Jumping Worms: Fast-Moving Agents of Destruction
By Susannah Wood Jumping worm, Alabama jumper, Jersey wriggler: the names sound whimsical and reminiscent of those cute Mexican jumping beans that are still available for purchase. But unlike the larvae that make the beans jump, these critters are no fun and dangerous for any garden or woodland. Now, the Norfolk Library’s newly established native […]
Making the Native… Personal
Cheryl Heller Builds a Wild Garden in Norfolk By Joe Kelly Gardens are best when they’re personal, argued the late Fred McGourty, who remains Norfolk’s best- known plantsmen. McGourty’s 1989 book, “The Perennial Gardener,” recounts the gardens he and his wife, Mary Ann, created at Hillside, their home near Dennis Hill State Park. Were he […]
Community News
Norfolk Hosts Dragon Boat Festival The Connecticut-Asia Cultural Center will hold a Dragon boat festival on Saturday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its campus at 207A Westside Road. Children will be able to participate in dragon boat racing activities, arts and crafts, and have their photo taken in an actual dragon boat […]
Norfolk Then…
The Dudley Tannery and bark shed, pictured here in an early 20th century photograph by Frank DeMars, stood at the corner of Ashpohtag Road and Route 44 in West Norfolk. Tanning was once a thriving industry in Norfolk, the second largest after the woolen industry in the mid-19th century. The State of Connecticut Report of […]
Hope Comes on the Wings of a Moth
Insects under threat worldwide By Avice Meehan Poet and naturalist Susannah Wood admits to having a favorite insect: the Prometheus moth, which she saw for the first time last year on a spice bush in her garden. The moth, with a wingspan the size of a hand, had just emerged and the silky remains of […]
Modest Tax Increase in a Difficult Year
By Susan MacEachron The Board of Finance approved a 2.5 percent increase in the mill rate for the fiscal year 2024/25 budget at its special meeting on April 23. To keep the tax increase below 3 percent, the significant increases in the education components of the budget were partially offset by a larger than usual […]
Arts Foundation Journal in this Issue
Included in this edition of Norfolk Now is the latest BAF Journal, showcasing the writing and art of five local teenagers. Announced two months ago, with $100 prizes for notable work, this issue is the second in what the Battell Arts Foundation hopes will be an ongoing opportunity for local youth to demonstrate their creativity. […]
Real Estate Transactions
On March 25, from Xcelerated Lending LLC to Matthew Catalano, 257 Bruey Road, for $505,000.
This Old Norfolk House
The 1764 Stevens House, Part 2: A Hatter’s Norfolk Legacy By Joe Kelly When Nathaniel Stevens came to Norfolk in the mid-1700s to set up his business as a hatter and build the house that still stands on Old Colony Road—and which the Stevens family would occupy well into the 20th century—he would become one […]
Eye on Town Government
Board of Selectmen April Meeting By Ruth Melville In the main item of business at the Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting on April 3, First Selectman Matt Riiska raised the question of the Town of Norfolk’s 25-year $4 million loan from Dime Bank to pay for the reconstruction of Maple Ave and the new roof […]
