It’s Only Natural—October 2015

Lichen Communities on Bald-Topped Mountains By Hans M. Carlson Until roughly 13,000 years ago, glaciers scoured and sculpted New England’s hills into the ridges, domes and cliffs we find so familiar today. The melting ice deposited soils in some places, but much of the post-glacial landscape was scraped, barren and rocky. Even in the thinnest […]

Norfolk Firefighters Receive State Recognition

By Ruth Melville In honor of Firefighters Day, held every year on September 6, the State of Connecticut chose this year to recognize the fine work of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). On the quiet, sunny late afternoon of September 4, the members of the NVFD, resplendent in their dress uniforms, gathered behind the […]

Rare Visitor Summers in Norfolk

A pair of sandhill cranes spent the summer in Norfolk, according to reports that have filtered in over the past months. On September 22, photographer Savage Frieze captured this one on film on private land in Norfolk’s northwest quadrant. It is an adult Lesser sandhill crane in summer plumage. The birds are famous for the elaborate dancing […]

End of Summer Serenade

The Chapel Chicks and Nightingales, a summer singing group led by Liz Allyn, sang a blend of sacred, jazz, and contemporary music on Saturday, September 12, in Norfolk’s Battell Chapel. Photo by Savage Frieze.  

Sign of Summer’s End, Town Beach Closes

Swimming at the town beach at Tobey Pond is over for the year, after a final weekend of activity. At 8 a.m. on Monday, September 14, a crew from the Norfolk Public Works department arrived to ready the beach for winter. They hauled the float onshore, carted off the lifeguard chairs and picnic tables to the […]

Norfolk Artists and Friends Show

The second weekend of August saw the Norfolk Artists and Friends seventh annual August Arts Weekend, featuring an art show held at the Battell Stoeckel Art Gallery. Over 20 artists, working in a variety of mediums, exhibited in the show. The Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival sponsored the weekend, and a portion […]

Used Book Sale Supports Norfolk Library

The book buying was fast and furious at this year’s book sale, sponsored by the Library Associates. Blessed with fine weather, the sale was very successful, with totals expected to be close to last year’s. The Library Associates are grateful to all the volunteers who helped out with the sale, and especially to Hatsy Taylor, […]

Americorps Puts Boots on the Ground

Team of Volunteers Helps Land Trust Clear a New Trail   By Susannah Wood The weather forecast was for hot and sticky all week, but the six lean and fit members of the Buffalo 5 Team came into town ready to do all the tasks the Norfolk Land Trust put in front of them: drainage […]

Classic Community Vintage Vehicle Show Rides Into Town

Station Place will be alive with an air of bygone days when the Third Annual Classic Community Vintage Vehicle Show rolls into town on September 27. This year, the event will feature not only antique and vintage cars but all types of vintage vehicles, including trucks, motorcycles and boats. Each year, the Economic Development Commission […]

How Did Dolphin Pond Get Its Name?

A Look into Norfolk’s Past   By Ryan Bachman In December 1803 Norfolk resident Peter Freedom received a crushing verdict from the Litchfield County Court. Because of debts incurred by his recently deceased father, Dolphin, the son was ordered to sell the family farm in southwestern Norfolk. The 40-acre property had only been in the […]