Hollywood Hamptonites Turn Out To Support The Children's Museum Of The East End Family Fair!

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Mariska Hargitay, who attended with her children Amaya and August, said “The key to CMEE is that families are able to enjoy the museum year round. It is a blessing to the Hamptons that CMEE was able to develop these programs over the past 5 years.”
Katie Brown from PBS’ Katie Brown’s Workshop shared, “Our family has always emphasized a passion for creativity and CMEE helps to reinforce these ideals both for my kids and for kids throughout the East End. It epitomizes the East End, and the Family Fair really reaches out to all of us who want to celebrate family life here.”
The water slides were a welcome relief to the heat wave
Cupcake decorating didn't last long! Yum!
Edie Falco with children Anderson and Macy
Necklace making was a big hit with the girls
Ladies in Lilly Pulitzer!
Kids had a blast meeting new friends!
Mariska Hartigay and new baby Amaya Josephine all tuckered out from a day at the CMEE Family Fair
Families were treated to photos taken during the fair

KDH attended the Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) annual benefit on July 23, which was hosted by Co-Chairs Mariska Hargitay, Ali Wentworth and Katie Brown and raised $200,000 for year-round programming at the museum! Since opening their doors five years ago, the CMEE offers 7,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and community-based programs that promote learning through play. Approximately 950 guests were treated to Big Top Entertainment at the circus themed Family Fair.

Hollywood Hamptonites showed their support including: Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco, and her children Anderson and Macy. Cougar Town’s Christa Miller and her husband Cougar Town’s Creator, Bill Lawrence, arrived with their two children, William and Henry, while Mariska and her children, Amaya Josephine and August played dress up with Wendy the Pipe Cleaner Lady. Katie Brown’s daughters, Prentiss and Meredith were right at home as they are frequent visitors of CMEE.

Big Apple Circus performers and festivities included: pony rides, balloonologists, bouncy castles, contortionists, face painting, necklace making, plate spinning, water slides, a gymboree school bus and more!

Much more than a rainy-day destination, CMEE has developed educational programming that helps all East End families including groups often overlooked by museums. CMEE has developed a series of partnerships in the past few years that are designed especially to serve the East End community:

1. CMEE partnered with Sandpiper Music Together to promote literacy, language acquisition, and parenting skills.
2. CMEE partnered with Head Start to house a pre-school inside the Museum for the first time.
3. CMEE collaborated with the Retreat to help families affected by domestic violence by offering job-skills training for parents in CMEE’s classroom while their children participate in the Museum’s programming.
4. CMEE has also worked with many partners in the community including the Child Development Center of the Hamptons, the Southampton Town Disabilities Committee, and the Flying Point Foundation for Autism.

Explains Executive Director Steve Long, “The Family Fair is a great way for CMEE to support its mission of promoting learning through play while raising the funds necessary to provide unique educational programs that address important issues facing families in our community.”

“CMEE offers our families a great escape all summer long. It’s as much a part of our Hamptons summer as going to the beach, shopping at the farm stands and shopping on Main Street. CMEE lets our kids play, learn and be kids. That is why we have offered our continued support,” says Ali Wentworth, co-chaired the event.