By Patricia Platt

The idea for Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) came to Sue Frisch as she walked along Station Place in 2015 after she completed a print guide to town. That very afternoon she ran the idea by Holly Gill and Ruth Melville. The first WIN committee was formed and the rest is history.

“I thought that maybe we should host a weekend in which we held special events and activities that show how wonderful Norfolk is,” said Frisch. “We held a meeting in Town Hall, a ton of people came, they all urged us on and said they would support us. By 2016 we held the first summer weekend in Norfolk.”

WIN has been running successfully ever since, with a winter weekend added two years later. The committee members have changed over time, with this year’s members including Edward “Ned” Barron, Devin Carlton, John DeShazo and, of course, Frisch.

This year’s Winter WIN will be held Feb. 21 and 22 with a sneak peek movie at the Norfolk Library on Friday night. A full calendar of events can be found at the dedicated website: weekendinnorfolk.org. Event details are also being shared by sponsoring organizations. As in past years, the destination for all things WIN will be the Norfolk Hub from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. “A crucial part of our idea was that the committee would organize and publicize the festival, but the actual events would all be planned and run by as many of Norfolk’s non-profits and organizations as we could get on board,” said Melville. “Eventually, almost every town organization—from the churches to the Lions Club, the library, the fire department and more—agreed to take part. Of course, the festival would never have gotten off the ground without an army of volunteers.”

Frisch echoed the importance of volunteers to the effort. “We try to make it so that each committee person is only in charge of one element, so the burden is not all on one person. A lot goes in to organizing the weekends including scheduling, recruiting presenters, organizing volunteers, publicizing the weekend and fundraising,” she said.

Carlton, the newest committee member said, “The heart of WIN is to celebrate all aspects of Norfolk from its history, incredible natural beauty, rich culture, and community engagement. Our focus is to bring residents together as well as showcase all that Norfolk offers to visitors and potential new residents. We try to strike a balance between beloved traditions such as visiting the sugar house at Great Mountain Forest during Winter WIN, as well as new attractions like Sidewalk Sunday during Summer WIN.”

Additions this year include a pickleball tournament, an artist’s open house and films for children. The Icebox Café will offer pancakes and pizza, the Berkshire Store will have a donut special, and Norbrook Brewery will bring a truck on Saturday. As usual, the Norfolk Library will hum with activity.

Some events are now classics, such as the tours of stained-glass windows at the Church of Christ Congregational and outdoor activities sponsored by the Norfolk Land Trust, the Rails to Trails Committee and Great Mountain Forest (GMF). “We support WIN Weekend because it aligns perfectly with our mission to demonstrate how a working forest can serve and enrich the surrounding community,” said Michael Zarfos, GMF’s executive director.

The arts are also represented. The library will host musical performances both days. Numerous artists will be on tap to discuss their work or are offering open studios, including Cheryl Heller, who makes eight-foot-tall paintings of song birds. “I’m participating in WIN because I love Norfolk and all the more-than-human creatures in it. What the world needs now is more people who are connected to and care for the places where they live, and WIN is a wonderful inspiration to do that,” she said. Frisch said she’s still in awe of Norfolk’s commitment after 11 years. “The committee coordinates it, but everybody else puts themselves in it, too; and it’s become our town-wide festival. It all demonstrates a lot of pride about what a wonderful place Norfolk is.”