A sigh of relief was almost audible in Sag Harbor this week, following an announcement that the Bay Street Theatre had signed a 10-year lease for the building on Long Wharf it has leased for two decades. It had been reported last fall that the 2012 season would be the theater’s last in that location.

    The agreement with the building’s owner, Pat Malloy, provides for minimal increase in rent and will provide, according to a press release, stability while the Bay Street board of directors continues to seek a home of its own. The lease offers an “out” should Bay Street decide to move on. Mr. Malloy had previously offered the theater a short-term lease that carried cost increases.

    Murphy Davis, Bay Street’s artistic director, expressed gratitude to the East End community for having come forward with ideas and to “Pat Malloy for his understanding and his good will.”  He was referring to an open forum last fall, which, he said, generated ideas, interest, and funding sources.

    Members of the theater’s board, village residents, and others all spoke their minds at the forum, with no one in favor of the theater’s leaving the village. The most likely and affordable move under consideration had been for the theater to move to the Parrish Art Museum building in Southampton Village, which is to be vacated soon.

    The Southampton Village Board had offered Bay Street an “essentially rent-free 50- year lease” of the building, which would have entailed substantial renovation.

    “I’m thrilled,” said Tracy Mitchell, the theater’s executive director. “It is great to have everyone excited. Now the real work begins.”

    The theater can now focus on its programming, including its recently-announced Mainstage Season lineup, which will include a revival of “Men’s Lives,” the play by Sag Harbor’s Joe Pintauro based on the book by Peter Matthiessen about East Hampton fishermen. It was Bay Street’s inaugural production 20 years ago.

    A group of loyal Java Nation customers carried the coffee roaster out the doors of the Sag Harbor shop early Sunday evening like pallbearers grieving over the end of an era.

    Having lost its lease in the Shopping Cove off Main Street, the coffee shop, owned by Cheryl and Andres Bedini, was moving after 17 years.

    Many lined up Sunday to have one more cup of coffee before they went. As the day came to a close, tears were shed and hugs exchanged to the beat of drums, courtesy of Dan Bailey, a local musician who said he “wanted to lighten the vibe and show support.”

    “It’s sad,” Mr. Bedini said on Sunday afternoon, while packing. He will miss the kids, many of whom he watched grow up. He will also miss the international clientele, he said — regulars from a range of Spanish-speaking countries with whom he could chat in Spanish.

    In a press release sent last week, Ms. Bedini announced that Java Nation would move its operations to 112 Maple Lane in Bridgehampton, near the railroad station. She said they will expand their roasting operation through private labeling, mail order, Internet sales, and farmers markets, and added, “We have space for a cafe in the front that should open in a few weeks.”

    On Facebook on Monday, Mr. Bedini thanked “all those who got teary eyed,” and said, “It helps us to know that we have touched people’s lives. We may be back in Sag sooner than you think. But, in the meantime, come see us in Bridgehampton. . . . See how we are progressing.”

    Their former landlord reportedly wanted an upscale business to take over the Shopping Cove location. Shane Dyckman, whose wife, Tisha Collette, owns the consignment shop next door, was to take the lease. By Tuesday, both Collette’s and the former Java space had been gutted.

    Loyal Java Nation customers do not relish the idea of a replacement for their beloved coffeehouse.

    “It’s as if they’re saying, if you like to roast coffee, have a theater troupe, or display public art on your property, please get out of Sag Harbor,” Mick Hargreaves said yesterday, referring to the Bay Street Theatre’s potential move from the village, and the zoning board’s decision that a Larry Rivers “Legs” sculpture must be removed from the side of a property on Madison Street.

    On Facebook , people expressed support, good wishes, and sadness.

    “It’s a terrible loss for Sag Harbor, for all of us that loved Java Nation right where it was,” Kate Mueth wrote. “It’s a tragedy,” said John Monteleone.

    “We’re like lost puppies now,” Billy Sonenfield wrote.

    Ms. Bedini reminded fans that they will be able to find Java beans in local restaurants and delis, such as Tutto il Giorno, Provisions, Dockside, and Cavaniola’s Gourmet in Sag Harbor, Breadzilla in Wainscott, and the Hampton Seafood Company in East Hampton.

    Two illuminated crosswalks to assist nighttime pedestrians and drivers will be installed on Main Street in East Hampton Village over the next few weeks. The installation, approved by the East Hampton Village Board in February, began on Monday, six months after a pedestrian was hit and injured in a village crosswalk at dusk.

    “I’m lucky to be alive,” said Larry Zarsky, an East Hampton resident who sustained a fractured pelvis and shattered knee on Oct. 23, when crossing the street following a party at Babette’s restaurant on Newtown Lane.

