Let the feasting begin! Restaurant Week in the Hamptons for 2016 runs April 3 through April 10, followed by Long Island Restaurant Week April 17 through 24. What better way to check out the newest and greatest menus while beating the summer crowds. At $27.95 per three-course meal, make your reservations now to try all the local favorite spots. Check here (http://www.hamptonsrestaurantweek.com/restaurants.html and http://www.longislandrestaurantweek.com/dine.php) to discover participating restaurants in the Hamptons and East End.

Perhaps while dining you’ll spot local designers Calvin Kline, Betsey Johnson, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, or Tory Burch (make sure to wear your labels), or be treated to a glimpse of local celebrity chefs Martha Stewart or Ina Garten (wouldn’t we like to know their favorite eateries!?). Perhaps, too, you’ll catch sight of funny men Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., or Jerry Seinfeld, perfect for the month that begins on a funny note.

April Fools’ Day (or All Fools’ Day, April 1) is of unknown origin but legend is that it arose around the time of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which shifted the observation of the start of the new year from March 25 to January 1 (though there are references to an April 1st joke in literature dating as early as 1561 in the writing of Eduard de Dene). In France, among the first countries to adopt the new calendar (which France had actually done in 1564), the New Year observation had been pushed to April 1 to allow for Easter observances around March 25. When the new calendar was adoped, those who continued to observe the New Year on April 1 were subjected to a prank whereby others placed a paper fish on their backs, signifying the gullibility of a young, easily caught fish or person. Perhaps children punished today for “kick me” notes posted on the backs of their peers can call upon tradition in their defense. Poisson d’Avril (April fish) is still celebrated in France and also in Italy (Pesce d’Aprile).

The tradition of games and pranks within cultures appeared centuries earlier with the Romans’ festival of Hilaria, on March 25, which included games and masquerades. Many countries today have their own version of a prank day, with media getting in on the fun. Among the best-known pranks was the BBC’s airing of a segment on April 1, 1957, purportedly showing a record spaghetti harvest from a Swiss spaghetti-tree farm.

So get out there this April, try out some new or favorite meals, plan a prank or two, and let A Votre Service! attend to your property management needs in the Hamptons.

We can help you. No fooling.