Summer Happenings in Montauk and Amagansett
Amagansett and especially Montauk are known for being more low-key and laid-back than the rest of the Hamptons. Even so, there is plenty to do beyond swimming, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, angling, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and relishing the ocean breezes. Below are a few of the special events rounding out the 2019 summer season.
August 4
Seven Stony Hill Road, Amagansett
A braai is the South African version of a barbecue, and two chefs who have traveled throughout Africa will be preparing the food at the braai that is the centerpiece of this fundraiser for Hoops 4 Hope, which helps provide safe after-school environments for underprivileged children in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Along with the meal there will be cocktails, live African music, and a silent auction.
August 4
Nancy Cohn Memorial Charity Tennis
Sportime Amagansett, 320 Abrahams Path, Amagansett
Grab a racket and improve your swing while supporting the Retreat, which provides support to victims of domestic violence. Clinics with tennis pros will be followed by competitive matches.
August 5
The U.S. Army 42nd Infantry Division Band
Montauk Lighthouse, 2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk
The 90-minute concert begins with the 28-piece band performing the expected patriotic songs. Then the band evolves into a jazz ensemble and a rock band. The result is a show catering to a variety of tastes.
August 10
The Stephen Talkhouse, 161 Main Street, Amagansett
Loudon Wainwright III.
One of the South Fork’s premiere venues for live music, the Stephen Talkhouse hosts shows just about every night throughout the summer. Taking the stage on August 10 is singer/songwriter/actor Loudon Wainwright III, whose 27-album oeuvre can best be described as “eclectic”; the closest he came to having a commercial hit was with “Dead Skunk (In the Middle of the Road)” in 1972.
August 10
555 Montauk Highway, Amagansett
Bibliophiles will not want to miss this fundraiser for the East Hampton Library. Nearly 100 authors, including Candace Bushnell, Robert Caro, Dani Shapiro, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and Beatriz Williams, will be signing books at a cocktail reception. Afterward more than two dozen authors will co-host dinner parties throughout the area.
August 10-11
Montauk Historical Society Summer Craft Fair
Second House Museum, 12 Second House Road, Montauk
Display from a previous summer Craft Fair. Image: Montauk Historical Society – Twitter
Scores of artisans from all along the East Coast will be selling wares ranging from paintings to pottery, jewelry to apparel, on the manicured grounds of Montauk’s oldest building.
August 11
The Surf Lodge, 183 Edgemere Street, Montauk
Given that his genre of music is known as “surf rock,” it is entirely appropriate that singer/songwriter/guitarist Donavon Frankenreiter will be playing at the Surf Lodge as part of its summer concert series. The deck that serves as a concert stage even overlooks the water—albeit surfer-free Fort Pond rather than the ocean.
August 14
Artists Speak: Maira and Alex Kalman
The Art Barge, 110 Napeague Meadow Road, Amagansett
Artist/illustrator Maira Kalman and her son, designer/curator Alex Kalman, collaborated several years ago on “Sara Berman’s Closet,” an installation shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and now on display at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. They will discuss working together and other topics during this final talk in the Victor D’Amico Institute of Art’s series about artist collaborations.
August 15
Live on the Green: Hot Club of Montauk
Amagansett Square, 231 Main Street, Amagansett
Hot Club of Montauk.
A five-piece ensemble inspired by the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, Hot Club of Montauk plays free live shows on the lawn of Amagansett Square every other Thursday evening throughout the summer.
August 16-18
Montauk Village Green, Flamingo Avenue and Edgemere Street, Montauk
A small sampling of work by the featured artists. Image: Montauk Artist Association
Artists will display paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, glassworks, jewelry, and works in other media during this three-day juried art show, sponsored by the Montauk Artists’ Association.
August 17 & 18
2000 Montauk Highway, Montauk
A reenactment from last year’s Lighthouse Weekend. Image: Montauk Lighthouse
Much more fun than any history class, this two-day event at the Montauk Lighthouse features historical reenactments of a Revolutionary War militia with leather working, a pottery exhibit, and a display of Colonial toys along with performances by Kings of the Coast, a “pirate crew” who sing and cavort as they invite the audience along on their hunt for buried treasure.
August 22
Hither Hills State Park, 164 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk
Gary the Great in action. Image: Gary Ferrar
Wrap up a day of swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, and horseback riding in Hither Hills State Park with a free outdoor display of magic and juggling by the high-energy Gary Ferrar, aka Gary the Great.
August 25
Gosman’s Dock, 484 West Lake Drive, Montauk
Gosman’s Dock presents free live concerts on Sunday evenings throughout the summer. The 2019 series ends with a show by veteran rocker Randy Jackson, perhaps best known as the frontman for Zebra.
August 31
The Surf Lodge, 183 Edgemere Street, Montauk
On-the-rise singer/songwriter (and Long Island native) Madison Beer takes to the Surf Lodge’s stage prior to the release of her already much-hyped debut album.
September 5
The Stephen Talkhouse, 161 Main Street, Amagansett
Elliott Murphy Duo
Another Long Island native, Elliott Murphy was one of numerous singer/songwriters in the 1970s heralded as “the new Bob Dylan.” Instead he forged his own unique career not just as a rocker but as an author as well, which led him to set up home in Paris—though his latest tour brings him back here.
September 21 & 22
Montauk Historical Society Fall Craft Show
Second House Museum, 12 Second House Road, Montauk
In case you missed the August craft fair, you have another opportunity to see and shop wares from numerous East Coast artists and artisans.