How Crowdsourcing by the People is Putting History Online

Text By Kelly Kandra HughesPhotos Courtesy of the Library of Congress Betsy Garside, a resident of New Mexico with deep family roots in Norfolk, attended many of the Norfolk Library online events throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. She found them “a way to go somewhere fun,” whether it was an authors talk, a Friday afternoon chat […]

Sandhill Spotting

Local birders have been surprised and delighted to spot at least one pair of Sandhill cranes in Norfolk this summer. This is not a bird usually found in the Northeast; they breed all across Canada and into Alaska, as well as in large swaths of the Midwest and the Intermountain West. According to bird enthusiast […]

Creating Music from Start to Finish

By David Beers Andrew Thomson distinctly remembers a pivotal moment in his life: it was the 90s and he was singing in the Chorus Angelicus children’s choir at the Norfolk Music Shed. Also onstage were professional adult instrumentalists accompanying the choir.  Thomson was awed by their musicality and got his first glimpse of his future […]

Artist’s Workshop Coming to Town

By Jude Mead When Hilary VanWright sees an opportunity that will benefit her community, she goes after it. That is exactly what happened when she learned about a grant from the Artist Fellowship Program. Fellowship awards provide recognition and funding support for Connecticut artists and are highly competitive. VanWright, however, was confident in her idea […]

Family Night on the Village Green

Jenna Brown and her children Jackie and Julianna enjoy an evening of art with Hilary VanWright and music by The Deep North on a perfect August “Friday Night on the Green”. — Photo By of Joey Vasaturo

Mapping the Future of Norfolk’s Public Trails

Project will consolidate data on every hiking path in one online site Text by Andra MossPhoto by Dawn Whalen Looking for a great public trail in Norfolk? Hikers are definitely spoiled for choice, with dozens of miles of wooded paths, former carriage roads, logging trails and railway beds silently beckoning. Whatever one’s perambulatory mood, be […]

New Gateways Welcome Visitors to Town

By Doreen Kelly “Village Improvement Together!” is the motto of the Norfolk Community Association (NCA), and there couldn’t be a more fitting description of its most recently completed undertaking—the Welcome to Norfolk beautification project, made possible by a grant from The Evan Hughes Charitable Trust and in partnership with the Norfolk Economic Development Commission (EDC). […]

Free Community Supper

Photo by Marie-Christine Perry The Free Community Supper at the Church Of Christ Congregational on Tuesday, June 29, was a real success, with more than 50 attendees. An evening of community, healthful food and education, it pleased young and old alike and provided a welcome get-together for the Norfolk community after months of isolation. It […]

Tom Hlas Has Signed, Sealed, and Delivered with Mail Art

Text by Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Tom Hlas Tom Hlas always knew he wanted to be an artist. Born and raised in Elberon, Iowa (population at the time about 100 people), Hlas remembers being four years old and playing with cars on his parents’ chenille bedspread. When his oldest sister, home from college, asked him […]

Donations Pour in by the Cupful

Photo by Peter Chaffetz The moment rain clouds cleared on July 14, an enthusiastic consortium calling themselves the “Navigators” opened a summer classic, the sidewalk lemonade stand. Strategically positioned along the Town Hall driveway, the entrepreneurs/campers from the Norfolk Early Learning Center offered perfectly prepared lemonade (“It’s all about the stirring,” revealed one) in exchange […]