Grind

After the isolation of the pandemic, "we all feel like we need to unite," Nia Dawson said, and so she has organized an East End Interdependence Day for Sunday, the Fourth of July, to celebrate unity and highlight food justice.

A relatively quiet weekend is ahead for the East Hampton Library, which has returned its self-service Starbucks coffee and tea machine to the main lobby. It had been removed when the Covid-19 pandemic first spread across the nation. The cost is $1 for those who supply their own mugs; $2 for those who don't.

The Hampton Classic has released the poster for this year’s event, designed and photographed by the equine photographer Shelli Breidenbach. The poster was to have announced last year’s big annual horse show, but the event was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week the number of water bodies in Montauk and Amagansett with harmful levels of enterococcus bacteria increased, according to Concerned Citizens of Montauk, and a harmful blue-green algae bloom was in Kellis Pond in Bridgehampton.

Want to get outside? Here are some upcoming activities that promise to satisfy your thirst for the outdoors. 

On Saturday, the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society invites hikers to explore the numerous trails of Amagansett’s hilly and shaded Stony Hill area, featuring glacial kettles and a mature beech forest. Those interested are to meet on Red Dirt Road (1/4 mile east of Accabonac Road) at 9 a.m. More information is available by calling 212-769-4311. 

Montauk is a happening place to be. Upcoming programs and events include musical performances, rummage sales, a book talk and a lecture, and more.

Amanda M. Fairbanks, author of the new book "The Lost Boys of Montauk," will be at the Montauk Lighthouse next Thursday at 7 p.m. to sign copies of her book about the four Montauk fishermen lost at sea during a storm in 1984. She will read excerpts and answer questions from Tom Clavin, the author of "Dark Noon," about the wreck of the Pelican party boat off Montauk in 1951.

The Town of East Hampton has scheduled a Stop Throwing Out Pollutants day — known as a STOP day — for Saturday. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents can take hazardous waste to the East Hampton recycling center at 260 Springs-Fireplace Road for proper disposal.

Oyster farming on Long Island will be the focus on Thursday at 5 p.m. when South Fork Sea Farmers hosts a discussion of its challenges, benefits, and possibilities. The first of what will be a monthly presentation, the conversation will cover the future of aquaculture as a logical area of economic growth and environmental restoration on the East End.

The lifting of more Covid-19 restrictions last week has impacted mask-wearing rules at local libraries.

At the East Hampton Library, masks are no longer required in the building for vaccinated people. Signs will be put up to encourage unvaccinated people to wear masks. Seating and computers will return to full capacity.

Concerned Citizens of Montauk on Thursday reported that 9 of the 25 bodies of water it routinely tests have medium to high levels of harmful bacteria. 

A memorial service for Betty Mazur, a longtime East Hampton Town Democratic Committee official, will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton, at 94 Pantigo Road.

The Town of East Hampton has scheduled a "Stop Throwing Out Pollutants" event — known as STOP Day — for Saturday, June 26. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents will be able to bring hazardous waste to the East Hampton Recycling Center at 260 Springs Fireplace Road for proper disposal.