    Mr. Zarsky said that pedestrians getting injured, even in crosswalks, was “a real problem.”

    As far as the new crosswalks being installed, Mr. Zarsky had a positive response. “Anything that will save one life, stop one injury, is a good thing,” he said.

    The crosswalks will be installed at the Circle and at Huntting Lane, and during construction visitors to Main Street are being told to expect slow going.

    Road closures, both eastbound and westbound, will continue Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until the work is finished — approximately three weeks.

    Travel lanes will be closed or shifted, with sometimes only one lane open and occasionally complete closure for brief intervals. In addition to the lighted crosswalks, the New York State Department of Transportation is also improving the sidewalk ramps.

    The D.O.T. is urging drivers to find alternate routes around the construction if possible. This would bring drivers down to Egypt Lane from Pondview Lane or Dunemere Lane, or north of Main Street on Toilsome Lane to Newtown Lane.

    When the work is complete, pedestrians will have the ability to push a button on one side of the street, and illuminate the yellow lights in the crosswalk prior to walking.

    These are only the second “smart” illuminated crosswalks installed on Long Island. Since the project was approved by the board, a similar setup has been constructed in East Patchogue.

    Although the State D.O.T. is responsible for the construction, the village will pay for the electricity and upkeep of the new crosswalks.

    On Saturday evening a large and lively crowd came to the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor to see “Patriocracy,” a documentary about the political polarization of the country and how it has brought the functions of governing to a standstill.

    The film was a special presentation by the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival, which takes place in the fall. The festival brought both the filmmaker, Brian Malone, and Ken Rudin, an NPR political commentator, to lead a discussion after the screening.

    The film considered some of the more divisive rhetoric uttered by both extremes of the political parties and examined the echo-chamber effect as the media captures these moments and the divisive energy in general to foment even more extremism. It showed how sometimes the simplest legislation cannot be passed due to partisan bickering and the role of special interest money, but it also offered some solutions.

    Mickey Edwards, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, said he would like to take special interest money out of campaign contributions. “Only human beings should give money,” he said.

    Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, has called for a boycott of campaign contributions to either party until they work together to find solutions to fiscal policy.

    Jim Cooper, a Democratic congressman from Tennessee, would like to see members of Congress be paid by performance, a longer work week for Congress, and campaign finance reform. He also suggested that the Speaker of the House position be one elected by both parties with a 60 percent majority necessary to win the post.

    Reasonable time limits on approving presidential appointments, open primaries in every state, and Internet voting were some other options suggested to fix the political process.

    Mr. Rudin said he did not agree with everything in the film, but agreed that both parties had contributed to the poisonous atmosphere over the past two decades. One audience member asked if some of the incivility expressed toward the President stemmed from racism. “To dismiss racism’s role would be naïve,” Mr. Rudin said, “but it is only one other reason” for people who don’t like the President to feel as they do.

    He also acknowledge NPR’s role, along with the rest of the media, in turning election discussions into a horse race rather than instructive reporting on where each candidate actually stands on the issues.

    With the posting of new signs at the 7-Eleven in Montauk notifying drivers that they must enter one way on the east and exit one way on the west along Montauk Highway, the final stage of a traffic improvement project at the entrances to the convenience store and the I.G.A. across the street has been completed.

    The new signs, one of which highlights a nearby crosswalk, were put in place by the New York State Department of Transportation at the request of the East Hampton Town Police Department. There are no restrictions as to how vehicles may cross the highway from the I.G.A. to enter the parking lot at the 7-Eleven, which at one point had been expected.

    Included in the project was a change to the I.G.A. supermarket parking lot, which is also now one way in off the highway and one way out to the rear. Many residents, including motel owners in the area, are unhappy about the change. They claim more cars on the road behind the I.G.A. could cause a serious accident in summer, when there are people walking to the beach at night and hanging out.

    Drivers, however, are still ignoring the new pattern and daily can be seen exiting the I.G.A. onto the highway, where it says not to, and making left turns that have been prohibited for years.

    It’s been only a week since the new signs were posted, said Lt. Chris Hatch, who is the Montauk precinct commander, but enforcement will be immediate and tickets will be given at the discretion of the police officer on duty.

    Roadside parking in the area has also been moved back to improve the sight lines of drivers and pedestrians, Lieutenant Hatch said, and large trucks that have been parking on the sidewalk outside the parking lot and that block visibility may also be cited by the officer on duty.

    As the season approaches, only time will tell if the reconfiguration will be a success, Lieutenant Hatch said. “I believe that there will be an improvement,” he said. 

Amagansett

Isabel Carmichael

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    The Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee will meet on Monday at 7 p.m. in the community room at the Amagansett Library.

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    Egg hunters unite. And repair to the East Hampton Youth Park on Saturday at noon for an Easter egg hunt. The park is on Abraham’s Path. All wishing to participate have been asked to drop off a dozen plastic eggs and a bag of individually wrapped non-peanut candy at the youth park before Saturday if possible.

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    New books to borrow from the Amagansett Library include “Guilty Wives” by James Patterson, “A Conflict of Interest” by Adam Mitzner, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank” by Nathan Englander, “Elizabeth the Queen” by Sally Bedell Smith, and “The Devil Colony” by James Rollins.

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    The Amagansett Fire Department has been putting on events regularly in anticipation of its 100th anniversary in 2014, and is planning a Classic Car Show for May 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those going to see the cars pay $5 per person, children under 12 free. Those taking a car to show pay $20, which includes a driver and one passenger (and a free T-shirt); each additional passenger costs $5.

    Available for purchase will be barbecued pulled pork, chili, hamburgers and hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, and soft drinks. There will also be a people’s choice trophy, a 50-50 raffle, and activities for children.

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    A reminder: Maundy Thursday is today and will be celebrated at the Amagansett Presbyterian Church with washing of feet at its 7 p.m. service and at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church at 5 p.m. with a communion service at 6.

    A Good Friday service, tomorrow, will be held at the Presbyterian church at 7 p.m. and at St. Michael’s at 5 p.m.

    Easter Sunday will be celebrated with a sunrise service at 6:15 a.m. at Atlantic Avenue Beach and a regular 11 a.m. service at the Presbyterian church, with an Easter egg to follow, and at 11 at St. Michael’s with an egg hunt afterward.

    St. Peter’s Catholic Church will hold a 9 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass.

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    The East Hampton Town Marine Museum on Bluff Road will officially open for the season on Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the week of spring break, Monday through April 15, admission is free.

Bridgehampton

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    Egg-hunting children, ages 8 and younger, have been invited on Saturday morning from 10 to 11 to the Hampton Library. The event will begin with storytelling, then children will head to the back lawn for the search.

    Adults needing insight into using Facebook are welcomed next Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a workshop that will explain how to connect with family and friends, ways to explore one’s interests, and how to share photographs.

    Those wishing to be part of a Long Island Reads book discussion as part of National Library Week on April 18 at 11 a.m. can pick up a copy of “The Lost Wife” by Alyson Richman at the library now. The book tells a story of a pre-World War II love affair that was interrupted by fear and hatred.

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    A sunrise service will take place on Easter Sunday at Ocean Road beach, an annual rite that brings Bridgehampton’s congregations together to greet the day. Coffee and refreshments will follow. Participating churches include Bridgehampton Methodist Church, Bridgehampton Presbyterian, Incarnation Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork.

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    This year, Passover and Easter fall together, and the Rev. Alison Cornish, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and her associate, Martha Potter, will discuss the foundational holy days for the Jewish and Christian faiths as they relate to bringing justice to the world during the Sunday service. Abby Fleming will play music. The service begins at 10:30 a.m., and childcare will be available.

    At noon, there will be a free qi gong class at the meetinghouse, teaching simple energizing movements and self-massage to assist new growth, and vision clarification.

Sagaponack

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    A hearty congratulations are in order to Barbara Mueller, a Sagaponack resident, who won a $250,000 second-place prize in the Mega Millions drawing held on March 23. She purchased her ticket at the Bridgehampton Gulf station.

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    Kids 8 and under can search out Easter eggs at 1 p.m. sharp on Sunday at the Poxabogue County Park on Old Farm Road. Hunters have been asked to take their own baskets for their findings.

Southampton

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    Tonight from 7 to 9, Plain T loft at 87 Powell Avenue will offer tastings of fine art, tea, wine, and cheese for $45, to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Reservations can be made via e-mail to [email protected]

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    On Sunday at 3 p.m., the Friends of the Rogers Memorial Library will present a musical performance from Terezin with Judith Lynn Stillman on piano, Lucia Hyunju Song as soprano, Lutz Rath on cello, and Eriko Sato on violin. There will be a reception for the artists afterward.  Registration is requested at myrml.org

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    On April 14, Last Chance Animal Rescue will hold its annual Rock for Rescue Benefit at 7 p.m. at 230 Elm Street. The event will honor many local sponsors, supporters, and adopters with an open bar, buffet, and live music by New Life Crisis. Auction and raffle prizes include seven night’s accommodations in St. Lucia for four people. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online at LCARescue.org/ events.

