Steinbeck Festival

Jill Rappaport, seated with a furry friend, is the host of the Travels With Charley dog walk in Sag Harbor, based on John Steinbeck’s book and sponsored by the Bay Street Theatre.

Three days of films, a waterfront cocktail party, and a “Travels with Charley” dog walk are among the activities that will honor John Steinbeck’s contributions to Sag Harbor

Apr. 22, 2014

Star Staff

Bay Street Theatre will present its second annual Steinbeck Festival from next Thursday through May 4, in conjunction with the annual celebration held by the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, Calif. Three days of films, a waterfront cocktail party, and a “Travels with Charley” dog walk are among the activities that will honor John Steinbeck’s contributions to Sag Harbor, where he lived from 1955 until his death in 1968.

Jill Rappaport, a longtime correspondent for the “Today” show and an animal advocate who has a horse farm in Water Mill, will host both the cocktail party, to take place at a private waterfront estate on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., and the Sunday morning dog walk, from which 10 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation.

The festival will begin next Thursday at 8 p.m. with a screening of “Tortilla Flat,” a 1942 film starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr, at Bay Street. John Ford’s 1940 film “The Grapes of Wrath,” starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, will conclude the film festival on May 3 at 8 p.m. “Cannery Row,” “The Red Pony,” “The Moon is Down,” “Lifeboat,” “Of Mice and Men,” and “East of Eden” will also be screened.

An all-weekend pass, which includes the cocktail party, films, and dog walk, is available from the Bay Street box office for $150. A film pass costs $30, and participation in the dog walk is $35. More information and the complete film schedule are available at baystreet.org.