one of the best around the Montauk area to hunt down large striped bass from the shore. Sausele puts in the time and has earned his rewards. Congratulations once again.

Over at Tight Lines Tackle on Bay Street in Sag Harbor, the owner Ken Morse is running his annual holiday sale. Rod and reel combos are 15 per cent off, while rods, lures, and miscellaneous items can be had for a 10-percent discount. In addition, a $100 gift certificate can be bought for $90. Tight Lines will be open until Dec. 21. Note that Morse’s shop is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

On the fishing scene, Morse said that some striped bass can still be had from the ocean beaches for casters from Ama gansett to Southampton. Note that the season for stripers comes to an end on Dec. 15.

Fishing tips, observations, and photo graphs can be sent to fish@ehstar.com.

Ryan Fowkes not only set a record in last Thursday’s Montauk Turkey Trot 6-miler, but he has also this fall set George Washington University records in the 8K (4.97-mile) cross-country distance and in the 10,000-meter race. Craig Macnaughton

Chase Lieder, a national open longboard surfing champion, is one of 11 firsttime seniors who have come out for East Hampton High’s wrestling team. Above, during a recent practice, he threw J.P. Amaden. Jack Graves

Troy Remkus and Gigi Llama, who was fishing for the first time, had a fine day catching blackfish before the Thanksgiving holiday. Chris Remkus

Liam Fowkes is expected to be a scor ing threat this winter. Jack Graves