Community News, July 21

This weekend is the start of the window to complete the Montauk Swim Challenge, which benefits the construction of the future Aquatic and Cultural Arts Centers at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center. The event is virtual via the Elite Feats athletic event platform.

Participants should seek personal sponsors, swim their chosen distance (1/2 mile, 1 mile or 5K), and log their results online. Swimmers choose their own safe location to complete their swim sometime between July 23 and 30.

To register, go to elitefeats.com and search for the 2022 Montauk Swim Challenge.

The Town of East Hampton is offering free bus service this summer via the Hampton Hopper. The service is offered daily, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with stops around Montauk, every 30 minutes or less.

Download the Hampton Hopper app for schedule.

The 24th annual Rell Sunn Benefit Surf Contest is set for Saturday, July 23, at Ditch Plains Beach. Proceeds from the event benefit the East End Foundation, which helps local families encountering financial hardships due to illness and other circumstances. There is also a raffle, with some great prizes, being offered in conjunction with the event.

The East End Foundation started more than 20 years ago and, since then, has continued its mission of helping local families, such as a Montauk charter boat captain fighting cancer, parents who purchase medical supplies not covered by insurance for a child born with a rare illness, and the family of a young fisherman who died suddenly of a genetic disorder.

Those who can’t attend or participate but wish to support the ongoing charitable effort, can go the website to make a donation.

By the way, nonsurfers did you ever wonder about the name Rell Sunn? Sunn was an American world surfing champion from Hawaii known as “Queen of Makaha” — her hometown in Oahu — and “Aunty Rell.” A pioneer in world women’s surfing, her middle name was Kapolioka’ehukai, which means “the heart of the sea.” Hawaii’s first female lifeguard, she died in 1998 at age 47 of cancer.

For more information and to register, eastendfoundationmtk.org.

The Springs Presbyterian Church has been holding sentry in the hamlet for 140 years and the powers that be are organizing a party, set for August 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. If you have ever been a member, enjoyed the church dinner or attended the many other community events at the church — basically, everyone — you’re invited. There will be live entertainment, food and drink, and much more to celebrate the community landmark.

Tickets for the event are $50 per person or $100 per family. More information and tickets may be obtained by calling 631-324-4791 or typing springspc.org on your keyboard.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School, celebrating 15 years of dance in the Hamptons, will be performing “Peter and the Wolf” on Friday, July 29, at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Herrick Park, 67 Newtown Lane. The rain date is Saturday, July 30. The production is a collaboration between the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, the Hampton Festival Orchestra, and surprise guest narrators.

Peter and the Wolf, choreographed by Hampton Ballet Theatre School Director Sara Jo Strickland and featuring the costumes of Yuka Silvera and Kate McManus, will come alive for the children of the East End community with the orchestra, ballet, and narration. The ballet will be danced by students of the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, with dancers ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old. The score will be played by the 25 piece Hampton Festival Orchestra, a group of professional musicians all from the East End, conducted by Dr. Andrew Perea. The ballet’s score introduces all the ballet characters as the sounds of different musical instruments.

For more information, call 631-237-4810 or email hbts07@optonline.net. Tickets for the East Hampton performances are $20 in advance or $25 at the door for general admission, with prime and premium orchestra family pod seating (four to five people) available ranging from $100 to $125. Go to hamptonballettheatreschool.com to purchase tickets.

Jewish Center of the Hamptons will present “Songs and Suppression: A Musical Journey Out of Exile” on Sunday, July 31, at 4 p.m.

Pianist Constanze Beckmann and Baritone Samuel Chan have put together an exploratory program of German art songs, contrasting and reviving the music of Jewish-German composers Walter Braunfels and Hanns Eisler. According to promotional materials, this program explores the musical and artistic language of these two composers, and how religious and ethnic persecution influenced their musical language and ideology.

“As we are exiting a pandemic, we have seen the effects of xenophobia, antisemitism, and bigotry rise in our contemporary culture due to the effects of the political sphere on society,” says Beckmann. “This program looks back on the question of ‘does history repeat itself’ and asks us how our societal awareness in today’s day and age is more important now than ever before.” Beckmann and Chan aim to educate and explore how past parallels effect modern times, and how education and understanding can eliminate ignorance and intolerance in music, society, and culture.

