The North Fork Bancorporation Inc. announced last week that it would take over the New York Bancorp, the parent of Home Federal Savings Bank, in a stock swap valued at approximately $800 million.

Home Federal, whose chairman is Patrick E. Malloy 3rd of Sag Harbor, operates 30 offices in the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island as well as in Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.

The savings bank has $3.3 billion in total assets and $1.7 billion in deposits. Following the merger, which is expected to be completed by early next year, North Fork Bank will have total assets of $10 billion and $6.3 billion in deposits.

In a release, the bank stated shareholders could expect to see earnings rise by 15 to 20 cents per share by 1999.

In the takeover, owners of New York Bancorp stock will be able to exchange each share of their stock for 1.19 shares of North Fork stock. North Fork expects to issue an additional 26 million shares of stock to cover the purchase.

Bridge Bancorp Earnings

Bridge Bancorp. Inc., the holding company of the Bridgehampton National Bank, has announced that earnings increased by 11.7 percent, to $1.70 a share, for the first three quarters of the year, up from $1.50 a share for the same period last year. Total earnings for the period, excluding the sale of the bank's former main office on Main Street, were $2,398,000. The sale of the building earned the bank an additional $829,000 after taxes.

Christie's Conference

David Bray and Tim Davis, managing partners of Allan M. Schneider Associates Inc., attended an annual conference sponsored by Christie's Great Estates real estate in San Francisco last week. Allan Schneider Associates, which has offices across the East End, is affiliated with the Chrstie's real estate division, the world's largest international network of real estate brokers who specialize in estate properties.

Besides, the usual sessions on business development, legal issues affecting the business, advertising, and customer service, the conference included a preview of "The World of Resident Sea," a to-be-built luxury ocean liner with 250 private residences, that will sail the world over. Allan Schneider Associates will be among the brokers listing the floating resort.

New Counselor

Maryanne Strong, a certified social worker, ahcoholism and substance abuse counselor, and lifelong East End resident, has opened a new counseling service on Noyac Road in Sag Harbor.

Ms. Strong has worked for a variety of local agencies including Maryhaven Center of Hope, Southampton Hospital, and A Program Planned for Life Enrichment. Among her specialties are family treatment, adult and adolescent services, and alcohol and drug treatment.

About Credit Unions

The Community Bankers Association of New York State is distributing a 10-page booklet, "Credit Unions: Fact or Fiction," to government officials, banking executives, and consumer groups as part of a campaign that, according to a release, aims to "educate and create a balanced understanding of the issues involved in the banking/credit union dispute."

For information about obtaining copies of the booklet, the association can be reached at 200 Park Avenue, New York 10166.

An "owl prowl" has been scheduled by the Cornell Cooperative Extension for 5:30 p.m., Friday at the Suffolk County Farm and Educational Center in Yaphank. Spooky owl facts will be included in a lecture and slide show to be followed by a hayride to the edge of the farm field in hopes of "calling in" a great horned owl.

Refreshments will be served. The fee is $10 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Reservations should be made by calling the Extension Service's marine program in Southold.

Walking Dunes

The East Hampton Trails Preservation Society has scheduled a sunset/moonrise hike through Nap eague's walking dunes on Saturday beginning at 5:45 p.m.

Weather permitting, hikers will be able to watch the sun set over Goff Point from the toe of what may be the last walking dune, then stroll through the cranberry bog in the bowl of the dune as the full moon rises. Lee Dion, the leader, has asked hikers to bring a flashlight in case a cloud hides the moon, and to meet at the end of Napeague Harbor Road north of the intersection with Montauk Highway.

At Mashomack

The Nature Conservancy and the Cornell Cooperative Extension are teaming up to offer a weekend of nature at the Conservancy's Masho mack Preserve on Shelter Island from Friday evening until Sunday mid-afternoon. The weekend will feature guided nature hikes, marsh walks, birdwatching, canoeing, and kayaking. Hands-on and feet-in activities will give way to evening relaxation in the Preserve's Manor House. Lodging and meals are included for the price of $250. Reservations are required by calling the preserve.

A drug sweep orchestrated by East Hampton, Southampton, and New York State police last Thursday resulted in the arrests of 12 persons on an assortment of narcotics charges.

A three-month investigation involving drug buys by undercover police culminated in a pre-dawn roundup of those indicted, starting around 5 a.m. Teams of officers spread out to Southampton Village, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, and East Hampton to make the arrests.

Like the major "Save Our Streets" sweep a year ago in Riverhead and Southampton, which resulted in the arrests of 72 people, last week's "Operation South Fork" was specifically targeted at street-level drug-dealing.

Two Were In Jail

In a press release hailing the arrests, Southampton Town police said they would "impact significantly on local street operations, which are the greatest source of complaints from frustrated area residents."

Two of those indicted last Thursday were already in jail on other charges, including 17-year-old James E. Street of the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, who was charged with nine counts each of third-degree criminal sale and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance - the most among the 12 defendants.

He was presented with the charges at the county jail in Riverhead, along with Terrell Richardson, 31, of Southampton, charged with two counts of third-degree sale and possession. Mr. Richardson has been in jail since July.

Four In Sag Harbor

Operation South Fork also netted one East Hampton man, David Wilson, 37, of Springs-Fireplace Road. He was awakened at his house by a team of eight police officials, including two state police investigators and six East Hampton Town officers and detectives.

