Last year, the United States surgeon general put out a study detailing a new epidemic. No, it's not another virus — it's loneliness.
"Even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness," Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote. "Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily."
Here, then, are interesting ways to find enjoyment, meet new friends, learn about history, and stay physically fit.
Bingo, With a Twist
Friday, May 17, 6 p.m.
LTV Studios, 75 Industrial Road, Wainscott
This isn't your ordinary bingo night. Our Fabulous Variety Show hosts family-friendly drag queens for a colorful, comical take on bingo for all ages. The cost is $25, which includes three bingo cards. Additional cards plus food, beer, wine, and snacks will be available for purchase. Prizes are "amazing," O.F.V.S. promises. The phone number for more information is 631-507-4603 and the website for ticket purchases is ourfabulousvarietyshow.org.
From Bakersfield With Love
Saturday, May 18, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street
Tennessee Walt, a singer-songwriter specializing in classical music and original country tunes, will present the history of and a musical tribute to "the Bakersfield Sound," a style of music that emerged in 1960s California. Mr. Walt covers Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, along with lesser-known talents such as Tommy Collins, Susan Raye, Red Simpson, and Wynn Stewart. Registration is by calling 631-324-0222, extension 3.
Randy Kolhoff: Digitizing Our Past
Saturday, May 18, 5-6 p.m.
Nathaniel Rogers House, 2538 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton
Randy Kolhoff, the owner of Black Swan Antiques, stumbled upon a collection of photographs by William Garrett Howard while inspecting an old barn in Amity Street. The photos create a "historical visual journey" of the East End from 1887 to 1910 that Mr. Kolhoff has now preserved and digitized. Admission is free, but advance registration is required online at bridgehamptonmuseum.org.
Annual League of Women Voters Keynote Speech
Sunday, May 19, 1 to 3 p.m.
East Hampton Library
The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork will hold its annual business meeting with refreshments, awards, and a "behind-the-scenes" talk by Stephen Long, the executive director of the East Hampton Historical Society. The remarks will be followed by an in-person tour of the Dominy Shops Museum (transportation not provided) on North Main Street. Registration is by calling 631-324-0222, extension 3.
Dance for Cardio Fitness
Tuesday, May 21, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Most Holy Trinity School, 44 Meadow Way, East Hampton
Kasia Klimiuk, an energetic co-founder of Our Fabulous Variety Show, leads a cardio dance fitness class especially designed for adults. Musical selections are always upbeat as Kasia breaks down the steps. The cost is $35 and classes can be booked online at ourfabulousvarietyshow.org.
Poetry and Stories From Montauk
Friday, May 24, 7 p.m.
Carl Fisher House, 44 Foxboro Road, Montauk
Bill Akin, a well-known raconteur, sportfisherman, and preservation advocate, will launch his new book of poems, essays, and short stories, "The Equanimity of Fishes: Stories and Reflections from Seven Decades in Montauk." The talk will take place at the Carl Fisher House, where he himself lived as a boy until East Hampton Town bought it in 2021. Admission is free, but advance registration is required at 631-668-5340.
Louis Comfort Tiffany's "Montauk Window"
Friday, May 30, 7 p.m.
Carl Fisher House
In 1884, the world-famous designer Louis Comfort Tiffany visited the DeForest family in Montauk. "That seminal experience on the cliffs and beaches of Montauk," says the Montauk Historical Society, "brought forth one of Tiffany's first experimental stained-glass windows, inspired by Montauk's iconography but also using actual elements collected by the great designer along Montauk's beautiful shores." The presenter is the art historian Barbara Ferrante. Admission is free but reservations are required ahead of time at 631-668-5340.
Talk to a Senior Advocate
Tuesday, June 4, by appointment from 10 a.m. to noon
East Hampton Library
On the first Tuesday of each month, Franki Dorfman meets with older adults and/or their caregivers at the library to help them access benefits, programs, and services offered by New York State, Suffolk County, and East Hampton Town. Appointments must be made ahead of time; the phone number to call is 631-329-6939.
