The 66th Annual East Hampton Artists and Writers Softball Game

The 66th annual East Hampton Artists & Writers Celebrity Softball Game will take place on Saturday, August 16 with batting practice beginning at noon and game time at 2 p.m. The event is dedicated to building a community around the game and raising money for local charities. All proceeds go to local charities: The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center, Phoenix House, The Retreat and East End Hospice.

The game will be held in Herrick Park, across from the middle school, in the center of the Village of East Hampton. Tickets cost a suggested donation of $10. In the event of rain, the game will be held the following Saturday, August 23.

The game began in 1948 and has evolved into an important source of revenue for local charitable organizations. This year the sponsors include HBO, Dan’s Papers, The Daily News, Mort Zuckerman, 1010WINS and The Regal Entertainment Group. For a complete list of donors who have given money to the game visit the game’s website.

The roster from the game’s early days reads like a Who’s Who of the storied bohemian community that flourished on the East End after World War II. Willem de Kooning, Philip Pavia, Jackson Pollock, and Joan Mitchell were members of the artist team. Everyone brought a dish. Some brought drinks. Two writers joined the picnic, Barney Rosset of Grove Press (who was seeing Joan Mitchell) and art critic Harold Rosenberg. All this took place in Wilfrid Zogbaum’s front yard.

The artists had moved to Springs and the East End for cheap rent, larger studios and an easier life. They talked of art, gossiped, ate, drank, and shared a camaraderie. They recalled a glorious time; the war was over, the Depression waning, and more artists’ work was being shown in New York galleries. Some were successful in sales and reputation. Some drank too much. Most were just young artists anxious to be part of the emerging art scene.

Writers joined the artists in the ’60′s and ’70′s. Irwin Shaw, Willie Morris, James Jones, Jimmy Ernst and Carl Stokes, the mayor of Cleveland were among the group that expanded to include politicians, actors, musicians, publishers, editors and television personalities. The game has included governors, mayors, senators and a Supreme Court justice and a former U.S. President.