Grind

Although the high school theater season was cut short by the school closures caused by Covid-19, East End Arts is once again honoring a crop of talented student thespians for outstanding performances.

Southampton Town reopened its playgrounds and skate parks on Thursday after months of closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The reopening was made possible after an adjustment to the state's phase two guidelines.

The town will follow the Center for Disease Control's safety protocols and visitors must wear face coverings and adhere to the six-feet social distance requirements.  

Two more events this week will continue discussions of the civil rights narrative on the East End, a Juneteenth celebration in Southampton and a Black Lives Matter protest in Montauk.

On Wednesday, Skarstedt Gallery will launch an East Hampton branch of its New York and London operations at a 1,500-square-foot space in the same cluster of storefronts once occupied by the Drawing Room at 66 Newtown Lane.

A group of alumni and current students of Southampton High School has launched a petition on the website Change.org urging the Southampton School District administration, school board, faculty, and staff to make changes to the curriculum and policies in light of what they believe are "overt and covert forms of racism" in the district.

The petition, which garnered more than 700 signatures as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, says that "it is simply not enough to decry racism."

"Did You Know?" is Project Most's first-ever television show, with lessons, activities, entertainment, and children sharing their knowledge. 

The Accabonac Protection Committee and the Hamptons Observatory will host a virtual sky-watching event on Monday evening.

Responding to an increased need for its services, the Retreat domestic violence organization based in East Hampton has announced an online fund-raiser party and auction to be held on Saturday at 6 p.m.

All for the East End's Feed the Need Campaign will be the beneficiary of a two-night drive-in screening of the new Disney movie "Artemis Fowl" on Friday and Saturday at the grounds of the Hampton Classic in Bridgehampton.

The NPR station WPPB will have new call letters and a number of new shows as of Monday, but will still be found at 88.3 FM.

The Sag Harbor Cinema, in collaboration with the village, will screen "Grease," drive-in style, at Havens Beach on June 21, sponsored by the Sag Harbor Partnership.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which is based on the East End, is hoping families and community members will join in a socially distanced beach cleanup on Monday in honor of World Oceans Day.

Canio's Books and Canio's Cultural Cafe will host a number of book-related Zoom events this week. Tomorrow at 5 p.m. the poets Paul Genega and Maggie Bloomfield and novelist Paul Rabinowitz will read from their new work, Mr. Genega from his collection "Moordener Kill," Ms. Bloomfield from her "Sleepless Nights," and Mr. Rabinowitz from his first novella, "The Clay Urn." The meeting links can be found online at canios.wordpress.com. Participants have been asked to "arrive" five minutes before the start time. The program will also be live-streamed on Facebook.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order last week extending the period for paying real estate taxes by 21 days, to June 21. Property owners in Suffolk County and elsewhere will be allowed to delay payment until then without interest or penalties. The move is intended to assist people who have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deemed "high achieving" under the New York State Every Student Succeeds Act Plan, the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton has been named a Recognition School for the 2018-19 school year.

New York State-run Department of Motor Vehicles offices in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, Albany, and Onondaga counties as well as the five boroughs of New York City have begun to process vehicle registrations and other transactions by mail. Beginning Thursday, transactions will be accepted through secure drop boxes at each office.
 

Customers can make appointments on the Fresh Direct website for pickup at the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. 

The successful development of a rapid new diagnostic Lyme disease test is owed in part to the test samples contributed to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation's Lyme Disease Biobank, specifically from the patients of Dr. George Dempsey's East Hampton Family Medicine practice.

Pet adoptions at the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons have resumed, albeit by appointment, to observe social distancing.

In an effort to bridge the gap between shuttered museums and the creative individuals whose work they rely on, Guild Hall is offering artists an opportunity for one-on-one, virtual studio visits with Christina Strassfield, its museum director and chief curator.

Preservation Long Island has kicked off a crowdsourcing project to "build a collection around the art, objects, and stories that uniquely reflect this historic moment."

Amber Waves Farm is holding an outdoor seedling sale this weekend, offering 70 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The sale runs Saturday through Monday from 9 a.m. to noon each day at 367 Main Street in Amagansett.

Florence Fabricant will talk about the new “Ladies Village Improvement Society Cookbook” in a live online event at 5 p.m. on Saturday hosted by BookHampton, while Monday brings John Grisham discussing his latest mystery.

Seats reservations remained available for Friday afternoon on the Hampton Jitney, something that would have been unthinkable on a pre-pandemic Memorial Day weekend.

Since mid-April, there have been five unexplained forest fires on federal, state, county, and private lands, including Long Island's Pine Barrens region, where some 167 acres have burned.

The East Hampton Star’s annual print supplement dedicated to high school graduation, always a keepsake for years to come, will be published on June 25. In these strange -- and historic -- times, what better way to send your senior off than with a custom congratulatory message in The Star?

Now is the time to reserve space in print for a special message of your design. The deadline for placing graduation advertisements is June 12. Those wishing to inquire about this service can call 631-324-0002 or email [email protected].

Drive-in movies are making a comeback on Long Island in the time of Covid, with showings on Saturday in Southampton and on Wednesday in Mattituck.

The New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing saluted Long Islanders for their hard work to "fight against Covid-19" with a flyover on Friday afternoon covering the North and South Shores from Long Beach to East Hampton and Greenport.

Montauk Brewing Company is holding a #staywhereyouare art contest for a new design on a beer can that also needs a name.

Village True Value Hardware in East Hampton Village on Wednesday announced on Twitter it is now selling tasers.