    Last Chance Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that rescues animals from “kill” shelters.

Springs

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    Bryan Anthony Field, a son of Christopher and Annmarie Field of Glade Road, has been named to the winter semester dean’s list at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is a student at the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. A 2008 graduate of East Hampton High School, he is studying graphic design and development.

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    Hot off the Springs Library presses is this list of new books at the library: “Lucifer’s Tears” by James Thompson, “Left for Dead” by J.A. Jance, “1222” by Anne Holt, “Agony of the Leaves” by Laura Childs, and “The Expats” by Chris Pavone.

Water Mill

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    The Grace Presbyterian Church at 1225 Montauk Highway will celebrate Easter with a service on Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by an egg hunt for the children at 11:30 a.m. The church is collecting non-perishable food for the needy all month long, with canned food and dried grains recommended.

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Potluck for Farmers

    Artists, farmers, and those who support them have been invited to celebrate spring by sharing a meal and conversation at a potluck dinner at the Watermill Center Friday, April 13, from 4 to 7 p.m.

    Keil Borrman, an artist, will talk during the gathering about his project, called the Market, which is aimed at supporting local farmers.

    Reservation are requested by Tuesday with [email protected].

LongHouse Reserve will open its gates Saturday for its first-ever family day. Admission will be free from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours of the 16-acre grounds, sculpture, and water features will be given on the half-hour. Works include pieces by Dale Chihuly, Willem de Kooning, a Buckminster Fuller dome, and Yoko Ono’s monochrome giant chess set. There will also be light refreshments and student entertainment.

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Three notable bedcovers from the Bennett and Huntting families will be unveiled at Saturday’s annual meeting of the East Hampton Historical Society, which will be at 10 a.m. in Clinton Academy. All will be welcomed to hear from Richard Barons, the society director, about the quilts. Refreshments will be provided.

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Poetry Hike

Poets and poetry fans have been invited to take part in a shoreline hike along Sammy’s Beach on Saturday. The group will set out at about 10 a.m. from the end of Sammy’s Beach Road, which is off Old House Landing Road in Northwest. There will be two stops along the way during which walkers will be invited to read one of their own ­poems or a personal favorite. Laurie Adler is the outing’s leader and will welcome newcomers to the group.

At the same hour, Lee Dion will be the guide on a three-mile walk during which he will talk about some of East Hampton’s more remote historical sites, such as Jason’s Rock and Chatfield’s Hole. The meeting place is the corner of Bull Path and Bull Run.

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Wednesday’s International Mystery Book Group at the East Hampton Library will take on “The Neruda Case” by Roberto Ampuero, a Chilean author, at 6 p.m.

Next Thursday’s free 5 p.m. movie at the library will be “The Patience Stone,” an Iranian story of a young woman and her older husband in a country torn by war. Signing up with the adult reference desk staff is a good idea to assure a seat.

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Looking ahead to May 18, combined handbell choirs from the Bridgehampton and Southampton Presbyterian Churches will join with their East Hampton counterparts in a 4 p.m. concert. Those attending have been asked to bring nonperishable items for the food pantries or make a cash donation.

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There will be a presentation about hearing tests for older people at the East Hampton Senior Citizens Center on Springs-Fireplace Road on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

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East Hampton Town’s Stop Throwing Out Pollutants, or STOP, days come but twice a year, at the Springs-Fireplace Road recycling center on the third Saturday in May — this year on May 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Household hazardous waste, such as paints, cleaning chemicals, stale fuel, pesticides, and other materials, will be accepted.

After that, the next STOP day will be on October at the Montauk Transfer Station.

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And later on the calendar, the Village Preservation Society has announced a June 14 “welcome to summer” party at the Maidstone Club tennis house on Maidstone Lane from 6 to 8 p.m.

     The East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery will hold a series of shellfish culture workshops beginning on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the hatchery, which is on Fort Pond Bay in Montauk. The subject that day will be an introduction to shellfish biology, broodstock conditioning, and algae culture.

On May 12 from 10 a.m. to noon, spawning and hatchery culture will be the subject at the hatchery, and then on June 23 during those same hours at the commercial dock at Gann Road on Three Mile Harbor, nursery culture will be addressed.

On Aug. 4 starting at 10 a.m. at the Lazy Point launching ramp on Napeague, workshop participants will do a little seeding and experimentation in the hatchery’s field grow-out area in Napeague Harbor. And, finally, on Sept. 8, also from 10 a.m. to noon, it will be harvest time starting from the Lazy Point launching ramp. The hatchery recommends that shellfish lovers not forget the East Hampton Town Trustees’ annual largest clam contest on or around the last weekend in September.

