By Michael Cobb

My parents bought their house on Maple Avenue in Norfolk in the late 1970s, a house that my wife and I recently took over. The Pub has always been a pub as long as we’ve been in town. Back then I believe it was called the Hawk’s Nest (it was actually Hawk’s Ridge). At times it had more of a biker crowd. Self-de-scribed “townies” used to hang out behind the wall across the street on Route 44, smoking and drinking. It was almost like an outdoor bar. I was just a kid, so we stayed clear of them, but they never bothered us.

Later, we started going to the Pub more regularly. It was then run by David Davis, who gave it a classic English vibe and called it the Speckled Hen. Davis closed it in 2009. The pub reopened in 2010 under new owners (Heidi Forler and Michael Dinsmore) and a new name, Wood Creek Bar & Grill. Heidi relaunched it as the “Norfolk Pub” four years ago.

Regardless of the name or who owns it, the interior space has always been the same as far as I can tell. If you look closely, it’s quite beautiful with tin ceilings and lovely lamps. Check out the iron work on the radiators—they don’t make them like that anymore!

As a family we love its warm, family-friendly vibe with crayons for kids and adults. The menu is consistent and good. I know many people complain, but the standard plates like burgers and fries are solid. What more do people want? As an English friend of mine said, “It does what a pub is supposed to do. It provides consistently reliable decent food that most folks can afford.”

Most importantly, it’s a space where everyone can meet, which is increasingly rare anywhere and vital to our community spirit. I know many people are concerned that once that’s gone, we won’t have anywhere else like that. As a musician it’s a great place to play. There’s an elevated space to perform looking out at the room, which makes it easy to connect with the audience. Being in the center of town, it’s walkable or easily drivable for many people, and the crowd is warm and receptive. The staff always treat musicians well. All of this is also rare for musicians.

My family and I have been in Norfolk for a long time and have watched businesses come and go, but the Pub has always been there. Pre-pandemic, Infinity Hall had more regular bookings, and downtown Norfolk was much livelier as a result. The pandemic, new management and decrease in bookings at Infinity caused a real downturn in activity downtown, leading to the current malaise. The Berkshire Country Store and the Icebox Cafe have helped keep things lively during daylight hours, but the Pub fills a different need for evening gathering.

One cannot underestimate the importance of a pub to the democratic spirit, in the truest sense of the word, of Norfolk. Yes, there are other places where people can go like the Norfolk Country Club, the Curling Club and the Norbrook Farm Brewery just over the line in Colebrook. Yet the Pub, which is short for “Publick House,” embodies a spirit vital to this town and is the only place of its kind. So that’s why I decided to play a last gig at the Pub on Jan. 30 (which also happens to be my birthday) with the Sons of Astro, my Americana band. I’ll be there with guitar, harmonica and voice, along with Matt Statler (guitar and vocals), Ben Herzog (up-right bass and vocals), Charlie Shaw (drums) and Rip Westmoreland (guitar, mandolin and vocals). It’s our way of saying goodbye to a beloved institution.