Greening of Norfolk
Vernonia, the Weed You Need By Jill Chase It’s sad that some of the best garden plants go unknown just because of bad PR. Purely on name alone, how can baneberry, snakeroot or ragwort compete with the angelic sounding meadowsweet, Queen Anne’s lace or foxglove? Some of the best plants have the word “weed” built […]
Cook For Goodness Sake
America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]
Be Careful, Very Careful
An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]
Piping in the Storm
Ahead of the major weekend storm, a hardy group of 35 devotees of the Scottish poet Robert Burns gathered in Battell Chapel on Saturday, Jan. 24, for a bit of music, poetry and haggis. Ken Storrs (pictured above) piped in the guests. Andrew Thomson recited the traditional “Address to the Haggis” and word is that […]
Jingle Bell Rocking
With a capacity crowd spilling out of the Great Room at the Norfolk Library and Linda Bell at the piano, Peter and Marinell Crippen led an enthusiastic carol sing on Saturday, Nov. 29, just ahead of the annual tree lighting event on the Village Green. Eager support was provided by Ann Havemeyer, the library’s executive […]
Behind the Scenes on Election Night
The Norfolk town elections lacked suspense this year—only one seat on the Board of Education was contested—but the mechanics of administering Election Day on Nov. 6 and tallying the count followed the same, precise order under the watchful eye of Moderator Charlene Jacobs of Winsted. The role of moderator can be filled by a Norfolk […]
Austen is Deliciously Delightful at Regional 7
Norfolk’s Ann DeCerbo and John DeShazo co-directed Northwestern Regional High School 7’s production of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, performed Nov. 21–23. Dedicated Norfolk high school students contributed both onstage and behind the scenes, investing more than 10 weeks in rehearsals to help bring the production to life. n
Careful as You Go
Repairing the brick and brownstone staircase at Norfolk’s Town Hall involves a fair bit of finesse and luck. Mason Joe Marolda, who has been working through the fall, has relied on a mix of recycled and found materials to ensure that the repairs mesh with the building’s distinctive exterior. For starters, Marolda saved as much […]
Norfolk’s Early Christmas Gift
On a blustery, rain-drenched October morning, intrepid teams from Peerless and the Whalen Nursery brought something special to the Norfolk Village Green: A 25-foot, field grown Norway spruce to serve as the town’s new holiday beacon. It replaces a King Boris fir grown from seed in Great Mountain Forest, which fell prey to a fungal […]
A Bad Month for Invasives
Norfolk contractor Phillip Lovett volunteered a day of his time and equipment to clear a steep bank at Botelle Elementary School infested with a tangle of bittersweet, porcelain berry, Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose—among other invasive plants. It was part of the Conservation Commission’s all-out effort to tame invasives across Norfolk. A team from Native […]
