Villages

Self Provisions, a storefront attached to Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese in Sag Harbor, is “always open,” as is proclaimed by an illuminated sign on the wall at the entrance. Two large, brightly lit vending machines dominate the space, with offerings ranging from sea salt crackers and slabs of French butter to jars of caviar and curated gift boxes — and, of course, cheese.

Soon after moving to Water Mill with her family in 2015, Marit Molin became aware of a largely unacknowledged population underpinning the complicated Hamptons economy. That led her to create Hamptons Community Outreach, which is dedicated to meeting basic critical needs to help break cycles of poverty.

Polar plunges at Main Beach in East Hampton and Beach Lane in Wainscott on New Year’s Day accomplish many things: bracing and exhilarating starts to the year, the company of many hundreds of friends and fellow townspeople, and a chance to secure bragging rights that extend well into 2026. But most important, each serves as a critical fund-raiser for food pantries.

The Montauk Point Lions Club honored Lisa Valcich with its Lion of the Year award.

Christmas parties, caroling, and the time “nine teenaged girls spent a day in a Springs residence partying on liquor, food, and pills.”

The unceremonious bulldozing of roughly four semi-wooded acres on Marsden Street was a shocking sight to Sag Harbor residents earlier this month, though plans to develop the property have loomed — and sparked controversy in the village — for decades.

The plan for the 1.12-acre Wainscott Green and a park to commemorate the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community that was something of a pioneer on the East End was endorsed by members of the hamlet’s citizens advisory committee on Saturday.

The Golden Eagle, an art supply store and East Hampton institution that first opened in 1954, will close next month. It’s a familiar story, as told most recently by Nancy Rowan and Michael Weisman, the Golden Eagle’s owners: The internet has decimated brick-and-mortar retailers across the country.

This photo from The Star’s archive shows Alfred James LaBatti (1922-1971) performing as “the Wreck” at Guild Hall in 1944.

At Pitch Your Peers the Hamptons, paying members pitch local charitable organizations to one another, and everyone votes on where to allot their funds. This year, the group awarded grants to the Retreat and Share the Harvest Farm.

As an arctic blast blows across East Hampton Town heralding the start of winter, swimming enthusiasts can take heart. Wednesday, the Sarah and Maurice Iudicone Aquatic Center, a project years in the making, opened at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center.

ACAC picks over a proposal for a park with playground equipment next to the hamlet’s municipal parking lot.

Season’s Greetings from 1900. And 1925, for that matter. Plus much more cribbed from our voluminous pages.

A plan to replace street lighting in Amagansett’s historic district had called for 46 to 50 “historical style” light fixtures. On Monday night, the plan drew a strong critique from New York State’s representative of DarkSky International.

Pediatricians on the South Fork were harshly critical of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ vote to recommend that pregnant women who test negative for hepatitis B should decide when or if their child will be vaccinated against the virus at birth.

A fish dropped from the sky lands in a Montauk living room with a heavy message of . . . accepting death?

This 1989 photo from The Star’s archive shows Rabbi David Greenberg and Cantor Debra Stein lighting three candles to celebrate the third night of Hanukkah at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons.

The fourth annual Magic of Montauk Holiday Fair, complete with Santa Claus, live reindeer, a hot cocoa contest, live music, and, for the first time, a holiday train, happens on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. on the downtown green.

Rabbi Josh Franklin has announced that he will join Temple Judea, a Reform synagogue in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in July.

“Remember, reader, this is the season to emphasize the Scripture quotation: ‘Peace on earth, good will to men.’ ” So sayeth The Star in 1900. Have things really changed all that much?

On Dec. 13 Sag Harbor Village businesses will launch Sag Saturdays, a monthly effort to attract commerce during the off-season by showcasing the village’s artistic and cultural heritage.

This photo by Gordon Grant shows a float from a then-new and unnamed Hispanic group that took part in the Dec. 7, 1989, Christmas parade in East Hampton Village.

Construction fences were placed around the Springs General Store last week, and Daniel Bennett, co-owner of Springs General Real Estate, confirmed that he had applied for a building permit and was hopeful work could begin soon, with a possible opening in 2027.

From the beginnings of John Drew’s Lily Pond Lane residence to a meteorite hitting a Viking fishing boat 100 years later, the news here always ran deep.

The tallest Christmas tree on Long Island and a giant Santa throne are just two of the changes to East Hampton Village’s Santa Fest celebration for 2025. The tradition, suffused with nostalgia, will be held on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This 1851 crew list for the customs collector in Sag Harbor identifies the members of Capt. David Smith’s last whaling voyage.

The board of directors of LTV, East Hampton Town’s public access television, has formally appointed Josh Gladstone to the role of executive director, succeeding Michael Clark, who resigned in July. Mr. Gladstone has been the interim director since then.

Benjamin Knute McCarron and Colleen Elizabeth Sherlock were married on Sept. 20 at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Sag Harbor. They celebrated afterward with their families and friends at the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club. 

The Anchor Society of East Hampton has invited one and all to a Jingle Mingle party on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

It happened here, news junkies and history buffs.