He was charged with third-degree possession and third-degree sale of a controlled substance.

Four of the 12 arrests sprang from a 7 a.m. visit to one Sag Harbor house. A team had gone to a house on Carroll Street to arrest Kevin S. Street, 33, on an indictment warrant. Checking the house, they allegedly found three of his housemates to be in possession of smoking paraphernalia with traces of cocaine.

Charged with seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance were Adrienne M. Drake, 26, Christopher Page, 40, and Debra Lynn Topping, 32.

Possession And Sale

Kevin Street was charged with third-degree possession and third-degree sale of a controlled substance, based on the warrant, as well as another count of seventh-degree possession for allegedly having a crack pipe and small glass jar with cocaine residue at the time of the arrest.

Others charged with third-degree criminal sale and possession in last week's sweep were Javon P. Harding, 20, of Southampton (two counts); Randall T. Davis, 28, of Huntington Crossway, Bridgehampton (four counts); Vincent Wilson, 30, of Southampton (two counts), and Alvin Walker, 44, of Southampton (four counts).

Another defendant, 36-year-old Warren D. White of the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton, turned himself in to police last Thursday. He had an active warrant for three counts of third-degree possession and sale.

State Operation

Though East Hampton Town police made only one arrest within the town, the department participated in the investigation, contributing one of its detectives for undercover work, sharing information, and assisting in the sweep.

Det. Lieut. Edward Ecker of the town police said the drug sweep was coordinated largely by state police, who run a narcotics branch out of Farmingdale.

State police also participated in last year's sweep in Riverhead and Southampton and in a drug sweep in Montauk and East Hampton a month later that netted 14 more arrests.

"During the winter, [state police] decided maybe East Hampton and Southampton should get together on something," Lieutenant Ecker said.

Several of those arrested, he explained, had been targets of an earlier town police investigation while residents of the Whalebone Village apartments on Accabonac Highway in East Hampton.

The issue will be put to Amagansett voters on Dec. 9: Should the Amagansett School District purchase a parcel on Meeting House Lane, adjacent to the school, for an amount "not to exceed $170,000"?

The purchase will "provide greater flexibility in the design of future expansion of the school building," according to John Courtney, the School District's attorney, who reviewed the resolution with the School Board on Oct. 7. It has been discussed at recent board meetings and at meetings of the school's long-range planning committee.

"General Purposes"

The board chose not to include in the proposition a covenant restricting the use of the property, although members of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee and Meeting House Lane residents had expressed concern that it might be used for school bus exits and parking. The citizens' groups had suggested a restrictive covenant.

Instead, board members said, the property will be used "for general school purposes," to be determined in conjunction with the development of the expansion.

Though board members chose not to limit the property's use, efforts will be made, they said, to keep school traffic off Meeting House Lane, and to use the property in concert with community wishes.

The board voted to levy, over 20 years, a tax to finance the purchase, rather than deplete an existing reserve fund, as had been discussed.

December Deadline

A daylong public information session will be scheduled for late November, before the vote. The owners of the parcel, the heirs of the late State Senator MacNeil Mitchell, have set a Dec. 31 deadline for the purchase; after that date the price may go up.

The school's long-range planning committee will turn now to plans for a proposed addition, a project that will require another public vote, after July 1, 1998.

Also last week, the board reviewed the school's computer program, before deciding to spend almost $20,000 next year to buy new computers and printers.

A fan seeking solace from an 0-5 varsity season attended the East Hampton-Westhampton High School junior varsity football game Monday, and rediscovered joy as Ed McGintee's charges handed the jayvee Hurricanes a 38-22 defeat.

McGintee had not wanted the visitors to get into East Hampton's end zone once that morning, though they managed to do so three times. No matter. The game was never really in question. But once the young Bonackers went up 30-8 in the fourth quarter, they got a little sloppy.

In the final minutes, a Bonac defender tipped a pass into the hands of an alert Westhampton receiver, who ran with the ball into the end zone, and the touchdown was followed by a two-point run. A subsequent bobbled onside kick led to another Hurricane drive, capped by an 11-yard scoring pass that brought the insurgents to 30-22. The point-after kick, happily, was off the mark, and a few moments later, a 35-yard touchdown scamper by Jesse Shapiro, the third TD for him that morning, nailed down the lid.

Knows When To Cut

Shapiro, a back who knows when to cut, got East Hampton off on the right foot with a 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The point-after attempt by Kyle Russell, about whom more later, did not lack for distance, but was wide right.

The teams traded interceptions when the second quarter began, causing McGintee to remonstrate with his quarterback, David Rattiner: "David, get some air, plant your feet and throw the ball. We're keeping 'em in the football game."

Not long after, a Westhampton receiver pulled down a long, arcing pass in a crowd, and ran to the East Hampton four before he was brought down. With a third-and-goal at the six-inch line, the visitors managed to get on the scoreboard. A two-point run put them up 8-6.

But not to worry. Shapiro gave the lead back to the Bonackers with about two-and-a-half minutes remaining until the halftime break by way of an explosive 70-yard touchdown run that Steve Scholl assured with a fine block of the last defender.

Second Of Five Sacks

This time, East Hampton got its extra points as Scholl bulled his way into the end zone for 14-8. Brian Noble, a defensive end from Bridgehampton, recorded the second of his game-high five sacks at the East Hampton 30 just before halftime.

Russell, a tackle on defense and tight end on offense, proved himself to be practically unstoppable as, after catching the kickoff that opened the second half, he shrugged off a gang of tacklers at around the 30, and fought his way for 10 more yards before being brought down.

Following an exchange of punts, East Hampton launched its third touchdown march from its 32. Shapiro began it with back-to-back carries of 13 and 19 yards, after which Rattiner kept for 12, and combined with Russell on a 13-yard pass play. As the fourth quarter began, Nick Dombkowski, the fullback, ran the ball in from the 11, and Shapiro added two more points for 22-8.

"This is more fun," a Bonac football fan said to McGintee as he paced the sidelines. "I'm a little animated myself," came the reply.

Dashiell Marder's interception set up the jayvee's fourth score, a 30-yard strike from Rattiner to Russell that Shapiro followed up with a two-point run. It was at that point that the home team, whose record improved that day to 2-3, became a little too loosey-goosey for its coach's liking.

Paul Forsberg has vowed to continue his fledgling casino cruises despite being pushed farther offshore - from 3 to 12 miles - on Friday, following a ruling by the top Federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.

"We're going the 12 miles. We had 55 people on Saturday night. The weather has been great. It was beautiful over the weekend," Captain Forsberg said Monday.

He acknowledged that weather, given the new limit, was a greater consideration, but said he would not change his plans for this fall - he intends to stop sailing by Nov. 1 - or next summer.

"Absolutely. Positively. We'll be starting in the spring, May or June, 12 miles, 3 miles, no difference," said Mr. Forsberg.

Twelve Miles Out

United States Attorney Zachary W. Carter determined last week that offshore gambling belonged nine miles beyond the state's three-mile boundary, under legislation passed by Congress last year to deter crime and terrorism.

Prior to the decision, Captain Forsberg's Viking Starliner was running offshore just outside the state's three-mile boundary, where those on board could play the slots, blackjack, poker, and roulette that are forbidden in New York State.

The skipper questioned the U.S. Attorney's decision this week, saying it was prompted by complaints from New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, under pressure from political contributors with gambling interests in places like Atlantic City.

Giuliani Sought Ruling

Mr. Carter's interpretation of the 1996 amendment to Title 18 of the U.S. Code was prompted by a letter from Mayor Giuliani, expressing concern about the interest in running gambling cruises from New York and asking for a determination.

Mr. Giuliani has said the danger of infiltration by organized crime outweighed any economic benefits to the city.

It all began last December when the floating casino Liberty I began cruises out of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. Since then, New York City has reportedly received over 30 inquiries from other companies wishing to use Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Long Island docks for the purpose.

The Starliner's "cruise to no where" began on Sept. 12.

Confident Captain

Bill Muller, a spokesman for Mr. Carter, said the 12-mile interpretation had been made in cooperation with the racketeering section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

"The [Federal] gambling statute refers to territorial limits, and they are defined as 12 miles," Mr. Muller said.

Mr. Carter's decision affects only vessels in his jurisdiction: Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. A similar interpretation has not been made nationwide.

Whose Waters?

Captain Forsberg said he thought the decision would be reversed. He pointed out that Florida gambling boats continue to operate legally just beyond the three-mile state limit.

"They've been doing it for six years," he said. "It's not an illegal act. If it's not Federal waters outside three miles, what is it?"

Mr. Carter's ruling will not withstand the scrutiny of the courts, Mr. Forsberg predicted. "Can you imagine all the lawyers?"

Well over 100 anti-abortion advocates organized by the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre stood across Hampton Road from Hampton Gynecology and Obstetrics Saturday, chanting "Hail Marys" for the unborn and carrying banners calling for a boycott of the Southampton doctors. On the lawn in front of the clinic, half as many pro-choice activists took part in a counterdemonstration.

Hampton Gynecology has frequently been the target of right-to-life protests over the years, but Saturday's gathering was one of the largest in recent memory.

Those participating in the Catholic Diocese's "mass and rosary procession for life" Saturday held up signs proclaiming, "Doctors are for healing not for killing," "Pray to end abortion," and "Let's face it. Legalized abortion is legalized murder."

After Mass

The Catholic Diocese leads these "processions for life" at clinics and hospitals all over Long Island. A mass before the procession Saturday was held at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church in Southampton and was led by the Rev. Paul Dahm, the chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. It was sponsored jointly by Sacred Hearts and Our Lady of Poland, another Southampton Catholic church.

Members of each of the Catholic parishes on the South Fork participated. There were people from East Hampton, Bridgehampton, South ampton, and Westhampton. Nassau County District Attorney Dennis Dillon was there Saturday with a small contingent of people from western Long Island. "I go to every one I can," he said. He estimated Saturday's crowd to be between 300 and 400 strong, although other estimates were closer to 100.

After mass, participants drove to Southampton Town Hall and walked from there to Hampton Gynecology.

"A Peaceful Vigil"

The church doesn't like to characterize a gathering like Saturday's as a protest. "It's a peaceful prayer vigil for the respect of life, to pray for the babies, for the hope that somehow the clinic will realize what it is doing is wrong," said Corinne Lok, an assistant in the Office of Family Ministry at the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Mrs. Lok said the diocese had stepped up its pro-life vigils this year and now holds rosary processions every month at "abortion facilities."

Hampton Gynecology and Obstetrics offers routine gynecological care, prenatal care, and family planning services. Doctors on staff there do perform abortions, but not at the Hampton Road facility.

