Weekend Recap: Our Top 10 Stories of the Week, March 29–April 4

A new COVID-19 testing site opening on the East End, comfort food and cocktails from Hamptons and North Fork chefs, a Sag Harbor business and a local nonprofit helping to save lives, the power of art and virtual gallery tours, questions for these challenging times and some escapism with Robert Downey Jr. are all among the Top 10 posts this past week on DansPapers.com.

Drive-Thru Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing Site Opens in Riverhead
The first testing facility on the East End began serving the Hamptons and the North Fork on March 31. Opened by ProHealth Care, a network of primary and urgent care services, this facility provided a great relief for Hamptons and North Fork residents who previously had to drive more than 30 miles farther west, and 35 minutes longer (according to Google Maps), to the testing site in Stony Brook.

East End Art Lives On Through Local Galleries’ Digital Archives
Social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t peruse local art galleries online, and maybe order a piece or two. Discover the works of renowned and up-and-coming artists hailing from the Hamptons and North Fork from the comfort of home, with these eight local gallery websites.

East End Chefs Roundtable: What’s Your Comfort Food?
Meatloaf and matzo ball soup. Roti bread and hot dogs. Beef with mashed potatoes and eggplant Parmesan. Food in all its forms provides not just sustenance but genuine comfort, and the perfect centerpiece to conversations we’ve had over the years with favorite Hamptons and North Fork chefs about the culinary creations they call their classic “comfort foods.”

Ina Garten Shares Jumbo Cocktail Recipe
Mixology with the Barefoot Contessa herself! “During these stressful times, it’s really important to keep traditions alive, and my favorite tradition is the cocktail hour,” Garten says in an Instagram video. “I like to make a lot of Cosmos. You never know who’s going to stop by—wait a minute, nobody’s stopping by!”

Nancy’s Tailoring & Sag Harbor Helpers: Making Masks & Assisting Elders
In times of crisis, the strongest communities come together to ensure the well-being of their most vulnerable members. That outpouring of love and support can be witnessed crystal clear on the Sag Harbor Helpers Facebook page and in the efforts of Nancy’s Tailoring & Alterations in Sag Harbor, where owner Nancy Nano volunteered to transform her shop into a medical mask–making operation

Peter Beard Missing in Montauk: Major Search Underway
The 82-year-old photographer wandered away from his home off Old Montauk Highway on Tuesday, March 31, resulting in a massive mobilization of that included numerous local residents as well as Montauk Fire Department volunteers, East Hampton Town Police, NY State Park Police, state police K9 units, a drone and even a Suffolk County Police helicopter.

The Retreat Provides Help, Hope and a Haven in All Times of Crisis
During the current coronavirus crisis, just as it has every day since it began in 1987, the East Hampton–based Retreat offers a safe haven for families in crisis, providing domestic violence and sexual assault services along with education to families, friends and neighbors in Suffolk County.

Robert Downey Jr. Binge List: 10 Must-See Movies
The Hamptons homeowner had decades of great film roles—and Oscar nominations—before he flew into a whole other level of super stardom as Tony Stark. A Scanner Darkly, anyone?

Questions and Answers: What We’re Asking in the Age of Social Distancing
Last week we pondered the power of gathering around the electronic campfire. This week we wondered about everything from how to get grandma on Zoom to how to best work from home to when it’s okay to join a virtual happy hour to the importance of Vitamin C to the simple joy of snack cakes.

William Ris Gallery and the Art of Community in a Time of Uncertainty
“This time of uncertainty is undoubtedly stirring up emotions which will likely prompt some creative consciousness,” says Mary Cantone, owner of the William Ris Gallery in Jamesport. “Time sequestered, sheltered at home, being alone with one’s thoughts, it all requires alternative approaches to surviving the unknown. The arts, all of them, have been the salvation of people’s existence during struggles and strife through centuries.”

Make sure to also check out the digital edition of Dan’s Papers every week at DansPapers.com/Read-The-Paper-Online!