One splendid annual that's always a June favorite is the Decorators-Designers-Dealers event on Barkers Island Road to benefit the Fresh Air Home. It's laid out quite nicely making it easy to navigate between all the professionally orchestrated spaces - both interior & exterior. The auction is a top notch production with only the most elegant items but at unbelievably low prices! Everyone seems to get a great bargain and the money raised gives more kids a chance to get out of the city. It's such a popular event that you run into nearly everyone you know!! The Parrish had the other fave event with Landscape Pleasures which is their premier horticultural event featuring only the best in private garden design. Next it's their humongous Midsummer's Night Gala - not to be missed! SYS held their FIFTH annual "A Field of Dreams" to benefit the youth center in Southampton. For one magical night the facility is turned into a fantasy dreamland and the place is packed with community minded guests who bid on dreamy auction items while enjoying a lavish menu and dancing. Concurrently the 8th Annual God's Love We Deliver was going full steam at a private beachfront home in Sagaponack and East End Hospice was hosting THEIR Biennial A Taste of Shelter Island...the pace picks up from here though!

Marking history for the black community and raising funds for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Mrs. Loida Lewis entertained an elite group of black billionaires at her estate over in East Hampton. Sean Diddy Combs was the award recipient this year and other notable guests such as Michael Strahan and Charles Oakley were there as well. Social Life is the newest luxury lifestyle magazine to debut in the hamptons. Publisher Justin Mitchell offered a sneak preview at the big party he hosted at a private estate in Water Mill...the first of several this season. Starting out the following weekend was ArtHamptons - a huge event - presenting both modern & contemporary art with over a million dollars worth for sale!! An expansive selection of 19th, 20th and 21st century masterpieces were shown within four fully enclosed, temperature controlled modular structures on two acres. Thankfully it was a two day affair! The 13th Annual Music Festival of the Hamptons opened with its gala honoring the late Roy Scheider who was a very enthusiastic patron of theirs as well as of the Group for East End. The Brussells Chamber Orchestra permeated the tent with the sounds of symphonies & concertos and an adagio for strings with Michael Guttman as conductor extraordinaire. We only wish this classical music event went past the 27th because every year has brought an astonishing array of only the best of the best!

Capping off the big weekend was Hamptons Magazine's annual lobster bake by the ocean...it's tricky to get the weather to cooperate for such a large scale beach party but it held up

There was a South Fork Supper to celebrate local farms and produce...remember that buying locally is environmentally friendly...the East End Home Arts Guild spoiled a precious few lucky guests with gourmet delights cooked up by chef Mary Spellman served with local wines and it all went to benefit the Southampton Historical Museum. HC&G magazine had their big opening gala for this summer's Idea House so do check it out with our video & photographs if you missed it. This was the fifth year for the Idea House but with a new twist promoting green design for luxurious lifestyles and the gala was to benefit the Peconic Land Trust. Sagaponack was the backdrop where a local developer merged talents with world-renown architects & designers and visitors were treated to the splendors of cutting edge design trends and home innovations. Super Saturday had their 11th designer flea market to benefit research for the Ovarian Cancer Foundation. The New York Times calls it the "Rolls Royce of Garage Sales" featuring over 200 top designers along with a carnival style backdrop to keep all the kiddies happy while parents shopped till the kids dropped. Over at Wolffer's Estate Vineyard the James Beard Foundation held its annual summer gala Chefs & Champagne with flowing champagne along with Wolffer's local wines and culinary tastings from over 30 fine chefs from NYC and beyond! This year's guest of honor was Wolfgang Puck whose presence added a very special touch.