The dates and times of the rosary processions are posted in "Pro-Life News," a monthly newsletter of the Long Island Coalition for Life. Pro-choice advocates who subscribe to the publication under false names try to keep abreast of when and where the prayer vigils are planned. A subscription also tips them off to other plans right-to-life groups have on Long Island. The October newsletter, for example, asks subscribers to call if they've received Planned Parenthood literature concerning an upcoming "Teen Health Conference."

"A Real War"

"This is really a war," said Marilyn Fitterman, a former president of the New York State National Organization for Women. Ms. Fitterman believes the right-to-life groups are practicing politics through the pulpit, and their increasing presence and broadening of tactics make her fear for the future of women's rights. "We say 'keep your rosaries off our ovaries.' "

Ms. Fitterman, a mother of five, almost died from an illegal abortion in 1964 after becoming pregnant for a sixth time. That was the beginning of her activism. On Saturday, the Jewish Holy Day, Yom Kippur, she spoke through a megaphone telling the crowd across the street that she thinks God is pro-choice.

Along with Melissa Arch Walton, the president of East End NOW, and Sandy Rapp, a feminist folk singer and activist, Ms. Fitterman helped organize Saturday's counter-demonstration at the last minute after learning of the Catholic group's plans. The pro-choice contingent, which had been "unofficially invited" by Hamptons Gynecology, arrived early in the morning to secure a spot on the same side of the road as the clinic. The right-to-life group arrived later, following mass, and took a spot across the road from the Hamptons Gynecology.

'Many Have Perished'

The pro-choice group, some carrying guitars, sang Ms. Rapp's song, "Remember Rose: A Song for Choice," while the larger crowd across the street said the rosary in unison. One man knelt on the ground, praying, and passing cars honked in support of one side or the other. The clinic was open during part of the demonstration, but closed early in the afternoon.

"The whole point is that women who can't afford or welcome another child into the family will do anything to abort and indeed many have perished," Ms. Rapp said.

Peg Jordan, a Sacred Hearts parishioner who helped set up Saturday's rosary procession, said that the right-to-life groups believe not only in saving the unborn, but in helping mothers and families to get on their feet after an unexpected pregnancy.

'In A Quiet Manner'

"We don't want anybody to be lost," she said yesterday. "If a young girl is pregnant and unmarried we help her learn parenting skills and take care of her . . .We do an awful lot to help and keep people off welfare."

Ms. Jordan pointed, in particular, to the efforts of Birthright, a pro-life agency based in Hampton Bays that offers counseling and other services to expectant mothers. Birthright is staffed by volunteers and, though not connected to the Catholic Church, does receive support from it. If a mother chooses to offer her newborn for adoption, Birthright can also help on this front. But adoption in general, said Ms. Jordan, "is getting less and less because more and more babies are getting killed . . . fetus means 'little one' not just a little blob of nothing."

The Catholic right-to-life groups "don't go out yelling and screaming," Ms. Jordan said. "We believe prayer is the best thing. We can do things in a quiet manner."

There was some uncertainty 50 years ago, as the 300th anniversary of the founding of East Hampton approached, about just when the great event should properly be observed.

Going by the earliest entry in the town records (except for one involving Gardiner's Island), the tercentenary would come the following year, 1948. On the other hand, the 19th-century historian Henry P. Hedges, in his definitive "History of East Hampton," had pronounced the date of settlement to be 1649. If that were so, the ceremonies would have to be put off a year.

Who was right?

A committee of Long Island scholars, combing early documents for the source of the discrepancy, finally sleuthed it out - a typographical mistake in an early state almanac. Later publications had faithfully copied the incorrect date, and generations of East End children were thereafter taught it in classrooms.

Ready To Go

Let it be said straight off that there is no such indecision about the town's 350th anniversary. It will be commemorated in 1998, starting almost as soon as the new year does and continuing to January 1999.

A host of activities, including an inaugural party, a yearlong lecture series, the publication of commemorative books and historical maps, a parade, and a three-month exhibit at Guild Hall and Clinton Academy, are planned.

In addition, just about every one of the town's citizens' committees, veterans' groups, historical societies, school districts, and environmental organizations have projects in the works.

The parade, according to its just-appointed chairman, James Brooks of East Hampton, will be unlike any seen here since 1948.

Pageantry Planned

More of a pageant than a progression, it will feature various colorful characters of yore and lore - Fishhooks Mulford, Goody Garlick, Stephen Talkhouse, Captain Kidd, possibly a mounted contingent of Rough Riders - who will not only march but mingle with the crowd.

On parade day, Oct. 10, the plan is to close Main Street to traffic all day long, offer free guided tours of the street's landmarks, get the windmills working, and use East Hampton Village's new shuttle buses to ferry the onlookers.

At Guild Hall that same day, a major show on old East Hampton, beginning with Montauk Indian artifacts, will open. Furniture, silver, jewelry, letters, wills, account books, paintings, town records and documents, maps, and items both decorative and utilitarian will be among the objects. The earliest colonial material, dating mostly from 1776 to 1800, will be housed across the street at Clinton Academy.

Inaugural Event

If all goes according to plan, the year's events will commence on Jan. 3, 1998, with an all-day open house at Guild Hall. Rumor has it that a film of the 1948 parade, long missing, has been found - the one starring a teenaged Trevor Kelsall wrestling with a greased pig - and if that is true, it will be given several showings.

