All the annual events explode back on the scene each summer with more pomp and circumstance then the previous season but now some new blockbusters are on the roster like VH1's Save the Music Hamptons Benefit and Russell Simmons' Hoops for Hope Benefit. Russell Simmons takes the prize for giving the greatest number of mega parties to benefit the community and Vava Water was seen everywhere - coveted invitations also went out for Art for Life and his daughter Aoki's birthday bash for the Bridgehampton Children's Center. Annual events like the now famous Artists & Writers baseball game grabbed a lot of attention when former Mayor Rudy Giuliani umpired and Roy Schieder played on the opposite team of Alec Baldwin!! The beautiful Carmen Electra was celebrity host for the Aniridia Foundation towards the latter half of the summer and helped auction off walk-on roles for upcoming Hollywood blockbusters and a fresh twist on auctions!! Beaming Kelly Ripa was seen helping out the Ovarian Cancer Research fund at the Super Saturday designer flea market - a very exclusive flea market!!

Memorial Day Weekend opened with Planned Parenthood's Annual Benefit in East Hampton with cocktails and scrumptious hors d'oeuvres by Nick & Toni's. The lovely Christie Brinkley hosted the auction which resulted in a TON of bids! There was of course the Opening Season Party thrown by Hamptons Magazine - Jason Binn always manages to one-up his previous season openers.

June was SUCH a busy month of parties...we've decided it's time to make a battle PLAN for everyone next year so instead of so many parties in one night which everyone can't get to, it would be spread out over more summer weekends so none of these precious causes loses out. Nonetheless...WE made it - or to most of them - and are going to give you a taste of those exceptional events right here so you can mark them on your calendar for this year!

Founder, Jessica Seinfeld hosted her special cause, Baby Buggy Benefit at the new Gucci store in East Hampton & set it up so Gucci gave 10% of all of its sales that week to the cause. Matt Lauer and his wife and a host of other VIPs were in attendance. Then there was the 7th Annual Pride of New York Awards Dinner at the Wolffer Estate that raised SEVENTY thousand for the Mary Haven Center of Hope. There was so much going on this weekend that we barely made it to the Annual Fresh Air Home Benefit - we didn't want to miss this one because its theme was Decorators, Designers & Dealers and featured both silent & live auctions of all sorts of treasures donated by all those good people - everything from art and furniture to entertainment packages, travel & fine porcelains & jewelry. A little further east in Amagansett, The Child Development Center of the Hamptons held its 3rd annual golf tournament benefit at the South Fork Country Club. A buffet lunch with cocktails & raffle prizes fetched a nice ticket price from each would-be golfer.

The following weekend was another blazing trail of non-stop parties - starting with HBO's Entourage party at the new club, Pink Elephant, sponsored by Hamptons Magazine, VaVa Water and Direct TV. Everyone kept warm by grabbing the Equinox blankets out of their goody bags while watching the Entourage screenings. David Waksman of Hampton Resorts was specially appointed to cater the affair with his wonderful chef, Marco. Next it was on to the 10th Annual Heart of the Hamptons East End Gala, a VIP reception to benefit the American Heart Association at the Diamond Ranch in Water Mill sponsored by Vava Water...and Beleza Pura, the newest drink to hit our shores from South America. MC was Ed Bradley and guests of honor were Honorable Rudy Giuliani and his wife & Valentin Fuster of the Mount Sinai Medical Center who's president of the World Heart Federation. Sponsors included some of the biggies out this way like Hamptons Magazine, Fuze, Teton Glacier Potato Vodka & Martha Clara Vineyards. Not to be missed either was the Parrish Art Musuem's Landscape Pleasures Cocktail Party featuring a symposium with tours of the gardens in sync with "The Edible Garden" and Rosalind Creasy, Brian Halweil and Alice Waters all ended with book signings. That was a special touch. Over in a westerly direction, The Fourth Annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center was held at The Hampton Hills Golf & Country Club - a golf outing included continental breakfast & after tournament cocktails and a buffet with live music by Plan B.

