A Look Back at Norfolk’s 2021 Weather

by Russell Russ Norfolk’s weather for 2021 was interesting. Isn’t the weather always interesting? What rightly first comes to mind when remembering 2021’s weather is how wet it was in summer and fall. What also might come to mind is the relative lack of snowfall. Digging deeper, Norfolk residents might recall how lousy the weather […]

Now in His 90s, John Thew Keeps Making Art

A Long and Fulfilling Life by Kelly Kandra Hughes John Garret Thew may have retired from making his renowned copper weathervanes in 2017, but that doesn’t mean interest in them has waned. When eight of his weathervanes were exhibited at the Norfolk Library during January, the circulation desk received so many sales inquiries the first […]

Restoration Takes Yale Art Barn from Stable to Star

Renovation seamlessly integrates the new with the historic Text by Andra MossPhotos by Rob Benson Photography The Art Barn on the Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk has emerged from a year-long renovation with its original features intact, stunning architectural elements uncovered, and new design features added to create a modern, flexible space where art and […]

The Capt. George Palmer House, c. 1755

This Old Norfolk House by Michael Cummings Kelly Approaching Norfolk from the west, just past the Blackberry River Inn (1763), the discerning motorist perceives on a gentle rise to the left an apparition sheathed in white. Spectral in appearance, the 1755 Capt. George Palmer House preens demurely, laying claim in its regal simplicity to being […]

Driving to Beat the Winter Freeze

Progress continues to be made on the City Meadow project. Demolition for the plaza has wrapped up and the crew is moving ahead with installation of the micro piles for the new deck structure. The deck work will continue into and through the winter with the balance of the plaza work completed by spring’s end. […]

Take a Friend Home for the Holidays

Some familiar Norfolk faces—more than two dozen of them—have turned up downtown for the holidays in the form of photographic portraits by Bruce Frisch. Mostly taken over the years on assignment for Norfolk Now, the group captures some classic moments and people. Robin Yuran and Rich Dann celebrate the library’s fifth star with champagne; David […]

Tenuta Market: Telling the Stories of Italian Foods

By Patricia Platt Two years ago, Ian Edwards studied Italian cooking at the renowned Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in rural Sicily. His love of Italian food led Edwards and his friend Travis Powell on meandering trips across Italy to explore the farms and estates where fine Italian ingredients are produced. Today, Edwards and Powell […]

Kick-Starting a Healthy Eating Journey

Cook! For Goodness Sake By Linda Garrettson Everyone has a story, and mine relates to the great understanding that food is medicine. This is how it began… Twenty years ago, I bumped into Brett Hellerman at a party. He asked me how I felt. “Not so good, Brett,” I replied, while mentally listing the dozen […]

Gear Up for Winter With Free Coats

Photo by Jude Mead The Clothes Closet, sponsored by the Church of Christ Congregational, has reopened in Battell Chapel in the room beside the food pantry. All are invited to stop in and select from a great collection of gently worn clothes in all sizes—free for the taking. Popular items include the warm winter coats and […]

Eileen Fielding of the Sharon Audubon Society: A Lifetime of Watching Birds

It’s Only Natural Text By Jude MeadPhoto by Michael Moschen If anyone knows about birds, it is Eileen Fielding. She started volunteering at an Audubon sanctuary in Massachusetts when she was 13. Today, with a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut, she’s the center director for the Sharon Audubon Center.  […]