In addition, artwork by the Moran family will be on view, a school chorus may perform, and Bruce Collins, chairman of the 350th anniversary celebration, will proclaim the commemorative proceedings to be officially under way.

At least once each month throughout the year, there will be a lecture on some aspect of the town's history. The speakers will be a varied lot, including the Connecticut State Historian (East Hampton was part of Connecticut in the 1660s), and their subjects range from the political influence of early Presbyterian ministers to the coming of the Long Island Rail Road.

Top Talks

Paul Goldberger will talk on local architecture, the curator of Del a ware's Winterthur Museum will discuss the Dominy family of clockmakers, and the man who built a replica of the Amistad for Mystic, Conn., Quentin Snedecor, will speak about the mutiny aboard that 19th-century slave ship - also the subject of a soon-to-be-released Steven Spiel berg film.

The collected lectures are to be published as a book in February 1999. The official anniversary volume, "East Hampton: 350 Years," written by Averill Dayton Geus and illustrated with photographs from her collection and those of other old families, is scheduled for publication in October 1998.

A photographic calendar is being issued in January to help people keep track of all the doings; Doreen Niggles of East Hampton is putting it together. In addition, a souvenir map of the town with historic sites highlighted is in preparation. Streetwise, the Amagansett company, will produce it under the supervision of Barbara Borsack.

On Film

Video projects, too, are under way in conjunction with the festivities. The Autumn Project aims to interview and tape some East Hampton residents whose lives and memories go back the longest. Capt. Milton L. Miller Sr., the Springs bayman, was the first to be taped by Julia C. Mead, The Star's news editor, and Kyril Bromley for this undertaking, to be aired on LTV.

Also, Victor Teich has proposed to film a television documentary of the Town, from the "Ice Age to the Present," covering geology and early history and emphasizing the history of the 19th and 20th centuries. Genie Henderson would write the film and Eli Wallach would narrate it.

Other plans in the works include a treasure hunt, a theatrical production on the life of John Howard Payne of "Home, Sweet Home" fame, and the raffling of a historic quilt completed this year by Water Mill craftswomen.

Fifty-Two Parts

This newspaper will play its part - 52 parts, to be exact. Each week during the year, The Star will devote a page to the observances, with memoirs from invited contributors, photos of vanished buildings, interviews with the lecturers, features of historic interest, and news of the week's goings-on.

East Hampton Town and Village have provided some support for the anniversary events, but the bulk of it will have to come from individuals and businesses. Thomas A. Twomey, who is in charge of fund-raising, sent out his first letter to prospective underwriters a few weeks ago.

"The purpose of these events," he reminded them, "is to educate young and old alike on the origins of the town so as to inspire future generations to preserve the heritage we have all come to know is so unique. . . . Please help us celebrate the 350-year history of our community - one of the oldest in the country."

It's not supposed to be fair to review a restaurant until it's been open at least a month. A new dining spot deserves a grace period, time to iron out the kinks and smooth the rough edges, before going under the reviewer's microscope.

We tried to give Peconic Coast, a new restaurant on Montauk Highway in East Hampton, a full 31 days to warm up, but the buzz was just too loud. The proprietors, Dede McCann and Dennis MacNeil, formerly of the Laundry, have been somewhat renowned on the local culinary scene for making even the average patron feel like a member of the royal family.

So, we broke the rules. We couldn't wait. Sorry.

We'll Go Back

When we set out for the restaurant Friday night, we were prepared to suspend judgment, at least a little. "Don't expect too much, they just opened," I cautioned. "If it's really not good, we'll just go somewhere else tomorrow and come back next month."

Next month it will be. But we'll also go back next week and maybe the week after that and, probably, as often as our pocketbooks will allow.

The restaurant is in the building that most recently housed Duke's restaurant. In past incarnations, it also was home to Little Rock Rodeo and the Royal Fish. It had almost fallen off East Hampton's restaurant map until Ms. McCann, who manages the front of the house, and Mr. MacNeil, the chef, stepped in to make it their own.

In their case, making a place their own seems to mean one and the same as making it feel like a second home to their customers. The service staff, from hostess to busperson, is attentive without doting; the place is comfortable but lively, and the food, oh, the food!

How Many Ways?

How many ways can you say delicious? The baked clams with chorizo sausage and sweet peppers were succulent and tasty. The mission figs rolled in Parma prosciutto and drizzled with a delicate balsamic glaze were delectable, the lobster, avocado, shiitake, and tomato tian was dynamic, and the breast of Muscovy duck was inspired. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

First to arrive at the table is a basket of piping hot sourdough rolls to munch on while you try to choose just one appetizer and one entree from the menu and convince everyone else at the table to order the other dishes you'd like to try.

One person among us couldn't decide on a single appetizer so ordered four, but passed on an entree. Of the five appetizers we sampled, the lobster tian was the most interesting.

High Marks

A tian, for those who haven't read Miriam Ungerer's recent description in these pages, is a baked vegetable dish in a shallow casserole, usually served warm, but this one was something like a layered salad, with chunks of lobster on top, and marinated shiitake on the bottom. The prosciutto-rolled fresh figs were simple in construction but lovely in taste - not too salty, not too sweet, but the best of both.

The salad, too, was simple, but good. The mozzarella marinated in pesto, then wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a deep dish with marinara sauce was the heartiest of the appetizers.

The marinara got high marks and the prosciutto added, as it can, quite a bit of perky saltiness. The only appetizer that got a so-so response was sweet potato skins with a yogurt honey mint sauce. The skins, we thought, should have been crisper.

As for the entrees, we had nothing but praise. This is the sort of food one eats slowly and savors. Rather than give you so much you'll never go away hungry, Peconic Coast gives you something that's so good you don't want it to end.

The breast of Muscovy duck was cooked to absolute perfection. Its crisp skin was mixed with tapenade and wrapped in a Moroccan pastry. Off to the side was a flavorful endive confit in vermouth sauce.

Bound To Glory

The chicken was tender and juicy and sat atop a bed of porcini mushrooms in a marsala sauce. An entree of sauteed bay scallops with lemon and parsley in a roasted golden acorn squash with rice pilaf featured plump little scallops cooked as they should be. As with the duck, there was a wonderful tapestry of textures and flavors.

Word has it that the sauteed calf's liver is "divine," but we didn't have the pleasure this time around.

We finished the meal with two desserts, a light orange-zest-flavored creme brulee and profiteroles with chocolate gelato, recommended for anyone with a massive sweet tooth and a good appetite.

Our evening at Peconic Coast was quite honestly one of the most pleasant dining experiences we've had in recent memory. Packed from its first week, this restaurant is the sort that will soon have a dining room full of regulars - with good reason.

A Peek

Ridgewood, N.J.

October 10, 1997

To The Editor:

Now that summer is over and we are all back home again, we love getting The Star each week by mail. Unfortunately, it doesn't always make it to New Jersey in a timely manner. So it's great to get a peek at what's coming! Keep up the great work, but don't be afraid to put it all on the Web, we won't cancel our subscription.

WILL, JOAN, MICHAEL and SAM RAPHAEL

Civic Duty

Springs

October 9, 1997

Dear Helen,

I think it was fine that The Star and Kiwanis were giving out magnets last weekend -magnets that will inform recyclers where to dump at the dump. However, that is not the answer!

Every time I go to the dump it's usually us graybeards who are tottering between bins, shaking out our wet garbage into the bin marked compostables, cooing to the pigeons - er, rather shooing the pigeons from our garbage -, watching out for their garbage, hobbling to the number one and two plastic bins, teetering to the metal bin, limping to the green, brown, and clear glass bins, making sure we are covered and have our safety glasses on to avoid the shards, heaving the magazines and junk mail into their bin, and then toting the newspapers into their bin.

Whew! I, as one of those gray-beards, heave a sigh of relief. Into the car, I manage to crawl, and, after a few gasped breaths, I start my car engine, turning the corner, avoiding the battery acid and the used clothing bins (I've heard they sell all that clothing to people in need - I have no proof of that statement - it's just what I've heard. Giving that clothing to AProgram Planned for Life Enrichment or the Animal Rescue Fund or the church is a much better thought.) Anyway, I am now in front of Mount St. Helen (John Conner coined the phrase, I think) - the pit. I have one small bag of nonrecyclables - mostly New York Times blue, and a few A&P plastic bags (they tear easily and are not able to be used again).

So here is the problem - dumping all that garbage into the pit. Young women and men tossing huge black bags obviously weighed down with wet garbage - a few guilty glances over their shoulder - but tossing nevertheless. There is a large sign saying "It's against the law to . . ." but they toss anyway. And no one stops them! Why, if it's against the law, isn't something done about it? How about putting some of our policemen or women there? It may not be as pleasant as walking up and down Main Street and ticketing cars but it might fill the coffers more quickly, and it sure would help our town and its people and future generations.

So whatta you say, East Hampton? Us graybeards wouldn't feel so alone doing our civic duty if we had some help from you.

Sincerely,

VAUGHAN ALLENTUCK

Fulfillment Of Hopes

East Hampton

October 13, 1997

Dear Helen Rattray:

Star readers following my periodic reports on the study of strontium-90 levels in baby teeth of Long Island families living close to the Brook haven National Laboratory will be pleased to know that the study is now being extended to other possibly endangered areas, with the support of the new Standing for the Truth About Radiation foundation. With offices in New York and East Hampton (66 Newtown Lane, 329-8994), the goals of STAR include raising funds in defense of those harmed by reactor emissions, including humans, wildlife, fish, and nuclear whistleblowers, including those now ready to testify but who are fearful of reprisal.

Grants will also be made to environmental grassroots organizations supporting the search for truth about the health effects of low-level radiation. For example, a small grant has already been made to permit independent measures of radioactivity levels in the Peconic Bay.

STAR's mission will be spelled out in detail at a fund-raising dinner being given tomorrow evening by Alec Baldwin and Frazer and Frances Dougherty. Speakers will include the attorney Jan Schlictmann, the charismatic protagonist of the best-selling "A Civil Action," whose role in representing Woburn children dying of leukemia will soon be portrayed by John Travolta in a Hollywood film. He has characterized the baby teeth study as follows: "People on Long Island, as elsewhere, may discover from this study that their fears that reactor emissions may be contributing to high neighboring cancer rates, which can affect both the rich and poor alike, are either groundless or of great concern. But no one can object to our seeking the truth about health effects of ingesting nuclear fission products. Even Congress has questioned the National Cancer Institute for long withheld information on cancers caused by post-war nuclear fallout."

Since I am told that tickets may still be available when this letter is published on Oct. 16, I hope to see as many of my supporters as possible at this dinner, which for me represents the fulfillment of all my hopes since moving to East Hampton 10 years ago.

