Grind

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, what better way to support your community than make a donation to an organization near and dear to your heart? Many nonprofits are reaching out for end-of-year appeals, to which links can be found here.

Amagansett Historical Association, Amagansett

Amagansett Library, Amagansett

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is encouraging New Yorkers to ring in the new year outdoors with a walk or hike at one of many state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, and public lands.

A free Covid-19 testing center will operate in Springs on Monday for one day only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments for the rapid tests can be scheduled by calling 631-899-3441.

Several churches are holding services for Christmas with online or in-person attendance.

The annual Santa Parade in East Hampton Village has been canceled because of the pandemic, but the village and the Chamber of Commerce are offering a safe, festive way for families to celebrate the holidays: drive-in movies at Lot 2 of the Main Beach parking lot.

Among an uptick in phone scams this holiday season is a PSEG utility spoof in which a person pretending to be with the electric company threatens to shut off power to your house unless a payment is made immediately via gift cards or prepaid debit cards.

Snow is expected to begin at about 4 p.m. today, changing to rain after midnight, then to a mix of snow, sleet, and rain during the early morning on Thursday.

In honor of the fourth anniversary of the Sag Harbor Cinema fire, today the theater is releasing a five-minute documentary that commemorates that event as recalled by the firefighters who battled the fateful blaze. 

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society’s Westhampton Beach facility triaged 20 cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, “the smallest and most endangered species of sea turtles in the world,” in a single day, the organization announced last week.

The Northwell Health Care system announced on Monday the opening of its newest facility, the $6.2 million Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Riverhead.

Writers interested in publishing their own books, either as hard copies or e-books, have been invited to join a Zoom talk on Saturday at 3 p.m., hosted by the East Hampton Library. David Fiske, a retired librarian and writer, will talk about the process, offering tips and caveats.

A holiday decorating contest and a visit from Santa are coming up in Montauk.

The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the holiday season for many families. The good news is that Toys for Tots, now in its 35th year, is stepping in to fill gaps and provide gifts for children whose families need help.

Bringing today’s current challenges to life onstage, Pierson High School students are making theater more accessible than ever by tapping into 2020’s most relatable phenomenon: quarantine. Their production of Don Zoldis's "10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine" will be live with a limited audience and stream free online.

Evelyn Ramunno, the executive director of the the Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry, and the pantry's volunteers are this year's recipients of the Community Service Award from the Sag Harbor Partnership.

The East Hampton Trails Preservation Society will host a three-mile hike to the seal haul-out trail in Montauk on Saturday at 10 a.m.

For those seeking to shop locally this holiday season, the Village True Value Hardware Store in East Hampton now has a special section of locally made products.

Merry Madoo’s Santa Stand will be selling the conservancy’s home-grown paperwhites, apple and orange pomanders with velvet ribbons, and boughs of fresh-cut greens from the garden for holiday decorating needs.

Marine fishing industries that have experienced significant economic losses because of the pandemic can apply for federal grants through New York State's fisheries relief program starting on Tuesday. The application period ends on Dec. 31.

As Covid-19 surges anew on the East End, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has once again suspended most visitation privileges.

It's time to start decking the halls.

The Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce will hold a weekly holiday event with Main Street stores offering discounts and free gifts with purchases, restaurant specials, and more starting this week through Dec. 18.

The Pike food truck at the Corwith Farmstand in Water Mill has a Thanksgiving menu of appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes, and desserts. Appetizers offered by the dozen include pigs in a blanket for $14.50, barbecue pulled pork quesadillas for $18.95, and curried tuna cakes with mango salsa for $12.50. The entrees offered by the pound include citrus glazed ham for $14.99, herbed-rubbed turkey for $16.99, blackened sea bass for $17.99, and Cajun roasted pork tenderloin for $22.99.

While many holiday traditions may be curtailed in light of Covid, the Riverhead Holiday Light Show promises to be as bright as ever. The largest drive-through light show in Suffolk County opened on Thursday.

Lots of interesting things are happening in Sag Harbor this weekend and beyond.

A poet and a particle physicist, who happen to be married, walk into a bar. Well, actually appear in an East Hampton Library Zoom program Monday at 5 p.m. on the ways that poetry and science can enrich the understanding of the universe.

The East Hampton Historical Society will hold a holiday event at the Mulford Farm on Nov. 28 and the Thomas and Mary Nimmo Moran House and Studio will open on Nov. 29 for a holiday exhibition of festive decor, postcards, period silver, and antique toys to evoke a 19th-century Christmas.

In honor of National Family Caregivers Month this November, Peconic Bay Medical Center’s sixth annual Caregivers Retreat day will be held virtually, over Facebook Live, on Friday.

Thanks to promising weather over the next few days, the Leonids meteor shower can be seen in the pre-dawn skies this week. It will peak Monday night and the viewing will be made easier without moonlight, according to the Hamptons Observatory.

The East Hampton Lions Club will host a blood drive at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett on Monday from 11:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. The hall is on the corner of Montauk Highway and Abraham’s Path.