Thank You

On behalf of Great Mountain Forest, Norfolk Curling Club and the Town of Norfolk, the Norfolk Rails to Trails Committee would like to thank all our generous sponsors and volunteers who worked so hard at making this year’s 2023 Tour de Forest Bike Ride a huge success. We were fortunate that the weather cooperated and over 25 enthusiastic volunteers and nearly 70 riders enjoyed all that our town has to offer.

Without all our loyal volunteers and participants, our event wouldn’t have been possible.

Special thanks to sponsors AB Bazzano Fuels, Berkshire Bike & Board, Berkshire Country Store, Broadfield Farm, Ginger Creek Nursery, Kingsland Co., Louis E. Allyn & Sons Well Drilling, Matt Bannerman Painting, Tom and Cecila McGowan, Mead Maple Syrup, National Iron Bank and Paneloc Corp.

Given all the positive feedback received, we look forward to hosting this event once again next October. See you all at the 2024 TDF!

Bob Gilchrest
Norfolk Rails to Trails Chair

More Thanks

We would like to thank everyone who made the Norfolk Land Trust’s 10th annual Haystack Mountain Challenge on Oct. 1 a huge success. We had 116 runners register for the races from throughout the region, and they were impressed, not only with the land trust trails, but also with the event volunteers.  We are especially grateful for the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance and the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department for keeping everyone safe and helping to make the race run smoothly. We also appreciate Pete-za Mobile Pizza and Norbrook Brewery for providing refreshments this year.

Thank you to our many generous sponsors: Freunds Farm; 7-Day Recreationalist; Kings-land Company; On the Rocks; D. Scott Reeve Construction; Mad River Painting; UCE Fine Builders; Berkshire Animal Care; Berkshire Springs;  Chris Peterson Woodworks; Stop and Shop; Responsive Designs; National Iron Bank, Norfolk Early Learning Center; The Measured Lab; Michael Dobo; Ice Box Accounting; UCE Fine Builders; Theodore Marolda, DDS; D&R Auto Sales; Energy General; Whalen Moving & Storage; Louis E. Allyn & Sons; The Old Newgate Coon Club; The Cabins, Inc; WGD Wealth Management; and Leo Groppo.

We also had an incredible group of volunteers, including: Alex Hill, Alex Johnson, Barbara Spiegal, Byran Adams, Caroline Jonker, Carrere Tirrell, Charlie Tirrell,  Chris Peterson, Connie Gordon, Daryl Eaton, Dave Cusick, Hope Childs, Jen Pfaltz, Jim Rollins, John DeShazo, John Johnson, Kathy Bascetta, Katka Hannelová, Libby Borden, Marie Civco, Marie Lowe, Meg Hill, Melissa Robinson, Michelle Childs, Ned Barron, Nina Ritson, Peggy Cusick, Rick Hahn, Shelley Harms,  Star Childs, Wayne Smith, Wendy Larson and West Lowe.

All of this would not be possible without our hard-working trail race committee: Race Director Kate Johnson, Bill Couch, Roger Johnson, June Peterson and Henry and Robin Tirrell. Thank you to the Norfolk Land Trust Board for supporting this endeavor.

The Norfolk Land Trust Trail Race Committee

New Firehouse

I’m writing to thank Norfolk Now for the recent informational article that publicized the benefit of expediting the pursuit of a new Norfolk firehouse. Also, a special thank you to the Firehouse Building Committee, the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Inland Wetlands Agency for their efforts to date.

The focus of the article is the potential for state and local funding and the challenges of mitigating wetlands issues. Also relevant to the project is the established and documented fact that the current firehouse is deficient in meeting industry standards for safe and healthy occupancy and operations as first determined by a licensed and certified architectural firm hired by the Town of Norfolk 13 years ago.

Indeed, as the title of article reads, the NVFD is “eager to move forward” with the new firehouse project, both for the potential of obtaining funding but, equally as important, for the safety and well-being of the 50 first responders that volunteer over 5,000 hours annually at the firehouse.

Paul Padua
NVFD member