The Retreat rebounded the weekend after with its 11th Annual Artists Against Abuse Gala at the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club on Mid Ocean Road. Sotheby's auctioneer, Joy Behar of "The View" hosted this worthy cause against domestic violence. Honoree was Dottie Herman, president & CEO of power house realty group, Prudential Douglas Elliman. More information can be found at TheRetreatInc.org. Specially commissioned hand-painted ceramic plates were silently auctioned off - these were not just ordinary plates but decorated by established East End artists. Theater tickets, dinners, spa treatments and a lot of other cool items were all part of a gift auction. The raffle was a neat little Vespa-LX-50. However admission was somewhere between $350 and $5000 so in case you didn't make it, here's a glimpse of what you missed ; ) It's one of those ones though that's worth shelling out the extra money for so perhaps this might make you want to attend next year.

OK this was a BIG weekend of parties so hang on because we barely could!! First there was the 6th Annual "Midsummers' Night Drinks" to benefit "God's Love We Deliver" - guests enjoyed an evening of drinks under the stars, music and of course a raffle featuring a Mini-Cooper and a strand of Mikimoto pearls. Then there was also the Summer Soiree - An Evening in the Orient - for the Southampton Youth Services headed up by none other then past head of the Hampton Classic Horse Show, Dennis Suskind along with his wife, Cynthia. Then it was off to a pre-party for the OLDEST annual event to be held on August 5th: Southampton Hospital's 48th Annual Summer Party to benefit the Department of Emergency Medicine (something any one of us might welcome) hosted by the Smiths at their elegant "Linden Creek" home on Captains Neck. The one though that takes the cake for the weekend is Group for the South Fork's Annual Gala that drew 420 supporters of our local environmental watchdog. People gathered under stark white tents at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. The event posed as "Towns & Villages" raised a whopping $690,000 this year geared towards its advocacy & educational programs. This was their largest fund raising reward in 34 years! Check it out. Just across the bay on Shelter Island was the 3rd Bi-Annual Cocktail Party to fund the East End Hospice. There will more on the East End Hospice coming up this summer.

Truly one of the WETTEST weekends on record it nearly washed out a lot of parties but those that did not cancel because of it were pretty darn good, albeit a bit wet but if you went barefoot as one should during the summertime, it was actually more then a little fun. One that got cancelled was Love Heals at Luna Farm to benefit the Alison Gertz Foundation for Aids Education. It was a shame because they had SO much planned for an evening "under the moon" with a silent auction, a finger lickin' bbq and non-stop champagne & martinis. A salute to all those who paid and didn't get any of it but still gave their funds to a most special cause.

One of the ones that DID go through in spite of downpours was the Antiques & Design in the Hamptons Preview Party where both Bridgehampton residents and summer visitors came together to support the BH Historical Society's goal to preserve the The Nathaniel Rogers House. Guests danced the salsa to music by Enrique Lopez & his Latin Ensemble. Zyr Vodka sponsored with generous toasts of its liquid jewel and Christy Brinkley, Peter Cook, Jean Kenney-Smith, Faith Popcorn and many more showed as wonderful, good sports. On the same night was the 2nd Annual Solstice Celebration - and was supposed to be a nice summer solstice with a night of festive cocktails & entertainment to benefit the Christopher Reeves Foundation - all in an effort to come up with a cure for paralysis. Marmie McBryde was chairperson and Francine LeFrak & Rick Friedberg hosted. It's amazing how many people weathered the elements and actually got to so many of these events. There was the East End Hospice's Summer Gala at Sandacres Estate in Quogue. John Roland was MC for the evening and guests were lured to the tables for casino gaming, pampered with cocktails & dinner and enjoyed a lot of dancing.

Way east of there...over on Further Lane, The Beaches & Bays Gala honored the famous author, Peter Matthiesson, with the proceeds to benefit the Nature Conservancy. The Starlight Orchestra played for all those lucky to be in attendance. Leslie & Brian Brill, Christopher Brown, Andrew Gordon, Marilyn Breslow and Emily Baker were all the chairpersons for this mega party. No, it doesn't stop there. The 11th Season of the Music Festival of the Hamptons had THEIR Opening Concert Gala over in Wainscott. For the full schedule of this venue that began June 24th and runs through July 24th go to musicfestivalofthehamptons.com. Lukas Foss is the artistic director and this year it is held at the Wolffer Estate Vineyards in Sagaponack as well as in East Hampton Studios over in Wainscott and a few other choice places (of course pending permits).

