Dear Quogue Residents,

Happy Wet New Year!

The month of January has been one of the wettest in the record books.  The torrential rains, combined with two bad storms, one just before Christmas and the second earlier this month, led to serious beach erosion and flooding of many Village streets. Many have noted that the flooding was the worst Quogue has experienced since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. We are continuing to look for ways to improve drainage in flood-prone areas, but unfortunately periodic disruptions are likely, especially when storms coincide with exceptional high tides. One area that we are working on improving is better notifications to Village residents of road closures and other hazards. The Quogue Police Department has been “upping its game” on the use of social media to disseminate useful information in an efficient manner.  You can find their posts on Facebook (Quogue Village Police Department), and follow them on Instagram (@quoguevillagepolicedepartment).  We are also coordinating with the Town of Southampton to implement an automated “Notify Me” system that would send email (and possibly text) alerts to all residents who opt in to the system. I will have more information on this in the coming weeks.

A reminder that if you have not already done so, please register and/or renew your alarm permits. The form can be picked up at the Village Office or downloaded from the Village website: https://villageofquogueny.gov.

Pi Gardner, our Village Historian and Co-Chair of the Quogue Historical Society, has a question for you: “What’s in your attic?”  The QHS’s collection has grown over many years through donations from Quogue residents.  Among the many donations are artifacts, memorabilia, textiles/clothing, diaries, letters, maps and other historic documents associated with the 350+ year history of our Village.  In addition to the personal satisfaction of helping preserve a piece of our collective history, making some types of donations may qualify for a tax deduction.  If you wish to discuss a possible donation, please email info@quoguehistory.org or call 631-996-2404.

Here are a few upcoming events:

The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library is hosting a reception this coming Sunday, January 28^th, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm, with a talk at 4:30 pm by Julie Greene, the Curator of the Quogue Historical Society and Southampton Town Historian, presenting the Gallery’s latest exhibition: Worth a Thousand Words: Late 19^th and Early 20^th Century “Snapshots” of Quogue as a Budding Summer Resort. The exhibition runs through February 21^st.

And please do not miss the annual Groundhog Day Festivities at the Library on Friday, February 2^nd, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.  Join “Sam Champion”, the STAR Foundation groundhog, as he makes his 2024 prediction! There will be guest speakers from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge and lots of activities for children, as well as hot chocolate, groundhog-themed treats, and a showing of the movie Groundhog Day.

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.

The next full moon hike at the Wildlife Refuge will be on February 25^th, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.  You can register on their website at https://quoguewildliferefuge.org.

Stay warm and dry!

Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue