East Hampton Village Fall Festival Grows Up
The second annual East Hampton Village fall festival, set to take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Herrick Park, hopes to match or surpass last year’s successful day with more food options, new activities, and ample opportunity for community engagement. “It’s not a sleepy little fair,” said Steven Ringel, executive director of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, who organized the event. “There’s a lot to do, and a lot of really great food.”
Fifty booths showcasing the work of local artisans, the wares of shopkeepers and other businesses, and information from nonprofit and political groups, will be stationed throughout the park. The Ladies Village Improvement Society will sell vintage clothes and jewelry, and the Hamptons International Film Festival will hold a garage sale of T-shirts, posters, and other items from festivals of yore. “I asked them to clean out their closets,” said Mr. Ringel.
The food roster will include salads and wraps from Mary’s Marvelous, lobster rolls and shrimp cocktail from Stuart’s Seafood Market, soft pretzels from a firm called Knot of this World, and ice cream from a Mister Softee truck.
On the festival’s main stage, a variety of musical acts, including the HooDoo Loungers, the East Hampton Bluegrass All Stars, the Potter-Tekulsky Band, and the East Hampton High School jazz band and fiddle club will perform.
The village’s first responders will be on hand, with the Fire Department rolling out antique trucks. The ocean rescue squad will bring a Jet Ski, on which kids can have their photos taken.
There will also be Halloween-themed activities, including a pumpkin-decorating station and a haunted pumpkin patch.
David and Jeanie Stiles, East Hampton residents who have written how-to guides for building tree houses, have created a castle-like structure for kids to play on, and the Y.M.C.A. plans to install a bounce house, a climbing wall, and an obstacle course in the park.
Throughout the day, visitors of all ages will be able to add their artistic touches to a communal art event� painting a mural on a large canvas. “The festival is really growing up,” said Mr. Ringel. “It’s a true family event.”