Sincerely,

JAY M. GOULD

Letter Home From Boynton Beach

October 9, 1997

Dear Editor,

The school building on Newtown Lane first opened its doors in September 1924. At that time, it was a kindergarten through 12th-grade school, and its graduating class, in June 1925, totaled 13.

It replaced an older wooden building, which had been constructed in the early 1890s. Several years after the turn of the century, a two-story brick section was added, and today, it is still being used. In the '20s and '30s, there was an art classroom and a manual training paint shop on its below-grade floor. On the first floor, there were two second-grade classrooms and a school nurse's office. On the top floor, there were two seventh-grade classrooms and a freshman classroom.

During construction of the school, students attended classrooms of a temporary nature at the Methodist Church Hall, the Masonic Temple, and the Presbyterian Session House, which at the time faced Main Street.

In September 1926, when I entered first grade, Gilbert Lyons was school principal, until the end of the 1927-28 school year, when he left to become principal of the Smithtown School District. In September 1928, Leon O. Brooks became East Hampton principal and remained until his retirement in the early '50s. John B. Meeker succeeded him, and he was destined to become a very busy man.

During his administration, the School District purchased the former Edward Gay property, adjacent to the school yard, to construct additional classrooms, a library, and a gymnasium. The existing auditorium-gymnasium was converted into a fine auditorium.

As the grade school population increased, land was purchased for the John Marshall Elementary School to be built. While it was being constructed, classes were held in the Odd Fellows Hall on Newtown Lane and at the Louis Parr building down Pantigo way.

In the early '50s, the voters of the East Hampton School District defeated a proposition to purchase land, which was located between Oakview Highway and Cedar Street. Much of it was cleared and had been used for farming. The land was of a size adequate enough to hold all school facilities, including ball fields and playgrounds. Had that proposal been approved, many thousands of dollars would have been saved.

At the time, there were some who wanted to convert the Newtown Lane school into a town-village government office building as soon as the Cedar Street project was completed. Instead, a few influential citizens, who could not see beyond the length of their noses, convinced the majority to defeat the Cedar Street land acquisition. Afterward, the costs of purchasing the Edward Gay property, next to the Newtown Lane school, the Long Lane fields, the site of today's high school, and the Gardiner property, behind Church Street, far exceeded the amount the Cedar Street acquisition would have cost. It must have been a frustrating period for Mr. Meeker. Without doubt, he must have experienced many sleepless and tossing nights.

When going to school in the '20s and '30s, there were three general rules, which the students had to obey, and if one was broken, the one who committed the infraction was going to have an audience with Mr. Lyons, the school principal. Rule number one: No one was allowed to walk on the grass, for lawns were made to look at, not to walk upon. Rule number two: No one was expected to run in the halls when changing classes. Rule number three: Every student was expected to be in his or her seat when the final bells rang at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

For some reason, now long forgotten, the west entrance of the school was the boys' entrance and the east was the girls' entrance. Often Mr. Lyons would stand in the boys' entrance just before the final bell rang, waiting to nab a tardy boy. Girls, for some reason, were rarely late to their classrooms.

The front entrance was used mainly by parents and visitors who had business with the principal. After the sports seasons ended, the boys and girls teams had group photographs taken there, which afterward were framed and mounted on the south wall of the top floor hall. After there was no longer a high school on Newtown Lane, the pictures were removed. I wonder what happened to them. I hope they were preserved, for they contained many fond memories of an earlier time.

The rear entrance, which faced the railroad property, was used by teachers who used the area reserved to park cars, and by boys who lived on Cedar Street, Osborne Lane, North Main Street, Freetown, and Three Mile Harbor Road. The boys who lived on Cedar Street and the northern end of Osborne Lane walked the fields behind the houses on the east side of the lane. After they crossed the railroad tracks, they slid through an opening under the boarded fence which separated the school yard from the tracks. Boys from the North Main Street area below the bridge and points north walked the railroad tracks and crossed Percy Schenck's coal yard before crawling beneath the chain link fence which separated the two properties. Girls, during those times, were much too dignified to crawl under fences or walk the fields and railroad tracks to school.

Young boys dressed much like schoolboys of the World War I era. They wore knickers, knee socks, and brogans. A shirt was never worn without a necktie, and as winter approached, a woolen sweater was worn. Most boys wore a woolen mackinaw to repel the cold. Some boys wore woolen flat caps, and others wore woolen toques which could be pulled down over the ears. At Christmas, many boys looked forward to receiving leather boots, which were called high-tops. The reason for their popularity was that they came with a jack-knife that was pocketed in a sheath attached to the right-hand boot. Most of the high-tops leaked like a sieve, and if they were not large enough for several pairs of woolen socks, the kid wearing them suffered from cold and wet feet, especially when the ground was covered with snow.

Girls, at the time, wore dresses and skirts with blouses, and sweaters were added as cold weather arrived. They wore knee socks and tan lisle stockings to help keep their legs warm, but still suffered from the cold walking to and from school on days when those piercing northwesterlies cut like a knife. School boys and girls of today are so very fortunate to wear insulated jackets, parkas, and boots to repel the cold. A lined hooded parka was unheard of then. If they had been available, the average family would have been unable to afford them.

