Grind

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.

Hanukkah begins Sunday at sundown. The holiday will be celebrated with different events across the South Fork, including menorah lightings, singing songs, making and eating latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts), and religious services.

Those who overindulged on Thanksgiving dinner and dessert can "walk it off" with a moderately paced hike on Friday at 10 a.m. through the Long Pond Greenbelt, a post-Thanksgiving tradition from the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and the South Fork Natural History Museum.

There will be a blood drive organized by the New York Blood Center on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bridgehampton School gym.

The Montauk Lighthouse Committee is gearing up for the return of the holiday Lighting of the Light on Nov. 27 at 4:30 p.m., and the Montauk Food Pantry is collecting toys for the children of migrant and seasonal farm workers.

Visiting hours and funeral arrangements have been announced for Zbigniew (Ziggy) Lutrzykowski, an employee of the Bridgehampton School for the last 10 years. He died on Saturday at the age of 48.

Springs School District parents wishing to get Pfizer vaccine shots for their children ages 5 to 11 can do so on Saturday, Nov. 20, at the school between 10 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. The vaccine clinic will also be open to children of Springs School staff members.

East Hampton Town Hall will be the site of a pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinic for people 12 and up on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vaccines will be administered in the main meeting room. Town Hall is at 159 Pantigo Road in East Hampton

Registration for a lantern-light tour of Main Street historic buildings on Dec. 3 is being taken by the East Hampton Historical Society, either on its website or by phone. These tours have limited attendance and fill up fast.

Those who wish to get in some outdoor recreation or compete for a cause in Montauk have a few opportunities coming up to do just that.

In the village, not only will veterans march Thursday morning at 10 in a short parade organized by the Everit Albert Herter V.F.W. Post 550, but they will also be honored with a longer parade organized by the village on Saturday morning.

Southampton Town is saying "thank you" to veterans and active military service members by launching a program in which local businesses are offering them discounts and other perks.

According to a town release issued Monday, about 400 veterans and active service men and women have already received the discount cards, which are accepted by at least 20 businesses.

Responding in a drug crisis or overdose will be the subject of an in-person workshop with the Suffolk County Police Academy Narcan and Crisis Intervention Training Program at the East Hampton Library on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Springs Food Pantry and Share the Harvest Farm are gearing up for the return of the Chowdah Chowdown, a fund-raiser for both organizations that puts local restaurants' clam chowder recipes on display.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., East Hampton Town residents can take hazardous household materials like paint thinners, drain cleaners, antifreeze, and pesticides to the Montauk waste transfer station for safe disposal on STOP Day.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced temporary shellfish closures across Long Island, including in East Hampton and Southampton Towns, due to the heavy rainfall and “extraordinary amounts of stormwater runoff and localized street flooding” on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The up-and-coming Springs Brewery is planning to release its two newest brews this weekend.

Citing inclement weather, the East Hampton School District has postponed an affordable housing forum that had initially been planned for Tuesday night. The district is seeking solutions and ideas for how to mitigate the impact of the region's too-high housing costs on its faculty and staff.

Wanted: Ambitious do-it-yourselfer willing to bring an old boat back to life.

Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming and Joe Brown, commissioner of the county's Public Works Department, will hold a community meeting on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. about roadwork and sidewalks on County Road 79, also known as the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Registered voters who want to cast their ballots before Nov. 2 can do so starting Saturday, when early voting begins.

The East Hampton Town Republican Committee will hold an in-person "town hall" style meeting at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.

Collection sites will be established on Saturday in Bridgehampton and East Hampton for people who want to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, and expired medications.