Norfolk Did It Again!

When the Weekend in Norfolk committee decided to have virtual events for its fifth annual three-day celebration, it sent out word to the community without having any idea of the response it would get. After all, we were asking for something very different. True, nobody had to be at a certain place at a certain time or assemble volunteers to staff an event, but the format was technically more demanding and required similar advance planning. So we were surprised and thrilled when we realized we had 30 pre-recorded videos and six live-streamed events to offer our many visitors. The pre-recorded videos are still posted on our YouTube channel and linked from our website, weekendinnorfolk.org. We invite everyone to go enjoy the ones they missed and spread the word to family and friends who haven’t seen them yet. They’ll be there for at least another month.

The dates for the WINter Weekend in Norfolk are Feb. 20 and 21, the weekend after President’s Day, and we are planning another virtual celebration of our town. We ask everyone to put their thinking caps on and send us their ideas and suggestions.

For now, our heartfelt thanks to Adam Paul Heller, Andrew Thomson, Angela Luna & Joanie Burzymowska, Ann Havemeyer, Botelle School PTO, Church of Christ Congregational, Conservation Commission, Doug McDevitt, Husky Meadows Farm, Jamal Ford-Bey, Jim Jasper, John & Tobin DeShazo, John Thew, Jon Riedeman, Josh DeCerbo, Jude Mead, Karen Linden, Karen Rossi, Lost Ruby Farm, Manor House Inn, Michael Cobb, Mountain View Green Retreat, Norfolk Artists & Friends, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk Historical Society, Norfolk Land Trust, Norfolk Library, Pamela Harnois, Susan Rood, Tom & Celia McGowan, William Hosley, and a special shout-out to videographers and editors John DeShazo, Elias Olsen and Ann DeCerbo. We couldn’t have done this without each and every one of them!

—The Weekend in Norfolk Committee (Ned Barron, John DeShazo, Sue Frisch, Larry Hannafin, Valerie Johnson, and Tom & Celia McGowan)

An Open Letter to the Selectmen and Registrars of Voters:

After following the literature on Covid-19 infection, it strikes me that our current voting place is not adequate. It is small and poorly ventilated. Many people like to vote in person, and constant traffic through the attic of the Town Hall risks contamination and illness, especially for poll workers who spend seven or even 14 hours at a stretch managing the election. Could we not build on the excellent performance during the recent blackout and get a large large tent with sides that can be raised or lowered according to weather? There are also other good solutions. With a number of vaccines in Phase III clinical trials, now is not the time to tempt fate.

Richard Kessin
Norfolk