Starting off the weekend was Orphans International, founded by Sarah Ehrlich It was their 2nd annual gala in a continuing effort to help the 185 Kenya orphans for whom they built a 10 room schoolhouse from the funds they raised last year. Their ultimate goal is to build a vocational school to teach them trades to put meaningful employment within their reach as well allowing them to become fully self-sufficient. Committee members Jill Zarin, Bethenny Frankel and Luann de Lesseps are from the show "The Real Housewives of NYC". Capping off the weekend was the Closing Gala of the 13th Annual Music Festival of the Hamptons honoring Leonard Bernstein...and...JAZZ @ The Beach where Jazz pianist Judy Carmichel played overlooking the ocean at a private home on Meadow Lane. In between all that was the big Water Mill Museum Benefit which is already on its 15th annual summer blast and the 10th Annual Hoops 4 Hope hosted by Mike and Taylor Lupica with a night of African music & a cocktail soiree that benefits kids' programs in Zimbawe and South Africa...but it doesn't stop there...perhaps one of the more eloquent celebrations of this entire season was The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in East Hampton. It was the inaugural event to kick off a year long series and held in "The Hamptons" at the home of Courtney Sale Ross. Its mission was to commemorate the 40th anniversary and emphasize the human rights and social justice work that is accomplished around the world by the foundation. Founded in 1968 the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial is a nonprofit organization that works to realize RFK's dream of a peaceful and just world. Its domestic and international programs work to empower the oppressed, build our next generation of leaders, and tackle the toughest problems facing our civilization. The 40th anniversary commemoration will continue with events across the country so this was just the first! Courtney Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey were all there as well Alec Baldwin who appeared to be a favorite guest of honor for the Kennedy family.

Southampton Hospital's FIFTIETH annual summer party started the weekend off with Alex Donner's Orchestra playing under the enormous white tent on Wickapogue. Everyone from all of our little hamlets attended to support our one and only hospital to ensure we all get the best of care if we end up in there for any one of a million reasons. The interior of the tent was exquisitely done as always and each year sports a new "best of the best" theme outdoing the preceding season...this year it was golden...and to be sure to convey that the theme was glitter & sparkle and everything golden! Guild Hall had their Annual Summer Gala too in East Hampton and captured another huge group of members & supporters who all were given a preview of the Larry Rivers exhibition before heading over to Mulford Farm for dinner and dancing to Peter Duchin's orchestra. That said we had the two most popular dance orchestras right here in the hamptons...other then of course the infamous Lester Lanin from yesteryear : ) A rather exclusive dare I say secretive affair was happening nearby to benefit Amaryllis Farm's Equine Rescue mission whose committee members are all A-list stars who pledged their presence on its behalf. Madonna was honorary chairperson and it was hosted by none other then Gwyneth Paltrow & Steven Klein...Kelly Klein, Sale Johnson & Marcy Warren were the co-chairs. I think that's a tough list to top!! Linda Shapiro managed to pull off this coup and make The Mane Event THE most coveted party around town...we were lucky to have been granted access to it and therefore can share it with YOU!! A very eccentric concept and an elegant production to say the least and very different from the usual white tent affairs everywhere else...it's really worth looking at the video to get a sense of the how touching the evening was and its mission to save horses from abandonment and impending slaughter.

Ross just keeps on rocking us with one show after another and this weekend's feature concert was JONAS Brothers who wowed every young teenager able to get into it with its hefty price tag of $1500 apiece but half the price of last year's SOCIAL @ross series! We grabbed video of all the screaming fans who were beside themselves with joy and the awe was written all over each one's face as you'll see when you check out our video & pix - they were DELIRIOUSLY happy!!! Between Jonas Bros and Gossip Girls' cast coming to town this summer this season turned out to be heaven for the tween-age locals & visitors alike. So now we have stars of all ages here...even little Miss Sunshine was spotted there signing autographs. Over in Southampton the lovely Susan Saradon and Larry Leeds were honorary chairs along with Henry Buhl at his annual Sunflowers After Hours celebration marking its 16th year of helping homeless men & women help themselves. It seems to have gotten even bigger this year and the sunflowers radiated from every nook & cranny of the tent and the garden surrounding it. It's a tricky process orchestrating the full bloom of the sunflower garden in sequence with the gala each summer and quite a fete accompli when it all comes together perfectly like it did this one.

