Montauk Strong: A Tight Year Round Community

I had the pleasure of being a full time Montauk resident for almost four years. I used to kid the real locals that I was living in Montauk with "a red card, due to a bad divorce." They understood that I understood I was not a local, but a guest.

I wrote for the now defunct Montauk Pioneer, an experience that introduced me to the real Montauk. I was able to see behind the thriving tourist industry and be introduced to the families that are Montauk. In the interviews I learned their values, their work ethic and their humanity.

I was humbled by their amazing work ethic and the community bond they had for all things Montauk. Always the intruding outsider and as all small time journalist wannabes are, I understand the ground rules and allowed myself to be available when fundraisers for locals or special events and Chamber of Commerce dates needed to be publicized. I still sort of help that way.

Watching the community help fire victims , cancer victims, and fishermen who've experienced tragedies in such a heartfelt outpouring was deeply moving. Seeing the nods the old timers give each other is magic, but most of all, seeing the reverence they all have for the ocean, bays and lakes along with their beaches taught me to appreciate them, too. Every Montauk local spent their first few years of their lives being on one of those beaches in the summer.

As Montauk now deals with the difficulties of this period of influx of a new type of tourist, some who are not respecting the privacy and decency of Montauk, the full-time residents are showing great restraint and prudence. In the end I believe this crisis will pass just as quickly as it came about.

Montauk folks like to be left alone and are of a different breed, I understand and respect that. You don't join a family; you are born into it.