Save Lives by Donating Blood
Monday, June 10, 11:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
American Legion Hall, 15 Montauk Highway, Amagansett
The New York Blood Center is always in need of blood donations from healthy adults between the ages of 17 and 75 and over 75 with a physician's clearance. The East Hampton Lions Club is the sponsor of this blood drive, which supports multiple hospitals in the region. Want to know more? Lots of information is available on the internet at nybc.org, or a potential donor can call 800-933-2566 to ask questions or book an appointment to donate outside of a planned blood drive.
Sag Harbor: A Place That Counts
Saturday, June 29, 5 to 7 p.m.
Sag Harbor Custom House, 192 Main Street
In a village that dates to 1707, history is at the forefront of so many conversations. This benefit for the Sag Harbor Historical Museum will allow the organization to continue its tours, events, exhibits, and preservation advocacy, including, this year, "an exploration to reveal the Revolutionary War British Fort in our midst." Tickets start at $150 and can be bought at sagharborhistoricalmuseum.org. The phone number for more information is 631-725-5092.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
For adults 60 and up, East Hampton Town offers quite a few free wellness programs to residents, and can even help them with transportation to and from the Senior Center and other facilities. The phone number to call for more information on these programs is 631-329-6939.
MONDAYS
Mindfulness Meditation
9:30 a.m.: East Hampton Town Senior Center
128 Springs-Fireplace Road
1 p.m.: Montauk Senior Nutrition Center 240 Edgemere Street, Montauk
Lydia Burns, a public health nurse and "Mind and Memory" leader, wants to add "a touch more of positivity to our community and world," and does so by leading mindfulness classes for adults 60 and up.
10:15 a.m.: Yoga with Michelle
Montauk Senior Nutrition Center
Carefully curated yoga sequences are taught alongside meditation practices and breathing exercises to help older adults connect mind, body, and spirit.
2 p.m.: Osteoporosis Prevention and Stretching
East Hampton Senior Center
Leigh Frankel of the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter focuses on strengthening bones and balance. Workout equipment and chairs are provided, but people should take their own mats.
TUESDAYS
Healing Circle With Flexibility and Balance
10 a.m.: East Hampton Senior Center
1 p.m.: Montauk Senior Nutrition Center
Margaret A. Ianacone, who has a background in acupuncture, nutrition, and Asian medicine, combines qigong and tai chi practices for adults 60 and up through Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
WEDNESDAYS
8:30 a.m.: Yoga With Stacy Haessler
East Hampton Senior Center
This "uplifting, alignment-focused" yoga method, taught by a born-and-raised East Hampton teacher, can help older adults maintain their flexibility and strength. Ms. Haessler, who can usually be found at Yoga Shanti, also teaches chair yoga on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m. at the senior center.
11 a.m.: Functional Fitness
East Hampton Senior Center
Tracie Sullivan, a cancer exercise and functional aging specialist, leads low-impact aerobic exercises to improve strength and balance and reduce the risk of falling.
Noon: Balance and Self-Defense
Ashawagh Hall, 780 Springs-Fireplace Road, Springs
Oscar Giles, who has 15 years' competition experience in black-belt martial arts, leads classes that will "empower you with higher self-esteem, physical conditioning, flexibility, strengthening, and stamina," according to the class description.
1 p.m.: Qi Gong Dance, Rhythm, and Movement
Ashawagh Hall
Varying music tempos are used in this class, emphasizing flexibility, stamina, energy, and circulation. Ms. Ianacone is the instructor for this program, too.
2 p.m.: Osteoporosis Prevention and Stretching
Ashawagh Hall
Leigh Frankel repeats her popular Monday wellness class at Ashawagh Hall on Wednesdays. A reminder -- take your own mats with you to class.
FRIDAYS
1 p.m.: Chair Yoga for Every Body
East Hampton Senior Center
Lois Nesbitt, who has faced "challenges in her own aging body" alongside those of her students, brings yoga to seniors in an accessible way that "makes sense."