Pink Elephant was the choice location for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation event with DJs Barrie & Dojah for entertainment. Matthew and Alexandra Reeve did the honors once again. They promised a much bigger event for next summer and although it was on a much smaller scale they managed to draw the right people and reach their goal to inspire funds for research to develop both treatment and a cure for paralysis. Hosts Victoria & Jay Furman entertained guests at The 2nd Annual Furman Jazz Fling with a special performance by jazz vocalist Jane Monheit and her quintet and guest vocalist Sachal Vasandani. It was to benefit education & performance programs produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center. This exclusive event is sure to become a fast favorite on the party circuit in years to come. Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk launched his inaugural Activision Presents Stand up for Skate Parks with a star-studded benefit in Bridgehampton. Tony and other BMX pro-skaters performed on his vert ramp for everyone who attended...which would be...Jon Bon Jovi with wife Dorothea & children, Russell Simmons, Vern Troyer, Michael & Lauri Gelman & kids...and a lotta locals. The invitation read like this: Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong, Andre Agassi, Russell Simmons, Christopher "big Black' Boykin, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mia Hamm, Dana White Jr., Jon Favreau, Mat Hoffman, Shaun White, Bobby Kotick, Bob McKnight and Ron Burkle invite YOU to this inaugural spectacular in Bridgehampton! hmmm...quite the host list...can you imagine the guest list?! ALL the proceeds went to the foundation which seeks to foster lasting improvements in society with a special emphasis on empowering youth in low-income communities. Tony Hawk was nice enough to give us an exclusive interview beforehand and he supplemented that with a great big hello to us at the skateboarding event. We were amazed he was so unpretentious and humble and even eager to give us the time! Anne Hearst & hubby Jay McInerney and Tatiana & Campion Platt jumped into the events arena with the Inaugural Best Buddies Hamptons Beach Bash to support people with intellectual disabilities around the world. More then 400 local and international guests including prominent business men & women, politicians, journalists, sports figures, entertainment celebrities came to show their support for Best Buddies. ANOTHER one to add to the growing competition of party giving in the Hamptons! It's getting seriously fierce because there are only so many weekends in the summer so in order to lure guests to actually attend and not pull a switcharoo one now has to go to great measure these days to outshine the one down the road ; )

Fashion Designer Betsey Johnson celebrated the launch of her new eyewear line at the luxury eyewear store, Grueneyes, in East Hampton.  Guests sipped sparkling pink liquor by Nuvo and enjoyed pink cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries while checking out Betsey Johnson's hot new designs. The stars came out for the 19th Wild Wild West Carnival, a family day benefit for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In tow were the younger generation because they had set up an elaborate playground in the style of a carnival. It was old fashioned bbq fare at the Diamond Ranch in Water Mill and the ever gracious Christy Brinkley was guest of honor with the presentation by Marquis Jets. Check out our video and see what o.t.h.e.r. stars were there! What would summer be without the Annual Artists & Writers Softball Game in Herrick Park, East Hampton? East End Hospice has a terrific lineup of fundraisers every summer and this is right at the top of the list as one of the most popular family events of the summer! This was the SIXTIETH occasion for the star studded teams to bat it out since 1948 inception where the first games included artists such as Franz Kline, William de Kooning, Philip Pavia, Jackson Pollack and Joan Mitchell. Later, in the 60s and 70s, writers joined in the fun and soon expanded again to include politicians, actors, musicians, publishers, editors and television personalities. The game's hall of fame includes Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Yogi Berra, Ben Bradley, Steven Breyer, Christie Brinkley, Matthew Broderick, Ed Burns, Chevy Chase, Bill Clinton (ah yes, that'd be our United States President), Kristin Davis, Donny Deutsch, Rudy Giuliani, Charles Gwathmey, Peter Jennings, Regis Philbin, Roy Scheider, Paul Simon, B Smith, and Eli Wallach...how's that for a list of LOCAL celebrities?!

Another starspangled guest list attended tennis legend and philanthropist Andre Agassi's "A Night In The Hamptons" to benefit The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation presented by The Wall Street Journal. Special performance by Grammy award winner and multi-platinum artist Rob Thomas, along with emcees Chevy Chase and Kelsey Grammer. Guests on the list for attendance included Alonzo Mourning, Donna Karan, Rachael Ray and Lorraine Bracco. The sponsor list for the live auction was just as impressive...in addition to the Wall Street Journal>David Yurman, Tiger Woods, Rachel Ray and Lorraine Bracco. On a serious note, Andre is absolutley PASSIONATE about his schools and it was well reflected in his speech. The items up for auction were quite expensive even by the hamptons' standards...$50,000 for a clinic with Andre at the Ross School was a bit pricey! Over at the Tuscan Villa in Water Mill actress-comedian Sarah Silverman hosted Music for Mercy Corp to benefit SAVE DARFUR and The Action Center to End World Hunger. Actor and activist Cary Elwes and his partners Raquel Bruon & Diane Mayer, hostess Sarah Silverman, The English Beat, Russell Simmons, Ileana Douglas, Karolina Kurkova , Sleeper Cell's Oded Fehr, 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, Jill Zarin of The Real Housewives of NYC with husband Bobby Zarin, Rocco DiSpirito, Morris & Jaci Reid, SNL's Horation Sanz, actor Rick Yune, tv personality Evan Farmer, Tasmin Lonsdale, CNN's Alina Cho, actress Mozhan Marno, auctioneer Bill McCuddy and special guest Jon Bon Jovi were all guests of Take Note's first annual "Music for Mercy Corps"!!! ...ya think there's a celeb contest in the hamptons or what ; )

