Connecting to the Internet in Norfolk

A proponent of broadband answers our questions By Dave Beers Norfolk resident Kim Maxwell is president of the board of directors of Northwest ConneCT, a regional nonprofit formed to bring fast fiber-optic Internet to a 25-town region that extends from Salisbury to Hartland to Burlington to New Fairfield. Northwest ConneCT is leading the effort to […]

Tropical Storm Isaias Tests Norfolk’s Resilience

Local emergency crews worked overtime in Eversource’s absence by Colleen GundlachPhotographs by Jonathan Barbagallo It was a storm to remember, and one that brought out the very best of the people of Norfolk. In the midst of incredible frustration, there was a spirit among the townspeople of working together to get through the inconvenient and […]

Teen Plans New Lifeguard Shed for Tobey Pond

By Wiley WoodPhoto of Ethan Perlman, top, by Savage Frieze Public beach adapts to Covid Ethan Perlman is in his second year as a lifeguard at the town’s public beach, so when he started looking for a project to earn his Eagle Scout ranking from Boy Scout Troop 19 in New Hartford, he quickly settled […]

The Gilson Movie Palace Reopens with Safety Protocols and Classic Films

By Clinton SosnaPhoto by Clinton Sosna “I’m a survivor. That’s what I do.” That’s what Alen Nero, the owner of the Gilson Cafe and Cinema in Winsted, tells customers and fans. Amid the uncertainty of these times, the Gilson reopened in mid-August with a weekend screening of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The dinner theater carefully […]

September, Think Spring

Text and Illustration by Leslie Watkins This is the best time of year to get your new gardens started and to improve the gardens you already have. As the days cool down it’s easier to work outside, and there’s plenty to do. Catch the weed seeds now before they get away. Doing a thorough weeding […]

Familiar and Ever So Slightly Askew

by Stephen MelvillePhotos by Savage Frieze In a pandemic summer that has greatly reduced the customary prominence of art and music in Norfolk, one bright spot briefly emerged this past month when Betsy Gill hosted a show of sculpture and installation by artist Sophie Eisner, daughter of longtime Berkshire residents Gil Eisner and Kate Wenner. […]

Letters, September 2020

Norfolk Did It Again! When the Weekend in Norfolk committee decided to have virtual events for its fifth annual three-day celebration, it sent out word to the community without having any idea of the response it would get. After all, we were asking for something very different. True, nobody had to be at a certain […]

Census Takers Fan Out Across Norfolk

U.S. Census Bureau field agents, including four from Norfolk, are knocking on doors in this town and the surrounding communities to gather census data. They are part of an army of 165,000 enumerators nationwide, who are racing to complete data collection before the administration’s Sept. 30 deadline. Self-response rates in Litchfield County are at about […]

Shop Fresh, Shop Local

Farm stands replace farmers markets this summer Text by Ruth MelvillePhoto by Savage Freize While it was disappointing that Norfolk Farmers Market decided that it couldn’t safely open this summer, local farmers kept growing vegetables, raising cows and milking goats. You can still get vegetables, meats, and herbs and flowers from many of the market […]

Back to Schools

A tour of Norfolk’s one-room schoolhouses By Andra Moss It’s September and that means that school, whatever form it takes, is back in session.  In the 19th and early 20th centuries, most American students attended a one-room schoolhouse within walking distance of their homes. In 1919 there were 190,000 one-room schools scattered throughout the American […]