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

State of Emergency 1-2026 Heavy Snowfall Proclamation

Dear Quogue Residents,

Winter has officially arrived following yesterday’s solstice. “May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, that each day forward is blessed with more light!”

The holidays are here and our Village looks beautiful.  We had a fabulous holiday celebration on the Village Green earlier this month with a huge turnout for the tree and Menorah lighting with a concert provided by the Quogue School Chamber Choir.

A reminder that our local merchants are open and ready to fulfill your last-minute shopping needs. The Quogue Shop, the Quogue Flower Shop, Jen Going Interiors, Quogue Liquors, the Quogue Salon, the SFA East Spa, and Studio 7 Pilates will all be open most days, as will Schmidt’s Country Market.

I am pleased to announce that the Trustees designated Ted Necarsulmer as the Village’s 2025 Person of the Year.  Ted has served as a Village Trustee since 2009. He has also served in our Fire Department for over two decades, where he continues to serve as President of the QFD Benevolent Association. He recently stepped down from the Board of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, having served for over ten years and acting as the Refuge’s Treasurer.  Please join me and the Trustees in expressing our deep appreciation to Ted for his tireless and ongoing efforts to improve the Village throughout the years.

It is time for another reminder to register and/or renew your alarm permit. The registration and renewal form can be completed on-line and is accessible HERE. You may also download a printable form from the Village website HERE.

While it seems premature already to be thinking ahead to next summer, as many of you are aware, the US Open golf tournament is returning to Shinnecock Hills next June 18-21. In light of the high demand for short-term rentals, the Village Trustees agreed to waive the usual 15-day minimum rental requirement during the pendency of the tournament.  A reminder that homeowners must obtain a Rental License from the Village. Details are available on the Village website or you can call Village Office should you have any questions.

Last week, the Suffolk County Legislature tightened the regulations applicable to e-bikes and scooters. All operators must now wear a helmet, regardless of age.  This requirement is more strict than the current NY State law, which only mandates helmets for 16 and 17 year-olds. The new regulation also bans the use of e-bikes and scooter on highways, sidewalks, or streets with a speed limit over 30 miles per hour. The Quogue police force will be enforcing the new law as a matter of public safety. Here is a link to a News 12 report on the new regulation:

https://longisland.news12.com/suffolk-officials-crack-down-on-e-bikes-and-e-scooters-with-new-law

The Town of Southampton property tax bills were mailed last week.  If you have not yet received your bill, you can download a copy from the Town’s website: https://etax.southamptontownny.gov/(S(gbmkqlzqo4nhpepzqcljakla))/WebPortal/WEB_PT_MAIN.aspx?command=EPAYMENT&style=&group=eTaxAR

This past weekend, the Westhampton Ambulance Volunteer Water Rescue Squad organized a Polar Plunge at Rogers Beach in Westhampton Beach to raise funds in support of their mission to “Waterproof Inlet to Inlet”. Please consider contributing by visiting their website at https://www.westhamptonwaterrescue.org/.

And now for a few announcements of some of the events and activities happening in Quogue in the coming days and weeks:

The Art Gallery at the Library is currently presenting a Quogue Photography Exhibition on display through January 8th. The Gallery’s next show is Part Two of the Quogue Historical Society’s House Proud: Quogue’s Iconic Summer “Cottages”: 1880-1910, with a Reception and Talk with Julie Greene, Southampton Town Curator and QHS Curator, on Sunday, February 1st, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

On Wednesday, January 7th, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, the Quogue Library is organizing a cooking class and Mediterranean Dinner with Chef Naela.

On Saturday, January 17th, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, the Quogue Library is organizing a Defensive Driving program taught by MaryAnne Yutes, a certified instructor from the Empire Safety Council and accredited by the DMV. You should be able to obtain a discount on your auto insurance premium if you complete the course.

As always, the Library has daily programs for all ages.  Please consult their website to check out the packed calendar of exercise, tech and other classes; art and crafts activities; book clubs; games; movies and more. https://quogue.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Hold the date of Monday, February 2nd from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm for the Annual Groundhog Day Celebration at the Quogue Library.

On behalf of the Trustees and the Village Staff, I extend our best wishes for the holidays and for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

 

Robert Treuhold

Mayor, Village of Quogue

Dear Quogue Residents,

I am looking out my office window and Schmidt’s is already fully decorated for the holidays, including a life-size Santa Claus seated on a bench in front of the Market. Just in time to welcome the influx of family and friends for the Thanksgiving Holiday!

As we enter the festive holiday season, please mark your calendars for the Quogue Association’s Holiday Celebration on the Village Green slated for Saturday, December 6^th, at 5:00 pm. I understand that Santa is expected, and there will be a Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting serenaded by the Quogue School Chamber Choir. There will also be treats and raffles and the participation of many of our Village merchants and organizations.

