Town festival celebrates its fourth year

By Doug McDevitt
Photo by Bruce Frisch

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 worked on 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 in mind, she ran into Holly Gill at the post office and brought up the idea of a town festival. Gill was intrigued, and the two went up to the library, where they ran into Ruth Melville. She agreed that the idea had promise, 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 Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau to review the numerous surveys handed out to the visitors. The tourism bureau estimates that last year the WIN event contributed 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 that one set of visitors to WIN loved the area so much they purchased a house here.    

The 2019 committee—cochairs Frisch, Ned Barron and Jon Riedeman, aided by Larry Hannafin 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 website.                   

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. Norfolk musicians interested in being part of WIN are invited to email info@weekendinnorfolk.org.

The WIN committee members have been tireless promoters of the town and what it has to offer for over four 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.