The last weekend of June is really the debut of the biggest holiday weekend of the summer celebrating Independence Day!! To get off to a royal start with only THE best fireworks in the world - Grucci took the helm for a spectacular finish when it got dark and all the guests had eaten & quenched their thirst. This party is always a good family affair and kid friendly. It also benefits the Southampton Fresh Air Home for underprivileged inner city kids who don't get to go out to the country and are in real need for fresh air. For more info on that go to www.sfah.org. Next year will mark the 20th Annual American Picnic with Grucci as usual commanding the sky : )

July roared in like a lion as it should and kicked off with the Independence Day weekend round of parties beginning with the Halsey House Gala benefiting the Southampton Historical Museum. Sunday night was Tiffany & Company Guild Hall Evening of the Stars at the John Drew Theater which was followed by dinner at the Maidstone Club in East Hampton amidst the usual sprinkling of private soirees. The Ross School held their Inaugural Summer Gala featuring super soul woman, Aretha Franklin, all to benefit the Steven J. Ross Scholarship Fund and VaVa Water was the water sponsor. Even Aretha was seen cooling off after the show with a bottle of VaVa!

The next weekend was even bigger beginning with the annual smash hit Midsummer Party given by the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. If you didn't go for dinner then there was plenty of dancing after 10 when all the Juniors arrived en masse. The 7th Annual CMEE Under the Stars Benefit was held at the Channing Daughters Winery and was exceptionally elegant and in fact, we voted theirs the BEST OF SUMMER for Table Design.

Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum started off the following weekend with their 2nd Annual Luau Benefit and just east of there at East Hampton Studios was the East Hampton Historical Society's Benefit cocktail party. On Saturday night were three mega events each in a different hamlet making it a stretch to take in all that each had going on but we managed to capture the entertainment at the 13th Annual Water Mill Summer Benefit held at the Water Mill Center created by renown Robert Wilson and fourteen years in the making. East End Hospice held their 6th Annual Box Art Auction at the Ross Center for Well Being in East Hampton and not to be missed either was the Hampton Designer Showhouse Gala Preview Party. We were lucky enough to corner Libby Langdon for an exclusive, impromptu interview to grasp some of her thoughts on style and the Hamptons! VaVa Water was spied in her digs at the show and was the water sponsor at both the Hampton Designer Showhouse Gala party and at the Opening of the Water Mill Center.

The third weekend in July opened with the first match of Bridgehampton Polo for the season and was graced by Brooke Shields as the special guest of honor. There were no less famous, beautiful faces then in past years so it's only fitting to say that the VIP tent is probably one of the most coveted invitations of the summer. The 7th Annual Benefit Show for Special Olympics presenting Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, the The Temptations at the Westhampton Performing Arts Theater was another weekend opener on Friday evening. Saturday night Grucci took over the stars with their annual fireworks razzle dazzle at Tony Duke's Boys Harbor in East Hampton which was a family friendly event with a BBQ and open bar for the grown-ups. The same night was the 10th Annual Orchid Ball in Bridgehampton to benefit the Child Development Center of the Hamptons. In spite of battling electrical problems they pulled off a very nice affair and it was loaded with a wonderful sense of humor throughout the evening and it might even be said that made it more special with all the candlelight power and great attitudes. The LongHouse Reserve Annual Benefit was held at a private home this summer but open to the public was Chefs & Champagne at the Wolffer Estate Vineyards and was delectable selection of appetizers and wines. On Sunday there was the 3rd Annual Shinnecock Summer Festival featuring Navajo recording artist, Delphine Tsinaginnie and a lobster bake to benefit the Shinnecock Museum. This was one of the BUSIEST weekends of the summer!! There was also the Closing Gala at the Music Festival of the Hamptons which topped off a wonderful series of classical sessions.

If you thought you'd missed all the musical events of the summer you were in luck because the 23rd Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival began just as the Hamptons Musical Festival ended. The BIG music event of the weekend and maybe of the summer was the VH1 Save the Music Foundation Hamptons Benefit given at a private estate in East Hampton so if you didn't happen to get there click on our video capture of the party to check it out for next year. Bay Street Theatre had their Summer Gala Benefit Bash at Harding Farm in Bridgehampton and included cocktails, dinner, dancing, a silent auction, a live fantasy auction and great entertainment - this is one of the original galas that has retained its reputation as one of the Season's Best to attend for a wonderful organization. Also on Saturday evening was the Mashomack Preserve Annual Benefit Dinner Dance to benefit the preserve on Shelter Island. Did I actually say last weekend was the busiest weekend of the summer? ; ) Well, this one actually WAS the busiest one: Donna Karan, Charla Lawson and In Style with special guest Kelly Ripa all hosted Super Saturday at Nova's Ark Project to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. For more information on this organization please visit ocrf.org. Over in East Hampton Russell Simmons was hosting the 6th Annual Art for Life garden party benefit with cocktails, a silent auction and dinner. Fashion for Medicine was another biggie along with the Clintons' private soiree that was sponsored in part by Vava Water which was also seen at Russell Simmons' Hoops for Hope Benefit - a basketball event combining some pros with the youngest generation and Vava Water was served at his daughter Aoki's birthday bash which benefited the Bridgehampton Children's Center.

