Grind

There is no charge to enter, but the prize for winning floats is substantial: bragging rights for at least a year.

As of Tuesday, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is allowing patients to receive visitors once again, though there are several Covid-19 prevention measures still in place.

East Hampton and Southampton Towns are offering free Covid-19 rapid antigen home test kits to residents this week and next. 

Genie Chipps Henderson talk about her historical novel “A Day Like Any Other” and screen a film about the 1938 Hurricane on Wednesday night at Ashawagh Hall.

Over the last several years, many models of cars and trucks have grown in length, width, and height. For that reason, coupled with the rising costs of doing business, the Cross Sound Ferry has announced that starting March 1, its fares will be raised and restructured.

Tuesday is tax-grievance day in Sag Harbor. If you're a village resident and feel you are overpaying on your property tax, that's the day to file your grievance claim.

This year’s election for the board of the Amagansett Library will be held from March 1 to March 19. Interested candidates who are residents of the hamlet and can commit to monthly meetings have been asked to submit a letter of interest and a short bio by Feb. 23. Those materials can be sent to [email protected], mailed to the library at P.O. Box 2550, Amagansett 11930, or dropped off in person.

People who are having trouble paying for food for their dogs or cats can go to Petco on Saturday, Feb. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. to receive pet food for free from the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons.

The Montauk Library will be closed through Feb. 17 for repaving of the parking lot and to give the employees time to install furniture and equipment and move collections, shelving, and supplies from the temporary library back into the newly expanded and renovated main library building.

According to the National Weather Service, the clouds will clear on Saturday — just in time for these outdoor events.

On Saturday it's HarborFrost time. Starting at 1 p.m. on Long Wharf and going until dark, the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual winter celebration, highlighting two extreme elements — fire and ice.

It may be the middle of winter, but it's time to start thinking about the beach: East Hampton Village's nonresident beach parking permits go on sale on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.

By Sunday afternoon, as conditions on many roads remained difficult to navigate across the South Fork, schools announced closures, delayed openings, or remote-learning days for Monday.

Several films for kids and adults will be shown at local libraries over the next week.

Michelle Grant, the Sag Harbor Elementary School guidance counselor, will soon embark on her annual lessons on personal safety. The program covers fire safety, seatbelt rules, bullying, and recognizing signs of abuse, and generally "helps students learn how to seek help in unsafe situations," Ms. Grant said in an email to families.

The Friends of Erin have chosen Marilyn Behan to be the 60th Grand Marshal of the Montauk St. Patrick’s Day parade, to be held on March 27 at noon.

Starting Monday, National Grid will be installing a new gas main on Route 27, a.k.a. Main Street, between Woods Lane and Huntting Lane in East Hampton Village.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School will host auditions on Friday evening for an elite summer 2022 program run by the American Academy of Ballet.

On Monday, Calvary Baptist Church in East Hampton aired a recording of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony on YouTube to honor the late minister and civil rights activist. 

Betty White, one of America's most beloved actors, would have turned 100 years old today. Also a lover of animals, Ms. White died on Dec. 31, and in her honor, a social media campaign called the #BettyWhiteChallenge is encouraging donations to animal shelters and rescue organizations.

If moving more is your new year's resolution, these upcoming treks might do the trick.

The Amagansett Village Improvement Society is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, starting with a "love letters to Amagansett" essay-writing contest for Valentine's Day. All have been invited to participate.

The deadline for applications to the HamptonsFilm's annual Screenwriters Lab has been extended to Friday, Jan. 14.

Bicycle enthusiasts here may appreciate an upcoming eight-day, 400-mile challenge that combines trail cycling with New York State history. The Cycle the Erie Canal tour takes place from July 10 to 17, and registration is currently open.

With the first half of property taxes due Monday, East Hampton Town issued a reminder this week that there are several payment options available.

It's seal-watching season in Montauk.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the start of the Col. William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery annual spring seedling sale, which is open to the public and runs until May 13. Each year, the nursery offers low-cost, New York-grown tree and shrub species for sale to encourage conservation plantings and foster the next generation of forests.

As winter settles in on the South Fork, kids and adults can stay busy with nature-oriented activities.

With local positivity rates of the Omicron Covid-19 variant reaching close to 25 percent, East Hampton Town has announced five additional vaccination clinic dates in February. Those previously offered in January have been booked up.

Starting in January, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons will become a vaccination site operated in partnership with Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. It replaces the Parrish Hall vaccination site near the hospital and will allow for three times as many appointments each day.