Hey South Shore, last weekend was the long one that closed out the Town of Babylon beach season, and you could feel the neighborhood exhale a little on Monday. One extra day, then back to the regular rhythm. This week we settle in.

Friday marks 25 years since September 11th. The Town of Islip holds its memorial ceremony outside Town Hall that evening, a moment the whole neighborhood pauses for before the weekend gets going. Mark the day however feels right to you. Then Sunday answers with an arts district full of painters and the Napoleon Dynamite cast live on a Patchogue stage.

The weather looks kind to the outdoor plans: Thursday runs warm with a chance of a shower by evening, Friday clears cool and sunny, and Saturday and Sunday stay mild and mostly clear. Good news for the neighbors setting up fair booths at dawn and the volunteers lining Terry Street with easels. Now let's get into it.

Top 5 for the Weekend

Arts on Terry 2026 - Terry Street (Patchogue)

Terry Street, the village's official arts district, turns into an open-air gallery Sunday afternoon, with more than 300 artists filling the block. You'll find 35-plus solo booths, 20-plus live painters working in real time, and tables from museums and arts organizations set up down the street. It's open to every age, so bring the whole crew and wander. Easy to lose a couple of hours here between the canvases and the crowd.

When: Sunday, September 13 | 1:00 PM
Where: Terry Street, Patchogue
Price: Free
🎨 Browse the fair

Napoleon Dynamite LIVE! 20th Anniversary Celebration - Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (Patchogue)

Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez, better known as Napoleon, Uncle Rico and Pedro, come to Patchogue Theatre for a 20th-anniversary celebration of the indie classic. This one was rescheduled from April, so if you had a ticket then, your Sunday finally arrives. There's an add-on meet and greet for anyone who wants to get up close. Twenty years later and the movie still lands.

When: Sunday, September 13 | 7:00 PM
Where: Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Patchogue
Price: $$+
🎬 Grab your tickets

Donna Summer Tribute Band '26 - The Argyle Theatre (Babylon)

The Queen of Disco gets the full-band treatment at the Argyle, with the Donna Summer catalog filling the room on a Saturday night built for dancing. The Argyle's stage knows how to carry a night like this, and the aisles tend to fill before the encore. Wear something you don't mind moving in.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 7:30 PM
Where: The Argyle Theatre, Babylon
Price: $$+
🪩 Reserve your seats

Vanilla Fudge - Boulton Center for the Performing Arts (Bay Shore)

The psychedelic-rock pioneers behind "You Keep Me Hangin' On" bring five decades of heavy, symphonic rock to the Boulton stage Saturday night. These are the originals, still playing loud, still bending the sound the way they did back when they helped invent it. Boulton's room is built for exactly this kind of weight. Get there for the doors and settle in.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 8:00 PM
Where: Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore
Price: $$+
🎸 Find seats

Orleans - The Farewell Tour - Boulton Center for the Performing Arts (Bay Shore)

The band behind "Still the One" and "Dance With Me" makes a farewell-tour stop in Bay Shore, now in its 54th year and led by co-founder Lance Hoppen. Fifty-four years is a long run for any band, and this is the chance to hear those harmonies live before the tour wraps for good. Sunday evening at Boulton, doors early. Songs you've known your whole life, played by the band that made them famous.

When: Sunday, September 13 | 7:00 PM
Where: Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore
Price: $$+
🎶 Catch the show

💌 SSD lands in your inbox every Thursday because neighbors keep reading, forwarding, and telling us what they'd want to see. If this one helped you plan, pass it to someone down the block who'd appreciate it.

Family Picks

Annual Fair at Argyle Park - Argyle Park (Babylon Village)

The Babylon Beautification Society's annual fair takes over Argyle Park, the Village Gazebo and Bayman Park all day Sunday, with more than 325 craft makers, a specialty food market of 35-plus vendors, live entertainment and a full children's section. Food booths open at 10 AM, so time the trip around lunch on the grass. Plan for it to run long, there's a lot to walk. Rain date is Sunday, September 20 if the sky turns.

When: Sunday, September 13 | 8:00 AM
Where: Argyle Park, Babylon Village
Price: Free
🎪 Walk the fair

Chris Ruggiero in Concert with The American Bombshells (Rockin' Across America) - Bayway Arts Center (East Islip)

A Saturday matinee of 50s, 60s and 70s hits as Chris Ruggiero and the American Bombshells take a rock and roll road trip across the country, timed to Patriot Day weekend. It's an afternoon show, which makes it low-friction for families and grandparents alike. The venue posts admission on its box office page.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 2:00 PM
Where: Bayway Arts Center, East Islip
🎤 Visit Bayway

Flannel Fest at Great South Bay Brewery - Great South Bay Brewery (Bay Shore)

Great South Bay Brewery goes full western Saturday afternoon, with a DJ running all day, a bounce house, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, and face painting for the kids. There's a special BBQ menu, a line dancing class with Outlaw Line Dancing at 3 PM, and college football on in the tasting room. Western attire is welcome, so break out the flannel. The kids get the bull and the petting zoo, the grown-ups get the taproom, and nobody has to leave early.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 1:00 PM
Where: Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore
Price: $
🤠 Get the details

Date Night / Nightlife

Backroads BBQ & Wine Down - Loughlin Vineyard (Sayville)

Chris Devine plays live on the farm from 4:30 while Crossroadsque works the smoker and the wine and beer keep flowing into the evening. A slow Friday on a vineyard lawn, low-key and easy, with good food and a guitar in the background. Roll in around three, grab a spot, and let the afternoon stretch into night.

