News From the Sugarbush
Family Maple Syrup Operation Gears Up for Unpredictable Season By Jude Mead It is maple syrup season again, and people always ask what type of year we are expecting. They believe that a heavy snowfall in winter must mean lots of maple sap in the trees, while a dry winter means less sap. But for […]
Aton Forest Monitors Beaver Population
As part of its ongoing porcupine and beaver studies, Aton Forest has enlisted citizen scientists this year to help monitor beaver lodges and porcupine dens. Here, John Anderson, executive director of Aton Forest, standing, invites a participant to sniff the vent at the top of the lodge for the odor of castoreum, the beaver’s scent […]
It’s Only Natural
Holding Ground: A New Approach to Land Conservation in a Changing Climate By Susannah Wood It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the news on climate change: polar ice caps melting at alarming rates, sea level rising, the oceans both acidifying and warming, levels of C02 closing in on 400 ppm, 2014 was the hottest year […]
Frank Dooley Ends his Reign as Chairman of Democratic Town Committee
By Janet Gokay Frank Dooley is stepping down this February from his post as chairman of the Norfolk Democratic Town Committee, a position he’s held for over 35 years. It’s been a long run, and by all accounts, an excellent one. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life,” says Dooley. “I’ve been in the right […]
Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ New Locale
By Babs Perkins Seven years ago Chris Weld bought a farm that would become home to the first legal distillery in Massachusetts since prohibition, Berkshire Mountain Distillers (BMD). Last fall he upped stakes and moved his award-winning operation out from the shadow of East Mountain in Sheffield and set up shop in a brand-new, custom-built […]
Indoor Soccer at the Botelle Gym
“It’s open to anyone, any age and any sex,” says organizer Antonio Guindon. The indoor soccer season starts in October and meets every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. except for school holidays. Teenagers are matched with players in their fifties. Attendance varies from 15 to 30 players a session. “The main point is to have […]
Russell Russ Records Norfolk’s Weather for the National Weather Service
Continuing an 82-Year Tradition By Colleen Gundlach There has been a lot of discussion in Norfolk about the town’s ability to keep young people here and provide them employment. There are, however, families whose contribution to the town has spanned generations and provided not only a livelihood but a way of life. The Russ family […]
Norfolk Library Plans for the Next Century
Preserving an Architectural Gem By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Library is one of the architectural highlights of our town. For over 125 years this striking building on the Village Green has served the people of Norfolk, not only as a home for books, but as a gathering place for town residents. The library recently received […]
Norfolk Offers Dial-A-Ride Bus Service
“We’ll go anywhere people need to go” By Christopher Sinclair It’s hard to imagine, but the town of Norfolk was once a transportation hub. Conductors barked orders, and steam-driven trains came to a reluctant halt in the village center where Norfolk residents now pick up their mail and deposit their checks. People traveled with ease […]
Botelle Students Honor Veterans
By Ann DeCerbo While many schools around the country enjoyed a day off, Botelle School presented a ninety-minute Veteran’s Day assembly on November 11, 2014 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The veterans’ arrival was marked by a row of flags along the upper parking lot. A range of school staff and volunteers under the direction […]
