Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): It’s More Than the Winter Blues

By Kelly Kandra Hughes It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s what we tell ourselves as we approach Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. But for an estimated 10 million Americans, the winter months are a time marked by sadness, loss of interest in favorite activities, changes in sleep and energy levels, and increased […]

Exploring Norfolk’s History

A Walk Along the Blackberry River Finds Traces of Norfolk’s Industrial Past Text by Ruth MelvillePhoto by Savage Frieze Once you know where to look, the signs of Norfolk’s industrial past are everywhere, and Richard Byrne knows where to look. He has spent decades trolling through historical records at Town Hall—survey maps and deeds—and searching […]

Reading Forest Signs: Bear’s Nests

Text and Photos by Wiley Wood The first dusting of snow in the forest shows us what we know anyway—the woods are full of animals, we just don’t see them. A day after the snowfall, you might come across the print of a foraging mouse traveling from the base of a windthrown tree to a […]

Colebrook Weaver and Activist Receives Creative Arts Award

Maltz honored for her work with the Norfolk Makerspace  Text by Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Sue Williams Colebrook’s Alesia Maltz has been a weaver since childhood. Her love of fiber began when her Aunt Bea told her she didn’t have to spend her weekly allowance on Barbie clothes at the store, she could knit them […]

Norfolk Farm Talks Turkey

Text by Jeremy WithnellPhoto by Bruce Frisch For many household cooks, Thanksgiving means finding room in the refrigerator to accommodate 20 pounds of poultry for a couple of days in order to properly defrost it. For those lucky enough to be in the know about Lost Ruby Farm in south Norfolk, there’s a better way. […]

Norfolk Costumer Readies Tin Soldiers for This Year’s Battle With Mouse King

Text by Wiley WoodPhoto by Bruce Frisch On a Monday morning in early November, costume designer Susan Aziz apologized for the bareness of her studio. Fittings had been held over the weekend for the Nutmeg Ballet’s new production of “The Nutcracker,” and most of the costumes were now at the theater. “We fitted nine mice, […]

Going Completely Over the Edge But Doing It for a Good Cause

Event company helps organizations raise funds Text by Heath and Kelly Hughes Photo Courtesy of Daryl Byrne Imagine standing at the top of a building 485 feet tall. To help raise money for Connecticut Special Olympics, you agreed to rappel down the building. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now you’re here […]

Norbrook Farm Brewery Hopes to Build on a Successful Start

Owners want to bring in food trucks Text and Photo by Doug McDevitt For many, sipping a fine ale with friends, revisiting past adventures or planning new ones and talking history or debating current events in a comfortable setting can be as good as it gets. What could make that even better? Perhaps a really […]

Neighbors in the News

Torpedoed Ship and Stolen Identity Are Basis of Author’s Second Novel Text by Colleen GundlachPhoto Courtesy of Frank Buyak It was spring, 1939, and the feeling of unrest in Europe was increasing. World War II was in the offing. Frank Buyak was less than two years old when he, his brother and his mother were […]

American Mural Project to Honor the American Worker

American Mural Project Will Be Five Stories Tall and 120 Feet Long  Text and Photo by Jeremy Withnell The first impression one gets when stepping into the cavernous space occupied by the American Mural Project (AMP) in Winsted is one of enormity. This work of art, once completed, will stand five stories tall and 120 […]