Beaver Management Webinar 

On Dec. 9 at 1 p.m., Mike Callahan, president of the nonprofit Beaver Institute, will discuss beavers, their value, and how to successfully manage beaver-related problems when they occur. Beaver-dammed road culverts and other flooding problems are common issues. Since 1998, Callahan has personally resolved over 1,700 of these human-beaver conflicts.

Callahan will also share information on the Connecticut Beaver Initiative (CBI), a new grant program from the Beaver Institute. The grants assist Connecticut towns, highway departments and other Connecticut property owners to resolve human-beaver conflicts nonlethally in a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, humane, and long-term manner. 

This virtual program is hosted by the Norfolk Conservation Commission. Email conservationcommission@norfolkct.org  or see our Facebook page, Norfolk, CT Conservation Commission, for information on joining the webinar. 

Modern Calligraphy Workshop Hosted by the Norfolk Library

It’s time for holiday cards.  Make yours special with the popular and playful Modern Calligraphy, taught by calligrapher Debby Reelitz on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 10:30 a.m. You will learn where this lettering style comes from, strategies on how to create this style, and end with a project. Lettering tools will be provided by the Norfolk Library. Please register on the library website for the Zoom link or call 860-542-5075.

Breakfast From Santa 

Santa is being Covid-conscious this year. On Saturday, Dec. 5, he will be at the Norfolk Fire House at 20 Shepard Road for a socially-distanced breakfast. This will be a “to go” breakfast with pick up from 8 to 11 a.m. There will be a set menu (no substitutions) of pancakes and French toast, sausage links, orange juice, syrup, butter and coffee (by request). Contribution is $10 per person, $8 for seniors and children under 12. New this year is a full breakfast for a family of four for $30. Cash and debit/credit cards will be accepted at pick up. Email norfolkfirect@gmail.com or text Santa’s elf at 860-307-8143 with your desired quantity and pickup time.

Norfolk Library Children’s Program

On Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m., Megan from Food Explorers will teach children how to make chocolate peppermint pop-tarts. They will learn how to make pastry dough from scratch, a chocolate fudge filling, and a delicious glaze to drizzle on top with crushed candy canes. On Thursday, Dec. 17 at 4:30 p.m., children are invited to create their own winter wonder-lanterns, transforming an ordinary glass jar into glowing artwork. This program is for children in grades one through four and is limited to 15 participants. We hope children will share their luminaries with the library to light up our Children’s Room windows for the Winter Solstice on December 21. Both virtual programs are family-friendly. Please register on the library website by Dec. 7, or call the library 860-542-5075.

Santa’s Special Delivery

To have Santa and his fire engine sleigh arrive at your Norfolk home on Christmas Eve between 4 and 6 p.m. with gifts for your loved ones, all you need to do is:

Go to www.norfolkfire.org/minutes/miscfiles/santadelivery.pdf to fill out your request form. Then drop off your pre-wrapped, addressed and labeled gifts at the Norfolk Fire House at 20 Shepard Road any Monday evening in December between 6 and 7:30 p.m., with a check made out to NVFD. Donation is $10 per gift recipient. Santa will arrive at your house on Christmas Eve to deliver the gifts to your kids. They will be amazed at the pull you have with the Big Guy from the North Pole. Santa and his elves will not be entering any homes this year, so gift exchange will be outdoors. Masks are appreciated. Santa will try to honor time requests as best he can, but his fire engine sleigh might be dispatched for unexpected stops.

Iceland Through My Heart with Gerri Griswold

To say that Iceland might be Gerri Griswold’s second home would be an understatement. Since taking a weekend jaunt to our closest European neighbor in 2002, she has visited “The Land of Fire and Ice” 51 times. On Thursday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m., take a one-hour trip 66 degrees north and be overwhelmed by the landscape, nature, and people of this breathtaking country, which boasts 100% literacy, is the home of the first Parliament established in 930 A.D., and possesses the cleanest air and water on our planet. A veteran traveler, Gerri Griswold is the Director of Administration and Development at the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield. This is a virtual presentation for the Norfolk Library. Please register on the library website or call 860-542-5075.

Greenwich Village: Historical & Literary Tour

For well over a century, Greenwich Village has been a neighborhood of writers, actors, artists, and musicians. On a private virtual tour arranged for the Norfolk Library, you will explore how this rich cultural neighborhood went from a sleepy farming community to a hub for the likes of Mark Twain, O’Henry, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The tour will take place via Zoom on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. Please register on the library website or call 860-542-5075.

Rick Schatzberg in Conversation with Christopher Little

When two of his oldest friends died unexpectedly, photographer Rick Schatzberg spent the next two years capturing through his lens the remaining group of his childhood “brothers”. For his book The Boys, he collected vintage photos that tell their shared story and paired them with large format portraits that connect the boy to the man. In conversation with photographer Christopher Little on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom, Schatzberg will visit themes of aging, loss, and deep friendship. Please register on the library website or call 860-542-5075.