Beckmann, a German born pianist and curator, passionately advocates for cultural exchange and tolerance through the arts. Every year since 2010, Beckmann performs recitals composed by Holocaust survivors as part of Holocaust Education Week.

Tickets are $36 for members and $54 for nonmembers and can be purchased at jcoh.org/songs.

South Fork Performing Arts, a nonprofit theater company, is working with 33 children to put on a performance of “Shrek, the Musical Jr.” on Friday, July 22, Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24 at LTV Studios. The show is based on the Dreamworks Animation motion picture. Show times are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

For tickets, go to southforkperformingarts.org/tickets.

Ursula Burns, the first black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company, will be the featured speaker in the next installment of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center’s Thinking Forward Lecture Series on Friday, July 22, at 4 p.m. at The Church, 48 Madison Street. The title of her talk is “From the Tenements to the C-suite.”

Burns is the founding partner of Integrum Holdings, current Chairman of Teneo Holdings LLC and retired chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation and VEON Ltd. She is also the author of “Where You Are Is Not Who You Are,” published in June 2021. The moderator will be longtime BHCCRC Advisory Board Member Ken Miller, a former senior advisor at Teneo.

Reservations may be made at thechurchsagharbor.org. Space is limited.

The Church will also be the venue for “Sabor,” a cocktail reception “packed with flavor,” according to promotional materials, to benefit OLA of Eastern Long Island. The event is set for Thursday, July 28, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The “flavor” will come in the form of Mexican tapas from Coche Comedor in Amagansett, music by Latin Moon, and cocktails mixed with mezcal from Dos Hombres.

Chaired by April Gornik, who co-founded The Church with husband Eric Fischl, the event has tickets priced at $300 and advanced purchase is preferred. OLA’s mission is to build a safer, healthier and more equitable East End for Latinos and all community members.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to olaofeasternlongisland.org or call 631-899-3441.

You won’t want to miss the 37th annual Old-Fashioned Fish Fry hosted by the Eastville Community Historical Society on Saturday, July 23. It will take place at the Eastville Heritage House, 139 Hampton Street.

For more information, visit eastvillehistorical.org.

Throughout the month of July, the Old Whalers’ Church will offer some interesting programs. Every Thursday, starting at 5 p.m., is family time with “Soulful Songs & Stories” in the chapel, and then at 6:15 p.m. kids in grades four through six can learn how to play the ukulele. And mark your calendar for the HooDoo Loungers performing at a “Paint the Church Fundraiser” on Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m.

The church is located at 44 Union Street. Go to oldwhalerschurch.org for more information.

Temple Adas Israel of Sag Harbor is launching an original series of dialogues on religion and the sciences, developed by Dr. Stephen Rosen, called “Science and Religion in Sag Harbor,” featuring online and public dialogues with Rabbi Dan Geffen and authoritative congregation scientists and guest speakers on cosmology, genetics, the environment, dreams, child-rearing, and Spinoza. These dialogues will be moderated by Judy Spencer.

This project is part of an international program entitled “Scientists in Synagogues,” a grassroots initiative run by Sinai and Synapses in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, along with other individual donors.

The series begins on Thursday, July 28, at 7 p.m. with Dr. Stephen Rosen, a physicist, who will discuss ancient and modern ideas of cosmology online and in person.

Next month, the program will take place on August 18 and feature Dr. Arleen Auerbach, a clinical geneticist, who will discuss the ethical and religious implications of genetic testing.

For details and a full schedule, go to templeadasisrael.org.

Artist John Alexander will be the guest in the next installment of Knowledge Friday, hosted by The Church. The event is set for July 29, starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Knowledge Friday is a monthly lecture series featuring local makers and shakers, artisans, and experts in a diversity of fields.

In conversation with Sara Cochran, The Church’s chief curator, Alexander will reflect on his long, storied, and varied career and life, noted press materials. Alexander grew up fishing in the East Texas bayous and camping in the Big Thicket, through which he developed a deep reverence for nature at an early age. After college, he taught at the University of Houston. In 1979 he moved to New York and in 1986 he bought a house in Amagansett.

Alexander is internationally recognized as a skilled draftsman and painter who creates arresting still lives, emotionally intense landscapes, and incisive and satirical portraits that tackle politics, religion, and the absurdity of the human condition, noted press materials. There are two constants in his work: his lush depiction of the natural world with its glorious flora and fauna and his critical view of humanity, American politics, corporate greed, and the senseless, man-made destruction of the planet.

