27Speaks

For the first time since before the pandemic, Guild Hall, which underwent a major renovation in recent years, is fully up and running this season. That includes on the stage where Anthony Madonna is now the theater director and curator of performing arts at Guild Hall.

Roundabouts, traffic lights, stop signs, road work, service upgrades and turn lanes. Spring is the time of year for instituting changes in traffic patterns on the East End. It’s also the time when we most often see the installation of upgraded power cables and other services. The year 2025 has been no exception. This week, the editors talk about what’s been happening (and often been disrupting) on local roadways. So listen in and hear about what’s new on your route to where you need to go.

Nada Barry, owner of The Wharf Shop, is a Sag Harbor fixture. A native of England and a permanent resident of Sag Harbor since 1962, for decades she has been a regular at village meetings, has played a major role in the business community and has advocated for the East End’s youth.

Now 94, Barry recently wowed an audience at The Church in Sag Harbor with a talk recounting the many milestones in her life.

This week, Barry joins the editors and Bryan Boyhan, former publisher of The Sag Harbor Express, to share memories of her years in Sag Harbor, including her friendship with author John Steinbeck, who lived there with his wife, Elaine, until his death in 1968, and the formation of the Old Whalers’ Festival — which today has been rebranded as HarborFest.

With renewable energy sources like solar farms and windmills gaining traction on the East End, building facilities to store all that energy becomes vital. But battery energy storage systems (or BESS as they are called) are not without critics — especially given that some facilities around the country have experienced fires in the past.

The Southampton Town Board recently introduced the fourth version of its BESS code and board members say it will be one of the most restrictive in the state. This week, the editors are joined by senior reporter Michael Wright to discuss the issues surrounding BESS and the details of Southampton’s new code for future such facilities.

Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, the executive director of the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill and, until recently, a member of the Institute of Museum and Library Services board, joins the editors to discuss the federal cuts that downsized IMLS. Due to the gutting of the IMLS budget, the Parrish has lost over $140,000 in federal funding that supported its education and Access Parrish programs, an initiative that creates artistic learning experiences for individuals with special needs, including those with Parkinson’s disease.

The latest in the Express Sessions panel discussion series,“ The South Fork’s Bounty, on Land and at Sea,” was held on May 8 at Inlet Seafood in Montauk.

Suffolk County has the fourth-largest agricultural sales in New York State, and it is first in aquaculture. In both cases, the farms and waters of the South Fork play an important role in providing food for the region, state and nation. In March, county officials said they are preparing to seek bids on a new government-supported seafood processing facility — and Inlet Seafood in Montauk is one potential location.

The discussion brought together key players in the movement toward more sustainable agriculture and aquaculture based on the South Fork. The conversation focused on the challenges they face, the facilities needed to keep the produce and seafood headed to markets, and the outlook for the region’s continued success as a supplier for dinner tables, not to mention new markets for products such as kelp.

The panel included K.C. Boyle, co-owner, Dock to Dish; Layton Guenther, director, Quail Hill Farm; Amanda Merrow, co-owner, Amber Waves Farm; Wes Peterson, owner, Montauk Seafood Company, member, Dock to Dish; and Jason Weiner, co-owner, Almond Restaurant. It was moderated by Express News Group Executive Editor Joseph P. Shaw.

Reporter Michael Wright, Co-Publisher Gavin Menu and Shaw share highlights from the Express Sessions conversation and add their analysis.

In the spring of 2008, Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin met for the first time as apprentices at the Peconic Land Trust’s Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett. Under the guidance of mentor Scott Chaskey, during their yearlong apprenticeship, they learned all the ins and outs of farming.

A year later, Merrow and Baldwin leased a nearby plot of land from East Hampton Town and created their own farm — Amber Waves.

Today, Amber Waves has a total of 35 tillable acres and in addition to growing crops, offers CSA membership and educational programming and operates a brick-and-mortar market. Amber Waves also employs 30 people on a year-round basis, and many more as seasonal help.

This week, Amanda Merrow joins the editors to talk about the creation of Amber Waves and the importance of fostering the next generation of East End farmers.

East Hampton Town recently found itself in a bidding war with East Hampton Village over an employee — and lost. The incident was indicative of the town's staffing problems, ranging from entry-level positions to leadership. Reporter Jack Motz joins the editors on the podcast this week to discuss the staffing hurdles that the town is struggling to overcome.

In February, The Sag Harbor Express talked to Main Street business owners in the village and made a startling discovery.

While the summer of 2024, post-COVID, was generally considered the busiest in Sag Harbor’s history, with crowds of people flocking to the business district daily — the businesses did not experience a similar boost. Sales were largely flat, or even slightly down from historical levels. Even some restaurants are struggling.

Foot traffic used to be gold for businesses in a village like Sag Harbor. Why are people not shopping like they used to?

It’s a symptom of a larger trend: More and more businesses, including many in Sag Harbor, are moving from a brick-and-mortar retail operation to more of an online presence — in some cases, exclusively. Is that the future of retail in villages like Sag Harbor?

Our Express Sessions event on April 24 brought together business owners and others to discuss the trends to make sense of both the future for storefronts and the possible digital future of many businesses.

On Saturday, April 26, the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) and its Young Environmentalist Society will host a screening at Sag Harbor Cinema of “Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest.” The documentary follows Stony Brook University primatologist, anthropologist and biologist Dr. Patricia Wright as she leads a team of scientists to a previously unknown rainforest in southeastern Madagascar where they document all the flora and fauna they can find — including some new species

This week, SOFO’s executive director Frank Quevedo joins the editors to talk about the film, the science and the importance of preserving species for a healthy environment, whether that’s in Madagascar or right here on the East End.