The holiday season is the time for gift giving. Please remember to support all of our local merchants, who will remain open right up until the holidays. For those of you who shop online, please be aware of the risks of “Porch Piracy”, to which we are unfortunately not immune in Quogue. For those who missed the headline, fourteen people were recently indicted by what prosecutors described as an “intricate, well-coordinated porch-piracy ring responsible for stealing hundreds of smartphones and other electronic devices from homes across Suffolk County.” According to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, the crew targeted FedEx deliveries in 31 communities stretching from Huntington to Montauk. Watch news clip HERE. If you are going to be absent from your home, please arrange to have deliveries put inside or at least moved out of view from the street. If you have not already done so, you may wish to consider installing a surveillance camera on your front door. There are now numerous low-cost options available.

A reminder that the Village Highway Department began picking up leaves last week. Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by December 15^th in order to be picked up. The detailed instructions of the “dos and don’ts” are posted on the Village website.  Please consider delaying or even foregoing your fall clean-up, as doing so provides many benefits for the environment. The Wildlife Refuge’s winter newsletter contained the following statistics: “When we remove leaves from our yards it reduces moth and butterfly emergence by 45% and fireflies by 24%, according to a recent study out of University of Maryland.”  Please check out this link which details the many positives of “Leaving the Leaves”.

This month’s environmental reminder comes from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge.  As you are aware, the Refuge has been significantly challenged by the Southern Pine Beetle invasion, as has the Village at large, which has killed thousands of trees and forced the closure of several trails in the Refuge. Unfortunately, the Refuge has now started to spot the dreaded Spotted Lanternfly. If you see one, please do not hesitate to smush it! The Refuge also reminds us that winter is a good time to look for Spotted Lanternfly egg masses, which can and should be removed and destroyed. Each egg mass can contain up to 50 eggs. They are white when fresh, and dry to a gray-brown mud-like consistency. If you find one, use a credit card or putty knife to scrape the mass into a bag or other disposable container; then add rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. For more information about how to combat this new invasive pest please click on the following link: Spotted LanternFly Management

An unpleasant reminder that the Town of Southampton will be mailing out this year’s property tax bills in the second week of December. For those who do not want to wait, I understand that the bills should be available on the Town’s website the prior week. Here is a link: Southampton Town Tax Receiver

And now for a few upcoming events:

The Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held this coming Sunday, November 30^th, from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm.  This is always a fun event, and it raises important funds for the Fire Department’s Benevolent Association.

The Art Gallery at the Library opened a Quogue Photography Exhibition on November 14^th, running through January 8^th, with an Artist’s Reception this coming Friday, November 28^th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The exhibit features works by local photographers Jennifer Garry, Meghan Goparaju, Veronique Louis, Sara Cedar Miller, Victoria Sartorius, and Melissa Wanamaker.

On Wednesday, December 10^th, at 2:00 pm, the Library is organizing a Festive Holiday Tea. Join author Margaret M. Johnson for a formal tea – sandwiches and savories, scones and fruitcakes, and traditional sweets will be served, along with exciting new recipes to welcome the season. Ms. Johnson’s cookbooks will be available for sale and signing.  Pre-registration is required.

As always, consult the Library’s well-packed calendar to sign up for the foregoing events and to learn more about their rich offering of programs of all types: Quogue Library Calendar

The Wildlife Refuge is organizing a series of virtual educational programs exploring Long Island wildlife. The first is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2^nd, at 7:00 pm, when biologist Mike Bottini will discuss the fascinating natural history and behavior of Long Island’s “newest mammal” – the coyote. On Wednesday, December 10^th, at 6:00 pm, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society will “dive” into the world of New York’s seals. Then on Tuesday, December 16^th, at 6:30 pm, the Refuge will take you on a journey into the world of woodpeckers and nuthatches that call Long Island home.

On Saturday, December 20^th, from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm, the Refuge will celebrate the upcoming winter solstice with a guided hike to North Pond. For more information and to sign up for these events, please go to the Refuge’s website: Quogue Wildlife Refuge

The Hampton Theatre Company will be presenting their third annual production of A Christmas Carol — A Live Radio Play. Performances are scheduled on Friday, December 12^th, at 7:00 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday, December 13^th-14^th, at 2:30 pm.  Tickets can be purchased here: Hampton Theater Company

Please note on your calendars that a number of Quogue residents are organizing a Food Drive in support of Heart of the Hamptons on Saturday, December 13^th, from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm. They will be collecting non-perishables (and money) in front of the Post Office.

Also on Saturday, December 13^th, Heart of the Hamptons is organizing their annual Polar Bear Plunge at Coopers Beach in Southampton to raise funds to fight hunger. Check-in will begin that morning at 9:00 am and the plunge itself is at 10:00 am. “Get freezin’ for a great reason!” Plungers, teams and sponsors can preregister here: Polar Bear Plunge

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Robert Treuhold

Mayor