Dear Quogue Residents,
Happy Snowy New Year! Our Village was blanketed with a foot of snow on Sunday. Given the freezing temperature, it looks like the snow is going to stay around for the foreseeable future. We owe our highway department a huge debt of gratitude for working around the clock to clear up our roads and sidewalks. A request to all residents – as you are plowing (or having plowed) your driveways, please do not pile the snow in the Village right-of-ways. This creates dangerous traffic conditions and imposes a greater burden on our overworked village employees.
To help us determine how much more winter is in store, you are invited to come by the Library for the annual Groundhog Day Celebration next Monday, February 2nd, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The STAR Foundation groundhog will make its 2026 prediction. There will be guest speakers from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge and lots of activities for children, as well as hot chocolate and groundhog-themed treats.
Next Monday also marks the tenth anniversary of the listing of the Quogue Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listing in the National Register provides an “official” recognition that Quogue possesses (as stated on the National Register website): “a remarkable collection of architecture that reflects Quogue’s history as an early agricultural community transformed into a predominantly seasonal community during the nineteenth century.” The Quogue Historic District was established with over 250 “contributing” structures, and resulted from the collective efforts of the Quogue Historical Society supported by the Village and several residents, who engaged expert historical consultants to document the history of the Village, and to inventory and catalog historic structures and properties.
In light of the tenth anniversary, the Village Trustees adopted a resolution this past Friday congratulating the Quogue Historical Society and the residents of the Village on their continuing efforts to encourage the preservation of the historic character of the Village. The Village will be posting the map of the Historic District on the Village website. All Village departments, boards and committees will be updating their respective application forms to require that applicants identify whether the project under review is located in the Quogue Historic District and whether the project site contains a contributing historic structure. This measure reflects the desire of the Trustees to promote the benefits of the Quogue Historic District and further encourage the preservation of the historic character of our Village. To learn more about Quogue’s history, please consult the Historical Society’s website HERE.
An exciting development on Quogue Street – Hampton Coffee Company will be opening a Quogue Café in the space formerly occupied by Beth’s. They are aiming to open by late April and will be serving breakfast and lunch daily. The new café will be similar to their original location in Water Mill, and they are planning on staying open year-round.
Here are a few upcoming events:
The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library is hosting a reception this coming Sunday, February 1st, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with a talk by the Quogue Historical Society, presenting their exhibition: House Proud: Quogue’s Iconic Summer “Cottages”. The exhibition opened on January 10th and runs through February 20th.
As noted above, the annual Groundhog Day Celebration will take place at the Library on Monday, February 2nd, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
As always, the Quogue Library has daily programs for all ages. Please consult their website to check out the packed calendar of exercise, tech and other types of classes, arts and crafts activities, book clubs, games, movies and more. https://quogue.librarycalendar.com.
While unfortunately now sold out, this Saturday, January 31st, the Wildlife Refuge is organizing a Winter Bird & Seal Watching Cruise aboard Stony Brook University’s marine research vessel, the R/V Peconic. Sorry to miss this opportunity and hoping the Refuge will organize other exciting expeditions in the future. The Refuge is also hosting a virtual program on February 12th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Whales, Dolphins, and Seals – a 37 Year Journey! Dr. Artie Kopelman, the president and senior scientist at the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI) will take you on an information based photographic tour of the marine mammals of Long Island. You can register on their website HERE.
Stay warm!
Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue