SATURDAY July 18
Do you vividly recall that speech in Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams talks about how “medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for”? I bet it’s a speech some other people will also remember at the ArtForLife party for the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. This year the theme will be the Roaring Twenties, so you might catch honorees like Dave Chappelle and Ava DuVernay strutting their stuff in pinstripe suits and bowlers hats or fabulous flapper gowns. The event will be hosted by Soledad O’Brien, and is intended to serve as a “celebration of the creative energy of our inner-city youth.” Fairview Farms, 19 Horsemill Lane, Bridgehampton, 6 p.m., $1,500
SUNDAY July 19
There are a lot of activities you can associate with winter. Skiiing. Ice-skating around Rockefeller Center. Hockey. Whatever game the people in Snowpiercer were playing. But I can basically think of no summer sports—competitive swimming? Maybe?—except for volleyball, so it makes sense that, in the middle of this heat wave, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour is coming to lower Manhattan. The event will offer an opportunity to watch Olympians like Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross and Phil Dalhausser. And you need not sit on the sidelines murmuring to Wilson—you can get in on the fun yourself, even if you’re not a professional. Beach volleyball clinics will be open to new players (or just medium-experienced, non-Olympian players), and there will be plenty of food on hand to help you carbo-load before your next match. The event also promises interactive activities and music to help you get energized even in the humid weather. By the time you’re done, skating at Rockefeller Center will seem like a miserable slog by comparison. Hudson River Park Pier 25/26, 233 West Street, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., free