When: Friday, September 11 | 3:00 PM
Where: Loughlin Vineyard, Sayville
Price: Free
🍷 Plan the evening

Sons of Skynyrd & The Tucker Stevens Band - 89 North Music Venue (Patchogue)

A Southern-rock double bill takes over 89 North on Friday night, general admission and standing room, 21 and over. Two bands, one loud room, and a crowd that came to move. Admission is posted on the venue's ticket page.

When: Friday, September 11 | 7:00 PM
Where: 89 North Music Venue, Patchogue
🎸 Hear the double bill

Strong Island Fight Night Series - Stereo Garden (Patchogue)

Eight championship amateur bouts run at Stereo Garden Saturday, with full ring walks, music, lights, a red-carpet entrance and an official after-party once the last bell rings. First fight goes at six, 18 and over. It's a night out with real stakes, the crowd loud and locked in for every round.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 6:00 PM
Where: Stereo Garden, Patchogue
Price: $$+
🥊 Get in the room

Hugo - The Ultimate Journey Tribute - Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (Patchogue)

Hugo brings the full Journey arena-anthem catalog to Patchogue Theatre on Saturday night, every soaring chorus and every guitar break intact. A meet and greet package is offered for anyone who wants to get closer to the stage. A big-room singalong waiting to happen.

When: Saturday, September 12 | 8:00 PM
Where: Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Patchogue
Price: $$+
🎹 Book the night

Free & Affordable

  • Lydia Von Hof (Patchogue): Live music on the riverfront deck at Drift 82 to open the weekend right, with the water off to one side and a set that fits an easy Thursday evening. Thursday, September 10 | 5:30 PM | Free | 🎶 Start the weekend

  • Lisa Polizzi Jam (Patchogue): Lisa Polizzi hosts the Thursday night jam at Daisy's Nashville Lounge, a loose, players-welcome session that fills a room without forcing it. Thursday, September 10 | 7:00 PM | Free | 🎸 Plug into the jam

  • Happy Hour Band: Blindside Tackle (Babylon): Blindside Tackle takes the Friday happy hour slot at Lily's on Deer Park Avenue, a simple village win to close the workweek with a full bar and a live band. Friday, September 11 | 6:00 PM | Free | 🍺 Pull up a stool

  • The Petty Rockers (Patchogue): The Petty Rockers bring the music of Tom Petty to Bobbique's Friday stage, all the hits you already know the words to over a plate of barbecue. Friday, September 11 | 8:00 PM | Free | 🎵 Hear the hits

  • Indian Summer End-of-Season Party with SESSIONS + DJ Theo (Babylon): Salt Shack's annual end-of-summer party brings DJ Theo, with support from Keegstand, to the Cedar Beach deck as the season winds down. One last beach night before summer fully packs up. Saturday, September 12 | 6:00 PM | Free | 🌅 Join the party

  • Live Music: The Jokerz (Bay Shore): Classic rock, R&B and Top 40 from The Jokerz at Kitty Mulligan's, Bay Shore's Irish pub, for a Saturday night that keeps the room moving. Saturday, September 12 | 7:30 PM | Free | 🍀 Head to Kitty's

  • Justice (Patchogue): Justice takes the harbor deck at The Oar Saturday night, live music with the water right there and dinner within reach. Saturday, September 12 | 6:30 PM | Free | 🎸 Reserve a table

  • Midnight Bourbon - Country Night! (Bohemia): Country band Midnight Bourbon makes its Eleanor's debut with a full night of country at the Sunrise Highway lounge. A first look at a new act on the Bohemia stage. Saturday, September 12 | 8:00 PM | $ | 🤠 See the debut

  • ZIGONS (Oakdale): Sunday afternoon live music on the water at The Wharf, an easy way to stretch the last day of the weekend out on the deck. Sunday, September 13 | 2:30 PM | Free | ⚓ Take the deck

  • Zocial (East Islip): Zocial closes the weekend with a Sunday evening set at the Bayside Clam Bar, a low-key send-off before the week starts again. Sunday, September 13 | 5:00 PM | Free | 🦪 Close it out

📌 Community Board (Quick Hits)

Ways to remember, help out, and stand by our neighbors this weekend.

  • 9/11 Memorial Ceremony (Islip). The Town of Islip's 9/11 Memorial Ceremony marks the 25th anniversary outside Town Hall. Friday, September 11 | 5:00 PM | Islip Town Hall, Islip | Free

  • The Oyster Ball Gala Supporting Save The Great South Bay (East Islip). Save The Great South Bay's fundraising gala returns to Heckscher State Park to support water-quality restoration work. Saturday, September 12 | 6:00 PM | Heckscher State Park, East Islip

  • FSL CAIR Back-to-School Supply Drive (Bay Shore). Family Service League's CAIR closet is collecting backpacks and school supplies as students head back to class. Drop-offs and donations help local families cover the essentials. Details at fsl-li.org. Ongoing | FSL CAIR Closet, Bay Shore | Free

  • Insurance Enrollment Assistance for the Aged (65+), Blind, and Disabled (Babylon). Free Medicare Savings Program and Medicaid application help at Babylon Public Library. Friday, September 11 | 11:00 AM | Babylon Public Library, Babylon | Free

  • Babylon Rotary (Babylon). Babylon Rotary has served the South Shore since 1924, from monthly Nourish Babylon dinners for neighbors in need, to the Dirty Sock 10K, to scholarships for local students. Meetings run every Wednesday at LI Yacht Club, and new members are always welcome. Wednesdays | LI Yacht Club, Babylon | Free

📣 See something around town more neighbors should know about, a new resource or a helpful program? Hit reply and tell us. We read every email.

A weekend that starts with remembering and ends with a whole arts district full of painters and a movie cast on the Patchogue Theatre stage. That's the South Shore easing back into its rhythm.

Take Friday slow, take Sunday long, and check on the neighbors who carry the day a little heavier this year.

See you out there.