Jan. 14: Beauty, Birds and the Wizard of Oz

It might seem like the dead of winter has officially hit, with the ground covered in snow and not much movement outside. But the North Fork is alive and kicking this weekend, with ambitions production of the debuting tonight, ACT Out East’s version ofopening at in Riverhead, and once again infiltrating North Fork High schools.

1. We’re not in Kansas anymore tonight — it’s winter high school musical time this weekend with production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which opens at 8 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Follow the yellow brick road and call 631-477-1950 for more information.

2. Looking for theater farther west? You might want to check out ACT Out East All Children’s Theater’s production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead. Tickets are $15 at the door. Call 631-348-2142.

3. Escape to the tropics of Ecuador with the presentation of “The Neotropical Birds of Ecuador” DVD tonight atin Greenport at 7:30 p.m. Famous birders Keith and Janice Wiggers host the film. Call 631-477-3800.

4. The badly erodedand the damaged homes just to the west along on the Long Island Sound took from this week’s winter storm. Stay tuned to find out what homeowners and government officials are doing to clean up the mess and prevent more erosion.

5. Wonder what your neighbors in East Hampton, Riverhead and Hampton Bays are up to? Look for a rundown of important stories recently published on other East End Patch sites later today.

Stuff happens on the North Fork. Be sure to stay with North Fork Patch for our comprehensive events listings: http://northfork.patch.com/search/events.