Botelle Beat
Botelle BeatParticipatory Theater Inspires Clean Ocean Awareness By Lauren ValentinoMore than 20 years ago, the Grumbling Gryphons, a professional traveling children’s theater group from Cornwall, came to Botelle School and performed the play “The Ghost Net.” This week they returned and gave a repeat performance of the same play, wowing students, staff and family members […]
Wings Over Norfolk: A Look at Small-Town Bird Life
By Jude Mead Bird watching may seem like an old-fashioned pastime, but in recent years it has soared in popularity because it offers a peaceful way to reconnect with nature, requires minimal equipment, has zero cost of entry and is enjoyable. Whether it’s a robin hopping across a backyard or a hawk circling high above […]
Norfolk Then…
The Eldridge Gymnasium, now Town Hall, was built in 1892. This view of the rear of the building, then with an open veranda, features the vibrant multi-colored buff and beige Mission tiles of the roof, sadly removed. The Gymnasium quickly became a hub of activity. In addition to grass tennis courts in front, there were […]
Cell Tower Application Filed with Siting Council
Balloon test held over Estey Road By Avice Meehan The otherwise quiet Estey Road became a busy thoroughfare on April 18 as Tarpon Towers conducted a balloon test to help residents understand the potential visual impact of a 186-foot cell tower. The application for the tower, which would serve Verizon Wireless, was filed with the […]
Discovering Norfolk
In the Heart of the Village, Time Moves with the Sun By Jude Mead Nestled modestly behind the Battell Fountain on the Norfolk village green sits a sundial purchased by Mary Eldridge in 1904. Eldridge had also gifted the town with the Stanford White designed fountain that the sundial sits behind in 1889 in memory […]
Local Theaters Look to 2025 as Turning Point
More music at Infinity, live performances and film in North Canaan By Joseph Kelly To run a small theater in a rural area, it helps to be optimistic—as in gung-ho, grit-your-teeth, “if we build it they will come” optimistic. Just ask Lenore Mallett, an owner of North Canaan’s Colonial Theater. Or Tyler Grill, the CEO […]
Public Hearing Held on Net Town Budget of $8.24 Million
Annual town meeting set for May 12 By Avice Meehan Norfolk residents will be asked to approve a net town budget of $8.24 million for education and general government services at the annual town meeting scheduled for May 12 at Botelle Elementary School. The proposed budget—after adjustments are made for state aid and other revenues—represents […]
Haystack Woods Secures $4 Million
State funding gets affordable housing development off the ground By Joe Kelly A plan to build a campus of compact, affordable homes on 39 acres off Old Colony Road has cleared a major hurdle: the state of Connecticut has committed nearly $4 million to start construction. The state money, combined with a roughly $2 million […]
A New Ecosystem of Conservation Organizations for Norfolk
By Cheryl Heller People tend to conform to the boundaries that surround them, whether they are state lines or the social norms that shape behavior. But as Peter Senge, a systems scientist and author noted, “All boundaries, national boundaries included, are fundamentally arbitrary. We invent them and then, ironically, we find ourselves trapped within them.” […]
Radio Norfolk?
Resident Hopes to Develop a Community Station By Colleen Gundlach With internet radio and streaming services available, do people turn the dial to listen to old-fashioned radio these days? Norfolk musician, writer and content producer Michael Cobb answers that question with a resounding “yes.” Cobb, who was a disc jockey at the Berkshire School’s radio […]
