About South Shore Digest

South Shore Digest answers one question every week: what should we do around here this weekend? We cover Long Island's South Shore from Babylon to Patchogue, and the issue lands in your inbox every Thursday morning.

Who puts it out

South Shore Digest is published by AF Mello Solutions Inc, doing business as South Shore Digest, based here in Suffolk County.

The editor is Antonimar Mello. He is a nurse on Long Island, he lives on the South Shore, and he started this newsletter in October 2025 because nobody was answering the weekend question the way he wanted it answered. No newsroom, no office, no wire service. Just someone who lives here, reads the calendars every week, and puts the good stuff in one place.

That shapes what you get. We are editorial, not a dump of everything happening. Curation is the whole product. If only three family events genuinely earn a spot in a given week, we run three.

What is in the Thursday issue

Six sections, in the same order every week, so you can skim straight to the part you came for.

Top 5. The anchor events. The shows, festivals, and nights the community will be talking about Monday.

Family Picks. The easy yes for parents. Outdoor when the weather cooperates, indoor when it does not.

Date Night. The grown-up night out. Concerts, theatre, comedy, a dinner worth planning around.

Free and Affordable. Real nights out under $20, including plenty that cost nothing.

Community Board. Drives, volunteer calls, deadlines, and the civic stuff that is good to know even when it is not a weekend plan.

Fresh Local Highlights. One local spot Antonimar actually walked into that week, written in his own voice. This one is firsthand or it does not run.

How a listing gets checked

Nothing lands in the issue because it turned up in a search. Every listing is read and checked by an editor before it appears.

We work from the source: the venue's own site or ticket page, the organizer's post, the library or chamber that is running it. When the date, time, and price all line up, it can run. When something does not line up, we go back to the source or leave it out.

Plans still change after we hit send. A rain date moves, a band cancels, a ticket tier sells out. When a weekend matters to you, take thirty seconds and confirm with the venue before you drive. And if we get something wrong, tell us. We fix it on the page with a note and mention it in the next issue.

What is free and what is not

The Thursday issue is free to subscribe to and free to read. There is no paywall on any of it today.

We also sell sponsored placements and paid directory listings, because a local publication has to pay for itself eventually. Every paid placement is labeled "Sponsored" or "Advertisement" right at the top of it, and paid directory listings are labeled too. Sponsors do not get a spot in the six sections, and they do not get a say in what goes there. Our picks are not for sale. The full breakdown is on our editorial policy page.

How to reach us

Got an event? Send it to events@southshoredigest.com.

Got a tip, a correction, or a story we should know about? tips@southshoredigest.com.

Business owner who wants to work with us? partners@southshoredigest.com.

Everything else, including subscription help and privacy requests: support@southshoredigest.com.

We are on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at @southshoredigestli, and on Nextdoor as South Shore Digest.