Discovery of a New Comet

By Matthew Johnson The discovery of Comet NEOWISE proved to be astonishing, especially to those who hunt for such objects. It surprised astronomers when it passed by the Sun emitting a bright tail as well as a darker dust tail. The comet was discovered March 27 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field InfraredSurvey Explorer. This space […]

Videographer Phylis Bernard Provides Online Records of Norfolk Meetings

Keeping the Community Informed By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Savage Frieze Do you have a question about what was discussed at last month’s virtual selectman’s meeting or what happened when the school board got together to discuss reopening the school? If so, Phylis Bernard is the person to ask. For the past couple of decades she […]

A Field Guide Highlights the History and Beauty of Great Mountain Forest

By Mattie Vandiver Norfolk’s Great Mountain Forest is a natural area full of hiking trails, wildlife, history, forestry and beauty. Those looking to find out more about the riches of GMF will enjoy an informative field guide published in 2016 under the auspices of the Yale Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry. Entitled “A Fieldbook: Great […]

Yoga on the Grass

For many years, there has been a free yoga class for seniors, sponsored by the town, in Battell Chapel every Tuesday and Thursday morning. The class had to go on hiatus in March when the Covid-19 lockdown went into effect, but in late May teacher Wendy Larson decided to try holding the class outdoors. Yogis […]

Early Automobilists Find Their Way to Norfolk

By Andra Moss Just when travel seemed so modern—the Mountain Express train barreled along from Hartford to Canaan at speeds up to 37 miles per hour—something new came clanging, hissing and rattling over the hilltops. It was 1900. American automaking was still in its infancy, but change was coming fast (“fast” being a relative term; […]

Church in the Time of Covid-19

Bringing the Church Family Back Together By Kelly Kandra Hughes Norfolk is home to three different churches within the town limits: The Church of the Transfiguration (Episcopalian church), Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Norfolk Church of Christ Congregational (UCC). As the town slowly opens up and returns to a new kind of normal, the question […]

A Leisurely Stroll on the Boardwalk

Photo by Jon Barbagallo While cleaning up after drill night at the firehouse, members saw this bear lumber through their back parking lot area into the boardwalk of the city meadow. Chief Matt Ludwig and Assistant Chief Jon Barbagallo kept an eye on the bear as it went to investigate the dumpsters behind Infinity Hall. […]

A Beautiful Piece of Norfolk History in the Woods

The bridge at Campbell Falls By Andra Moss During pre-Revolutionary War days, an early Connecticut entrepreneur, John Campbell, operated a grist-mill alongside a powerful cascade that he may never have imagined would still bear his name three centuries later: Campbell Falls. Today, those falls are part of the Campbell Falls State Park, although some might […]

Norbrook Brewery, a Place of Refuge from Stresses of the World

Food trucks are now an added feature By Doug McDevitt In March we went into a lockdown. Boarded everything up. Donned our masks and only ventured out for necessities. Many thought well, it’ll only be for a couple weeks, it’ll pass soon enough. Over three months later, we’re still grappling with a new way of […]

International Art Exhibition Has Two Locations in Norfolk

Re-creation of a 1990 sculpture is made out of hundreds of fortune cookies  By Ruth Melville The Cuban-born artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres died of complications from AIDS in 1996, when he was only 38 years old. But this spring, inspired in part by the coronavirus pandemic, the Andrea Rosen and David Zwirner galleries, working on behalf […]