As you've guessed by now, The Ross School excels at fundraising and they have a special fan in Aretha Franklin who agreed to do another intimate performance while guests dined & danced to her soulful rhythm treating everyone to some of her classics but also some new more orchestral ones. Known as the Queen of Soul, she delighted everyone in the room whether guest or part of the staff...everyone was reaching back at her and it was hard to stay seated. She blessed the crowd with her talent because the Aretha Franklin Scholarship awards a deserving Ross School student with an interest in the performing arts. The Hampton Classic Horse Show also got off to a start with Bruce Springsteen's daughter, Jessica, show jumping but her dad did his best to stay out of the limelight...instead he was hanging out by the stables rather then in the Hampton Classic VIP tent. Over $600,000.00 in prize money was up for grabs and Georgina Bloomberg was another famous daughter competing while the likes of Calvin Klein, the Hiltons, Rudy & Judy Giuliani, Mayor Bloomberg, the Boss & his wife Patti Scialfa, Kelly Klein with her adorable son Lucas and a slew of locals, tourists & the horsey set who attend this annual event. It's now the largest hunter jumper show in the nation and has grown from a modest country style horse show back at Howard's Stables into a huge national competetion...and marketing event. It was the 33rd one and Hilary Dobbs became the youngest rider to win the $200,000 Grand Prix prize at only 20 years old. This is a show for both amateurs & Olypmic medalists alike and both juniors & adults so it has always been a welcome end of summer family event for locals and visitors.

Singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel stood up for Save Sag Harbor at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum by featuring a live performance with both her famous parents in attendance. Her step-brother, Sailor, introduced her along with his buddy and a funny joke to their mother's delight. Christy was beaming while Billy Joel gazed adoringly at his daughter while she pumped everyone up with country music and some jazzy tunes. Everybody was clapping & dancing under the tent in front of the old Sag Harbor Whaling Museum. I'm excited to say I bought the lucky ticket at that event and I won the Vespa GTS 250...that came as a big surprise a few weeks later. So see you really CAN win at these raffles : ) Donna Karan's new Urban Zen store sponsored the Sperry tents and Christy Brinkley bought & hand painted umbrellas for everyone in case it rained...that was awfully thoughtful of her. Even Alexa's grandmother, Billy's mom, was there to watch her grand-daughter! We hope you didn't miss out on Yoko Ono's exclusive exhibition of John Lennon's art at the Southampton Inn - truly a rare opportunity to see his original artwork. Rufus Wainwright performed at the Last Song of Summer along with virtuoso female opera singer Jessye Norman. Daniel Knox opened the LD celebration playing the piano over at the Water Mill Museum - what a nice treat for the end of summer!!

Till next week - enjoy these days of fall...we'll be bringing the BlueHammock party, drummers at the beach in Sagaponack, the Boathouse Gala in New York, plenty more polo and LOADS MORE! For autumn openers here's the 16th Hamptons International Film Festival!!Stayed tuned, bookmark this page for easy access and preview some of the upcoming annual events on our last party page. You'll find all the great parties from last season and get an idea of what to look forward to for this year's events PLUS you just might see yourself in one of them. As per our copyright notice for this entire website, all content, photos & videos are copyrighted to thehamptons.com. If you would like a copy of any photo or video from any of these events, please get in touch with thehamptons.com by emailing us at staff@thehamptons.com and THANK YOU for visiting : ) We will keep adding to this as we capture more great footage here & there...could be nyc or cannes!!! Here's our 2009 calendar of events...with a hint of summer : )