Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers

Ron Zanobi Back in July 1969, I joined the U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer 3rd Class and served at several bases in the United States, the Island of San Salvador and in Viet Nam.  Oddly enough, on the day I left for boot camp; my father’s parting words were, “Don’t volunteer. If they want […]

The Spell is Broken in 2023

State and Church Absolve 12 People Accused of Witchcraft in Colonial Era By Patricia Platt It has been over 370 years since Connecticut conducted the first witch trials in New England, but their shadow still reaches into 2023. Between 1647 and 1663, at least 34 people were accused of witchcraft in the Connecticut and New […]

Celebrating All- Encouraging Creativity

Botelle School’s Community Quilt Brings School and Town Together By Ruth Melville Botelle School has chosen “Celebrating All and Creating Community” as its theme for this academic year. Each month the school plans to organize a special project, involving both the school and the town, to honor this theme. Principal Lauren Valentino says the goal […]

Helping the Enviorment

Two Town Buildings Install Heat Pumps to Reduce Oil Consumption By Bina Thomson Norfolk has worked hard to establish itself as a champion of the environment, and two key town non-profits are continuing that work. The Norfolk Library and the Church of Christ on the green have installed heat pumps as a way to reduce […]

NorfolkNET’s Focus Expanding

Group is looking for more ways to support the community By Bina Thomson Of the many monthly meetings held at the Norfolk Hub, perhaps some of the most needed are the meetings for NorfolkNET (Networking Everyone Together). NorfolkNET is a grassroots organization with the goal of alleviating poverty and strengthening community relationships. NET was born […]

Food Pantry Reports Surge In Visits as Grocery Prices Remain High

Goal remains dignified client experience By Elizabeth Bailey Food price inflation has slowed from this time last year, down from an annual rate of 8.5 percent to 4.3 percent, but families continue to experience the shock waves. “We have undoubtedly seen a drastic increase in the number of people utilizing the food pantry, including many […]

View From the Green

A Look To the North By David Beers Many Norfolkians reading this are probably Connecticut-centric in their geographic thinking. This means we tend to favor and gravitate to in-state locations for work and play. Traveling south, east and west along the well-worn routes to Winsted, Torrington, Salisbury, Goshen and North Canaan is much more common […]

The Gas Spill One Year Later

Pollution, lawsuits and complaints remain By Joe Kelly  It’s been a full year since a tanker truck crashed on Route 44, spilling thousands of gallons of gasoline into the middle of Norfolk. While the initial cleanup is largely complete, residents in the direct path of the spill are still wrestling with the consequences. Several have […]

Puppets Take Norfolk Village Green

By Andra Moss The magic was swirling as the Greenwoods Puppet Festival returned to Norfolk Library on Oct. 13-14 with local and international puppet artists, live music and the Big Puppet Parade, led by Mark Alexander’s 10-foot-tall “Flock of Doves.” Sponsored by the Norfolk Library and the Battell Arts Foundation, festival events featured hand-crafted marionettes […]

From the Bookshelf

Joan Crawford’s Lifetime of Reinvention Explored in New Book by Robert Dance By Leila Javitch Longtime Norfolk resident Robert Dance has written a new book which, even before its publication release, has sold out its first printing. “Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom” provides not only a biography of the professional life of the […]