Community Drawing at the Art Barn 

Come draw with local enthusiasts and Yale Norfolk students and faculty on Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Tuesday evenings, 7 to 9 p.m. Classes will focus on life drawing with a model, and all drawing materials and paper are provided.   Classes are held on the second floor of the Art Barn at the Yale Norfolk School of Art. Saturday mornings will include coffee and donuts. Community Drawing will run through August.

Friday Nights on the Green

Bring a chair and some friends and come to the Norfolk village green on Friday nights until Sept. 1 (except Aug. 25) for music, family fun and some weeks, food! The fun begins each week at 6 p.m.  

Art Exhibit: Sam Guindon

Family Roots, oil paintings by Sam Guindon, will be on display at the Norfolk Library for the month of July. Guindon is a local artist who has been inspired by the beauty of nature and light in the world around him. His paintings showcase that beauty in simple scenes from his grandparents’ farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica. There will be a reception for the artist on Sunday, July 2, from 4 to 6 p.m., hosted by the Library Associates.

Haystack Book Festival—Summer 2023

On Sunday, July 9, at 4 p.m. at the Norfolk Library, Karin Roffman, author of the biography “The Songs We Know Best:  John Ashbery’s Early Life,” and Melvin Chen, director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, will present “John Ashbery’s Playlist,” an exploration of the life and soundscape of the poet John Ashbery.

Norfolk Library “All Together” Mondays

Our summer reading theme this year is “All Together,” with special events planned for Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. Be part of a caravan of drums (July 10), create nature art cards (July 17), meet a great horned owl and peregrine falcon (July 24) and get slimy with Cool-ology’s Super Slime Lab (July 31). Some programs have limited numbers, so please call the library at 860-542-5075 ext. 2 to register. To find out more, email efitzgibbons@biblio.org.

Mindfulness at the Library with Miranda Lee

In this four-week course at the Norfolk Library, mindfulness practitioner Miranda Lee will teach participants how to live a more mindful life and equip them with the tools they need to help build resilience against the challenges of day-to-day life. Some gentle movement (no special clothing or equipment required) will be incorporated into the course. This course will be offered free of charge from 9:15 to 10 a.m. on Fridays (before the library opens to the public) from July 14 to Aug. 4. Please visit the Norfolk Library website or call 860-542-5075 ext. 2 to register.

Teen Program at Library

The Norfolk Library Teen Advisory Council is planning a Karaoke Night for teens at the library on Saturday, July 15. The council, composed of six local high school students, has two openings for the next school year. Members plan and host teen events and are paid a monthly stipend for a one-year commitment. Applications, available on the library website, are due July 31.

Talk by Eric Foner in Colebrook

The Colebrook Historical Society will host a “Friday Night Gathering” on Friday, July 21, featuring a talk by the noted historian Eric Foner, who will present highlights from his most recent book, “The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution.” The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Seymour Inn, moving over to the Colebrook Town Hall for the talk at 7:30. For further information, contact Carol Lord at carol.9508@yahoo.com or 860-738-8244.

Save the Date: Haystack Mountain Trail Races

Run the scenic trails of Norfolk during the 10th annual Haystack Mountain Challenge trail races on Sunday, Oct. 1. Sponsored by the Norfolk Land Trust, the grueling half-marathon race, which includes two runs up Haystack Mountain, starts at 9:30 a.m. The 10-K kicks off at 10:45 a.m. and includes a summit of Haystack. The 5-K, starting at 11 a.m., features a traverse through Barbour Woods. Registration for the half-marathon is $30, and the 10-K and 5-K are $20. All races start at the Barbour Woods trailhead, 75 Lovers Lane. You can register at RunSignup or by searching on “Haystack Mountain Challenge.”