    There will be no morning Mass today, Holy Thursday, at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church.

    Tomorrow, Good Friday, a Stations of the Cross service will be at noon. A celebration of the Lord’s passion will begin at 3 p.m. and at 6 p.m. in Spanish.

    A two-hour Easter vigil will be held on Holy Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It will be a bilingual celebration.

    On Easter Sunday there will be an ecumenical sunrise service at 6 at the concession stand near the Montauk Lighthouse. Back at the church, Masses will be said at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

    An Easter egg hunt will take place on the grounds of St. Therese of Lisieux on Sunday after the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Children 10 and under have been asked to have their own baskets with them to collect goodies. Light refreshments will be served.

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    The Easter Bunny will be at the Montauk Fire Department on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Ladies Auxiliary. There will be crafts, cupcake decorating, and lots of photo opportunities for children 2 to 8.

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    Paul Monte and Gary Hodgins of Gurney’s Inn will be featured on a reality TV show, “Hotel Impossible,” on Monday at 10 p.m. on the Travel Channel, which on Cablevision is Channel 96.

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Community Church Services

    At the Montauk Community Church a supper for Maundy Thursday will start at 6:15 p.m. Worship begins at 7.

    For Good Friday tomorrow, the sanctuary will be open for prayer from noon to 3 p.m. At 7 p.m., a Tenebrae worship service will start.

    The sanctuary will be open on Holy Saturday for prayer and the labyrinth from noon to 3 p.m.

    The church will also be involved in the sunrise ecumenical service at the Lighthouse at 6. Worship in the sanctuary begins at 10 a.m.

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    A spring book sale with gifts, jewelry, and decorative home items will be held at the Montauk Library on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Books on all subjects will be sold — paperbacks, too.

Planting Day

    The Child Development Center of the Hamptons is about to embark on the first growing season of the new C.D.C.H. Edible School Garden, with an inaugural planting day scheduled for Wednesday.

    The students and staff of C.D.C.H. will rotate out into the garden throughout the day sowing seeds, planting berry bushes, painting signs, and installing a rain catchall system and composting area. 

    The public has been invited to join in the celebration at the school, which is at 110 Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton. The planting begins at 9 a.m.

Getting Mad at CMEE

    Saturday will give kids an opportunity to search for 1,000 “eco-eggs” at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.

    A Mad Hatter tea party will also serve up hat decorating and other spring-themed craft projects, plus the requisite goodies, lemonade, and tea. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free for members and $17 for non-members.

Musicians at Guild Hall

    Sophia Saridakis, a teacher of music composition and theory at Ross’s Upper School, will lead a group of her students in a music performance featuring  piano, violin, guitar, and singing. The event will be held on Sunday at 5 p.m. at the John Drew Theater of Guild Hall, and the public is invited. Admission is $10 for adults, free for students.

YAWP Camp

    Stony Brook Southampton’s Young American Writers Project will offer teen writers a chance to work with professionals over the April school break.

    Budding authors, screenwriters, and playwrights ages 13 to 18 have been invited to daylong workshops from April 9 through the 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. There is a fee of $525, and partial scholarships are available.

    Advance registration is required. More information is available from Will Chandler, [email protected].

Making Art in Amagansett

    Joyce Raimondo, a local author and artist, will lead an Art Explorers workshop on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for kids ages 5 to 12 at the Amagansett Free Library.

    In Go Green! Recycled for Art, Ms. Raimondo will teach participants how famous artists turned trash into treasure, and then the group will create whimsical art from 100-percent recycled toys, trinkets, beads, and more.

    Advance registration is requested.

Una Cabra en un Barco

    Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater will bring Lynn Cherry’s “The Kapok Tree” to life with two shows this Saturday, in English and Spanish.

    Liz Joyce and a Couple of Puppets will perform this story of the rain forest at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The theater is on East Union Street in Sag Harbor. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3.

Theater Camp

    The Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor is taking reservations for a children’s theater camp to be held there during the April 9 to 13 school break.

    The camp, open to kids between 8 and 12 years old, will include classes and games incorporating acting, singing, dance, improvisation, and more led by Susan Galardi and Bethany Dellapolla.

    Campers will write and perform their own original production. The camp day will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $375 per week per child. Children have been asked to take a bag lunch; snacks will be provided.

    As class size is limited, advance registration is required with Mary Ellen DiPrisco in Bay Street’s administrative office.