As there was no bus transportation for students living in the East Hampton School District, the majority of students had to walk to school. The Bennett children who lived on Springy Banks Road, opposite Soak Hides Road, and the ones who lived on the west side of Abram's Path in Amagansett walked each day to and from school. The Criscione children lived on the peach farm in Northwest, and each day they were driven to school by their father, Salvatore. At the end of each school day, he would wait for them on Newtown Lane. In their early years of going to school, the roads throughout Northwest were unpaved, and after snowstorms, plows were infrequently used to clear those two-tracked wagon paths.

A few years after the end of World War I, Oscar Brill opened a clothing store in the DeWitt Talmage building on the corner of Talmage Lane and North Main Street. A few old-timers referred to it as the Army-Navy Store, but in later years, most residents knew it as Brill's. Brill's customers lived in the greater part of East Hampton, Springs, and Amagansett. On Saturday nights just before the opening of school, the Brills were busy fitting school children with new clothes. At Christmastime, too, sales increased, as local people prepared for the holidays by purchasing winter wear for their children.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Epstein owned a similar store located between the A&P and the First National Bank on Main Street opposite the Edwards Theater. They, like the Brills, knew about everyone's size and what color would look well on them, making buying a gift for a youngster or a family member an easy task. It is a part of old East Hampton that has passed on. On the first day of school, there was nothing to surpass the joy of seeing all the schoolchildren in their new attire, the girls with pretty ribbons in their hair, patent leather shoes, and white knee stockings to match their dresses, and the boys in knickers, white shirts and ties, and new highly polished brogans. It was a real Norman Rockwell setting, complete with a newly painted room for each class.

In the early years of this century, the first six weeks of school were periods of apprehension, because of the dreaded infantile paralysis, more commonly known today as polio. In the fall of 1930, a Stelzer girl in the lower grades succumbed to that disease. Shortly after school opened in September 1935, Murray Hantz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Hantz of Amagansett, also died as a result of contracting polio. Two years later, Harry Leek Jr., also of Amagansett, died of that terrible disease. In that same period, Robert Conklin, an East Hampton teenager, survived after coming down with polio, but was left a cripple for the remainder of his life.

Mrs. Cornelia Reiser, the school nurse since her appointment in March 1920, and Dr. David Edwards, a local physician and town health officer for many years, were very concerned about another disease, diphtheria, which in the past had claimed so many young lives. Although New York State gave the toxin-anti-toxin to the towns to be administered to each child between the ages of 6 months and 10 years, many families did not take the opportunity to protect their youngsters. Mrs. Reiser and Doctor Edwards decided that the only way for the youngsters to receive shots was through administering the shots after the children entered school.

In 1929, Doctor Edwards went to the Town Board and requested that the town pay doctors $1 for each inoculation, just as the Town of Southampton had been doing. The Town Board approved his request, and by 1932 he had his toxin-anti-toxin clinic in the school building. Prior to that time, he had been giving shots to the children, both in school and in his office, for which he received no compensation. I remember Mrs. Reiser taking me to Doctor Edwards's office for my three shots because I had been home with a very bad case of measles, another killer in those days.

By today's standards, when all children can be inoculated against contracting communicable childhood diseases, we who grew up those many years ago lived in a somewhat primitive era.

Most parents, at some time or another, spent sleepless nights wondering if they would be spared the agony of having a child come down with a fatal case of a communicable childhood disease. It was quite common to hear of a family in town who had just lost a youngster with a disease for which there were no preventive measures.

In the springtime, during our grade school years, boys, before classes commenced, both in the morning and afternoon, played a game of ball called "work up." It was played with a tennis ball and a flat bat two or three inches wide and an inch thick. No sides were chosen, and the batter remained at bat as long as he did not ground or fly out. There were several batters, and each batter had to advance the base runner. If the base runner was forced out, he had to go to the right field and advance each position as the runners or batters made outs. When a batter flied out, the person catching the ball became a batter, and the former batter became the right fielder. After the boys began to arrive in larger numbers, they became fielders, making it difficult to get a base hit.

The one thing the young boys learned was to swing at the ball. Had there been Little League baseball, most boys of that era would have become fairly good hitters. Years later, when I umpired Little League games, I noticed too many batters waited to be walked, rather than swing at the ball. One year, when the late Amasa Brooks was managing a Little League team, a kid joined the team, and Amasa asked him what position did he play. The kid replied, "Batter." That was good enough for Amasa, and the kid turned out to be an excellent batter.

Once in a while, a fist fight broke out, and the yelling commenced as the onlookers took sides. One such fight started behind the boiler room in the latter part of the noon hour, just as Coach Sprig Gardner returned from lunch. Immediately, he broke it up, but the incident planted an idea in his head. As winter was approaching, he thought an organized program, held in the auditorium during lunch hour, would be a good way for some of the boys to let off excess steam.

After he figured a way, he went to the principal and informed him of his plan. Mr. Brooks approved it, and Sprig purchased boxing gloves of various sizes, and placed boys in classes from 80 pounds to heavyweights. Each boy was required to wear his gym suit, but he had to provide his sneakers. Those who did not want to participate were free to do so.

Three bouts took place simultaneously, and each bout, scheduled for three rounds, was refereed by a responsible adult. It proved to be very entertaining for the spectators, a large number of whom were girls. Also, it allowed for a few grudges to be settled. When Sprig left East Hampton in 1936 for a better job at Mepham, Stewart McCaw, the new coach, continued that entertaining winter program.

To be concluded.

Sincerely,

NORTON (BUCKET) DANIELS

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