Town festival celebrates its fourth year

By Doug McDevitt

Most great ideas come when we least expect them. In a dream or a daydream, during a conversation with a better half when we should be listening, or while running simple errands, it sometimes can’t be helped, they just pop in there. Well, one day in the summer of 2015, Sue Frisch was on an errand to the town post office when… pop! There it was. Having devised a Norfolk town pamphlet and map that listed area businesses and interests, Frisch was wondering whether there was something more that could be done to promote Norfolk, both inside and outside the town. With that thought, Frisch quickly contacted her friends Ruth Melville and Holly Gill to get their thoughts and voilà, WIN, or Weekend in Norfolk, was born. The group held numerous meetings throughout 2015, inviting area businesses and institutions to participate. The response was so enthusiastic that they decided to proceed. The first festival, held on the first weekend of August 2016, turned out to be a great success, and now WIN in its fourth year looks to be bigger and more exciting than ever.       

Frisch said that the original goals for WIN have been met and exceeded. Each year more participants are included, and, more importantly, more patrons are attending. The WIN committee has called on the analytical skills of the North Western Convention and Tourism Bureau to review the numerous surveys handed out to the visitors. The tourism bureau estimates that the WIN event contributes 70 to 80 thousand dollars of economic benefit to Norfolk. In addition to the economic reward, WIN is helping present the town as a notable cultural destination, with musicians, writers and artisans working in many genres. Frisch even learned from one visitor to WIN that they loved the area so much they purchased a home here and are now residents of Norfolk.    

The 2019 committee—cochairs Frisch, Ned Barron and Jon Riedeman, aided by Larry Hannefin and Tom and Celia McGowan—has lined up a wide variety of events to be enjoyed at the festival this year: concerts, artisan demonstrations, seminars, an ice cream social, a 5k trail run, a hike-the-peaks challenge, fly-fishing demonstrations, art exhibitions, numerous children’s activities, a hot dog eating contest, open houses for area B&Bs, the country club, churches, historic homes and area farms, plus so much more it can’t possibly be listed here. All the events can be found, with their designated times, on the WIN Facebook page.                   

New to this year’s event are e-bike test rides, a Haystack Book Talk, silent movies accompanied by live music, live music in different locations around town and strolling musicians. 

The WIN committee members have been tireless promoters of the town and what it has to offer for nearly five years and have helped to unify the town. WIN will continue their efforts, and each year the committee remains open to new ideas that will help make this festival better in the years to come. 

For more information on Weekend in Norfolk, visit their Facebook page or their website, weekendinnorfolk.org.