August was no leaner on large scale entertainment starting the month off with The Idea House Opening Party benefiting the Retreat, a non-profit organization providing shelter and support to victims of family violence. Carmen Electra hosted a party along with Cointreau & Vogue with proceeds going to the Aniridia Foundation which does research for the rare eye disease. For a new twist on themes, they auctioned off walk-on roles in some upcoming Hollywood movies and had a vip dinner & after party with tons of celebs and music spun by djs - denice, vibe & vanjee. VaVa Water was the water sponsor at this event and seems to be a favorite on the social scene. Next night we were off to the Southampton Hospital's 48th Annual Summer Party to benefit the Department of Emergency Medicine. Around the same time nearby amidst the rolling fields of Bridgehampton Channing Daughters' Winery was kicking off their annual Wine & Cheese party at their beautiful vineyard. Not to be missed for family friendly amusement that weekend was the 17th Annual Hamptons Family Day Wild West Carnival for the Albert Einstein School of Medicine at the Diamond Ranch in Water Mill.

The next weekend was particularly busy with the spectacular celebration of Guild Hall's 75th Anniversary at their Annual Summer Gala. Cocktails were served with a sneak preview of the Peyton and Warhol exhibitions followed by dinner at Mulford Farm in East Hampton. The Ross School hosted the Hamptons Wine & Food Festival this year also in East Hampton with live cooking demonstrations from extraordinary chefs. A sumptuous series of wine & food seminars and two "Bacchanalian" days & nights of grand tastings & samplings from the finest restaurants around the Hamptons. It was an epicurean's expo!! Rachel Ray made a guest appearance as well to make it even more delightful. That evening Henry Buhl hosted Rid's "A Toast to Good Health" cocktail party at his home well known for its special, annual sunflower display of nature's sunshine - truly one of the more extraordinary gardens in the Hamptons. VaVa Water was the water of choice at this party too.

The following weekend initiated the annual Artists & Writers Softball Game in Herrick Park just off Newtown in East Hampton and it was a heavy hitter for celebrities on both teams!! Rudy Giuliani and Roy Schieder were players this year and you can check out the game right here!! A very important event every summer to raise both funds & awareness for breast cancer is Ellen's Run whereVaVa Water was the water sponsor and handed out as fast as one could drink it in the blistering heat. After that it was off to the 2nd Annual Red Cross Ball Gala dinner, concert & auction hosted by Blue Star Jets & presented by American Express at a private estate in Southampton. That was not the only big party in Southampton however because ARF had its annual Chow Chow Bow Wow dinner dance at the home of Ellen & Chuck Scarborough nearby. Antiques & Design in the Hamptons had a preview party for the Bridgehampton Historical Society at The Corwith House Museum.

The official season closed with the Hampton Classic Horse Show that was celebrating its FORTIETH year in the Hamptons and the Shinnecock Indians invited the public to their reservation for their annual Pow Wow over the Labor Day weekend. However the summer didn't simply end there because once the summer colony leave the locals come out of hiding and the ocean is still warm and the best waves usually arrive at the height of hurricane season so fall's arrival is always another blessing. Check out the local surf report from Lars at Main Beach Surf Shop in Wainscott for the latest wave & snow reports all year long!! The 14th Hamptons International Film Festival was held from October 18th through the 22nd and a whole new group came to see all the new films debuting along with sizzling Opening & Closing parties with grand celebrities in full attendance!!! It seems that the Hollywood crowd has rooted itself in the local environment and a lot more people have discovered the beauty of the Hamptons year round. So check out Dan's Papers to find out what happens the rest of the year!!

Here's a list of parties COMING UP this summer so you can get there yourself - please BOOKMARK this page to keep it handy for SUMMER 2008!!!