Alexander describes his ongoing subject matter as “nature at its grandest and man at his worst,” or the “glimpse of paradise before the wrecking ball hits.” Critic Robert Hughes admiringly referred to him as “a Texan swamp hog raised by madness.”

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School will perform “Peter and the Wolf” on Monday, August 1, at the Children’s Museum of the East End at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. The rain date is Tuesday, August 2. The production is a collaboration between the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, the Hampton Festival Orchestra, and surprise guest narrators.

For details about the performance, see the description under “EAST HAMPTON” above.

Tickets for the CMEE performances are $20 and may be purchased at cmee.org.

Fridays at Five, a longtime tradition for the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, is back in person this summer. This week’s event features author Fiona Davis who will be reading from her latest book, “The Magnolia Palace,” answering questions from the audience, and signing books available for purchase.

Other featured authors this summer include Bill Boggs, Huma Abedin, Zibby Owens, Jane Rosen, and Ken Auletta.

Tickets are $25 per lecture or $100 for a five-event pass and will be available for purchase at 4:30 p.m. at the gate on the day of the event. The library is located at 2478 Montauk Highway. For more information, email info@hamptonlibrary.org or call 631-537-0015.

“The Inventor”

The Southampton Arts Center and the Southampton African American Museum will co-host a screening of “The Inventor” on Friday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the arts center on Jobs Lane. Following the screening with a Q&A with the film’s producers, director and cast that will be moderated by SAAM Founder Brenda Simmons and Dr. Anita Farrington of STEM Impact.

To register or for more information, go to bsouthamptonartscenter.org.

The Career and Films of Federico Fellini will be the focus of the next Directors Up Close installment at the Rogers Memorial Library. The in-person event is set for Monday, July 25, starting at 6 p.m.

Fellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. The talk will take a look back at his career from the beginning of his legacy, through interviews and film clips from classic films suchs as “Roma,” and “La Dolce Vita.”

To register, email programs@myrml.org or call 631-283-0774.

Grab your beach chair or blanket and head over to Agawam Park for the next Concert in the Park, sponsored by the Southampton Cultural Center. Wednesday, July 27, brings Melissa Errico.

The Southampton African American Museum will hold a fundraising cocktail party and auction at Blu Mar in Southampton on Thursday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at saamuseum.org.

Many in the community are acquainted with the well-attended (and fun!) Polar Bear Plunge organized every December by the Heart of the Hamptons food pantry. Well, for those who could not bear the thought of an icy dip, now’s your chance to do your part when the ocean is near its warmest: The first-ever Moonlit Plunge is going to happen on Thursday, August 11, under the full moon at Coopers Beach.

Your dip in the sea can help Heart of the Hamptons provide assistance to the more than 1,400 families in the Town of Southampton who currently depend on it. Enjoy farm fresh food, music, bonfire, smores, drinks and come together to support all those that depend on us! All proceeds will directly benefit the year-round Food Pantry and Assistance Programs, that currently serve more than 1,400 families in the Town of Southampton.

Get your ticket at heartofthehamptons.org.

The Good Ground On Stage concert series, hosted by Southampton Town, will continue with Nancy Atlas on Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m. There is no scheduled concert on July 28. Next is August 4, featuring Penny Lane, a Beatles cover band.

Here’s your chance to have a voice in the future of the hamlet: The Hampton Bays Civic Association will hold a community forum on Monday, July 25, at 7 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Middle School cafeteria, 70 Ponquogue Avenue. All are welcome.

The topic of discussion will be “Unlocking the Future of Hampton Bays” with a focused analysis and proposals for Hampton Bays from the planners and community stakeholders including the Southampton Town Planning Department; Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce; Hampton Bays Beautification; Nelson, Pope & Voorhis Urban Design Associates; and Hayduck Engineering (Sewer Treatment Plant Design). Subjects to be covered are: downtown zoning, traffic, sewer planning, water quality, and population growth. Bring along your questions and thoughts to share because following the discussion there will be an opportunity to vote on the issues at hand.

For details, go to hbcivic.org or call 631-728-2285.

The East Quogue Village Green Summer Concert Series continues on Tuesday, July 26, with the Caribbean Steel Pan Band, starting at 7 p.m. Concerts take place at the hamlet green on Montauk Highway. And good news here: the July 5th concert that was rained out has been rescheduled for August 2.

The Westhampton Beach Gazebo Concert Series continues with a performance on July 21 by The Sound Symphony with soprano Stefanie Izzo. The free concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held on the Westhampton Beach Village Green, located at the corner of Main Street and Mill Road. The Thursday, July 28, concert will feature The 70s Disco Experience. Contact the library, 631-288-3385 or westhamptonlibrary.net, for rain date information.

Saturday and Sunday evenings, the Great Lawn in Westhampton Beach will be abuzz with activity as the Westhampton Beach Project brings its fourth iteration of a free public event to the village. Gates open at 8 p.m. both days.

According to press materials, the project was conceptualized by artist and president of the Musical Mime Theater Steven Colucci, who has been working in the arts for over 45 years and worked closely with the famous Marcel Marceau. A Westhampton resident, Colucci has made it his personal mission to expose the younger generation to some of the art forms he has spent so many years of his life dedicated to studying.

Admission is free to the event but those who wish to make a donation of $50 or more will receive the VIP treatment with seating and specialty appetizers and cocktails. All proceeds will go toward the Musical Mime Company, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to assembling artists in all areas of creativity.

The project opens on July 29, during which those attending may see a performance by The Parsons Dance Company, a contemporary American dance company internationally renowned for its energized athletic ensemble work. The following evening, on July 30, NYC award-winning singer-songwriter Eva Sita will open for four-time Grammy nominated and Tony Award-winning actress Melba Moore, who will be performing songs from her hit Broadway shows and the Great American Song Book. Moore was the first female pop/R&B artist to do a non-operatic solo concert at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House and at the Olympia in Paris and became the first African American woman to perform the role of Fantine in Les Misérables.

Throughout the two days, guests will be able to enjoy Westhampton Beach Project’s mini food festival with tastes of dishes prepared by chefs from more than 25 restaurants and cocktails from a dozen bars.

The Creative Energy of Our Community: Works of Local Artists and Artisans Past and Present” is on view at the Westhampton Beach Historical Society, 101 Mill Road, through September 3, on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Many items from the society’s collections will be on display, such as the iconic Magic’s Pub sign. Also included in the exhibit are works of students from four local schools: Westhampton Beach Elementary School, Westhampton Beach Middle School, Raynor Country Day School and Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School.

Friends of The Big Duck will hold their 10th annual Rubber Duckie Race on Saturday, August 6, at 11 a.m. (rain date August 7). The family-friendly event is free. Enjoy a great view of the competition on Reeves Bay from the lawn of the Flanders Men’s Club, which is down the access road just east of The Big Duck. There will be games and giveaways for children.

For a $5 donation (or five for $20), you can enter the race. You are assigned a number that is on one of the rubber duckies that are launched into Reeves Bay at Noon sharp. Prize baskets that include BigDuckabilia, children’s books and gift certificates from several local merchants will be awarded for first, second, third and last place. You do not need to be present to win.

For more information or to preregister, visit Friends of The Big Duck Facebook page, email FriendsofTheBigDuck2020@gmail.com or call 631-284-3737.

Not long ago, the East End Food Institute moved into its new home in Riverhead (at the corner of Main Road and Route 105), creating the East End Food Market. Now, get ready for its first-ever “Cook A Fish, Give A Fish” event, offered in collaboration with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, on Tuesday, July 26, at 6 p.m.

The institute’s chef, Jay Lippin, will prepare local tilefish ceviche, teaching participants how to choose and prepare the best local seafood Long Island has to offer. The demonstration will be followed by a discussion of sustainable fishing practices with local fisherman Jermaine Owens of North Fork Seafood and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Fisheries Specialist Kristin Gerbino.

The bonus of this event, is that for each ticket purchased, there is enough funding to provide 25 seafood meals to community members in need.

Tickets are $30 each or $50 for two. For more information or to purchase tickets to go eastendfood.org or call 631-632-5129.

The Westhampton Free Library is again hosting its Kids on the Green series, which will be held Tuesdays throughout the summer at 5:30 p.m. at the Westhampton Beach Village Green. This week, July 26, will feature a singalong with Brady Rymer.

For more information, call 631-288-3335 or visit westhamptonlibrary.net.

Project Most, based at the Community Learning Center at Neighborhood House, has a full lineup of programs for children age 18 months and up. For a full list of programs offered by Project Most, as well as details about times and fees, go to projectmost.org.