Woodland Stewardship Training Helps Them See the Forest and the Trees

Program creates a state network of land stewards Text By David BeersPhotos by William Carter   For many years, the third weekend of September at Great Mountain Forest (GMF) has been devoted to an intensive training for Connecticut woodland owners and land trust stewards. This year, 26 students from across the state were ensconced at Yale […]

Veteran Teacher to Offer Afterschool Violin Lessons in Battell Chapel

The Sounds of Music Text By Ruth MelvillePhoto Courtesy of Meg Hill In 2018 the Norfolk Board of Education reluctantly decided, for budgetary reasons, to eliminate the strings part of Botelle School’s music curriculum. But thanks to the talents of Meg Hill, a professional violinist and experienced teacher, children—and adults—will soon be able to again […]

Caught Between Two Worlds: A Neighbor Shares His Immigrant Story

By Kelly Kandra Hughes  The Norfolk Library will celebrate National Immigrants Day a little early this year when they welcome Birol Bahadir, Norfolk resident and German immigrant, to the library on Monday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. Bahadir, who recently published his autobiography, “Between 2 Worlds,” will speak about his dream of living in the […]

GoodWorks to Turn Infinity Hall Building Over to Town of Norfolk

One more act in the life of the historic theater By Ruth Melville “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” sang Bob Dylan, and if you lived in Norfolk you didn’t need a crystal ball to know that change was coming to Infinity Hall. A glance at the venue’s diminishing […]

Campaign to Slow Speed of Traffic Through Town is Long and Frustrating

Keeping the Roads Safe By Colleen Gundlach The first letter to the editor about slowing down traffic traveling through Norfolk was published in Norfolk Now back in 2017. The writer, Barry Webber, encouraged townspeople to make a concerted effort to travel the speed limit when driving around town. He wrote, “If each of us pledges […]

The Connecticut-Asian Cultural Center Opens on Westside Road

Celebrating Art and Culture Text by Patricia PlattPhoto Courtesy of The CT-Asian Cultural Center Celebrating its motto “Love, Mutual Support and Peace,” the Connecticut-Asia Cultural Center held its grand opening on Aug. 6 at 207A Westside Road, the large stone estate built by Dr. Michael Pupin in 1907. For many years, the site was occupied […]

Norfolk NET Program Encourages Acts of Kindness in the Community

Paying It Forward Text By Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Henry Perrault Norfolk has a new Little Free Library! Located on Winchester Road, the wooden box filled with books sits on a pole with a sign that encourages passersby to “Take a Book, Leave a Book.” Under this directive is one more sentence: “Made possible by […]

Station Place Café to Close After 12 Years in Business

Station Place Café, based in the historic former Norfolk station of the Central New England Railway,will close its doors at the end of September, says owner Stefanie Gouey. She cites Covid-19, rising food costs and decreasing walk-in business as factors in her decision to close the well-reviewed eatery. Gouey first started serving fresh breakfast and […]

Getting Ready for the New School Year at Botelle

The Botelle Beat By Virginia Coleman-Prisco As the days get shorter and fall approaches, Botelle Elementary School has been busy preparing for a new school year. Principal Lauren Valentino is excited that “Botelle School is fully staffed and ready to welcome back students and families.” Three new staff members have been hired to replace teachers […]

Keeping Vital Supplies Flowing to Ukraine’s Front Lines

Two men with local ties send equipment where it’s needed most Text By Andra MossPhoto Courtesy of Evan Platt On May 1, barely two months after the start of Russian invasion of Ukraine, Evan Platt boarded a plane in Salt Lake City, Utah, bound for Warsaw. His friend and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) […]