Grind

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.

The East Hampton Library is encouraging high school students to take on its 2022 winter challenge, which runs from Jan. 3 to Feb. 19.

The Jewish Center of the Hampton will be closed for three weeks, according to an announcement released on Dec. 23.

It's not too cold outside for a hike, right?

Experts from Stony Brook Medicine’s Post-Covid Clinic will present “Post-Covid: In It for the Long Haul,” a livestream event examining long-term effects and approaches to care, on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.

Police departments here and across Long Island are on heightened alert at schools, following social media posts that threatened violence today, Friday. Those threats have now been deemed non-credible.

Does anything say 'happy holidays' like a large, plush llama?

John Hatleberg, widely considered the world's foremost counterfeiter of famous diamonds, will be the next speaker in Knowledge Fridays, the monthly lecture series at The Church in Sag Harbor, on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Citing the financial impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many families, the East Hampton Kiwanis Club is seeking donations of new, unwrapped toys to be distributed to local kids in need for the holidays.

The Montauk Chamber of Commerce and the Montauk Visitors Center will hold a Montauk Holiday market on the downtown green on Saturday from noon to 4:30 p.m. Santa will be there from 3 to 4 p.m.

Attention holiday shoppers who like to keep things local: two chances are coming up this weekend to do just that.

The Southampton Town Planning Board will hold a virtual public hearing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 9, Thursday, to consider a request from Verizon for a special exception from the zoning code for a 153-foot-high cell tower along the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, on a 24-acre property.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital kicked off a winterlong coat drive last week, asking for donations of new or gently worn coats, hats, gloves, and scarves to help people in need.

East End YIMBY (which stands for "Yes in my Back Yard") will be holding a rally in support of affordable housing on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the windmill on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.

For those who have relatives or friends struggling with alcohol, Al-Anon meetings held at a handful of locations on the South Fork offer support. Adults meet at the Montauk Community Church on Sundays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Lunch meetings take place on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. at the East Hampton Presbyterian Church session house. There are also meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 4:30 at Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor. The Wednesday session is geared specifically toward parents of alcoholics. Masks are required.

There will be two free screenings Sunday of “Waterproof,” the 40-minute documentary released two years ago that focuses on East Hampton’s lifeguarding community, and in particular on John Ryan Sr.

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center announced this week it is seeking donations of shoeboxes filled with holiday gifts for girls and boys in the community.

The East Hampton Masons and the East Hampton High School Student Association are seeking vendors to take part in their upcoming walk-through holiday light show, to be held the weekends of Dec. 10 and 11 and Dec. 17 and 18.