Taking Back The Village

A tip of the sun bonnet to East Hampton Village, the Chamber of Commerce and the organizers of the Artists vs. Writers Game for injecting so much life into Herrick Park on Saturday.The chamber has pronounced its first Summer Festival, which was held at the park on the same day as the 71st annual Artists and Writers Charity Softball Game, a huge success. Steven Ringel, the chamber’s executive director, estimated that there were 1,000 to 1,500 people at the festival — the village’s first in 387 years, he said — at any given time.

Local residents who religiously avoid the village in peak season emerged from hiding and actually saw friends and neighbors. Children burned energy at plenty of fun activities, while visitors who were old enough to have attended or known about Woodstock showed their stuff for the youngsters by dancing to tribute music by local musicians.

At almost the very same time, the charity softball game, whose attendance had been flagging a little recently, was experiencing a pick-me-up of its own, most likely thanks to the festival. Former President Bill Clinton even made an appearance, calling balls and strikes for several innings. According to Mr. Ringel, there was lots of security — SWAT teams and Secret Service and Homeland Security — but they kept such a low profile that all most people saw were friendly officers from the local police force who were happy to be able to see their own friends.

Merchants and restaurants like Babette’s and Fierro’s Pizza reported a recording-breaking day, according to Mr. Ringel. And food vendors at the festival enjoyed an extra surge late in the day as visitors picked up takeout to go see the Main Beach fireworks display that had been organized by the East Hampton Fire Department.

What a treat to reclaim the park for all for a single day, especially in mid-August. Well done, East Hampton Village!