Tobey Pond—From Glacial Kettle to Local Swimming Hole
By Christopher Sinclair Several thousand years ago a glacier inched its way through the southern Berkshires, and upon its retreat left the patch of land that would later become Norfolk, Connecticut, with a parting gift. Tobey Pond, the locally famous and universally beloved swimming hole, is that gift —nearly as pristine now as it was […]
Tiles for Library Roof Custom-Made in South America
By Wiley Wood When the Norfolk Library’s new roof is laid in the coming months, its red terra cotta tiles will be modern replicas of the ones that were originally chosen in the 1880’s. Their material comes from clay beds in Colombia, and the custom-made S-shaped tiles will be produced at a family-owned factory […]
Rebuilding the American Chestnut Tree
Rescuing a Forest Icon By Ruth Melville From Connecticut to Mississippi, along the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley, the American chestnut tree, able to grow as big as 130 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter, once dominated the forest canopy. Although American chestnuts were almost wiped out by disease by 1950, […]
Norfolk Youths Work in Boston Soup Kitchen
Young volunteers from the Church of Christ in Norfolk worked in the Jamaica Plains neighborhood of Boston in early July packaging containers of soup for meals to be delivered to people with life-threatening illnesses. On this particular day, the crew helped assemble some 270 meals—double the usual amount done in the same span of time, […]
Through the Garden Gate
“All Gardening is Landscape Painting”—Alexander Pope By Leslie Watkins “The two arts of painting and garden design are closely related,” landscape architect Beatrix Farrand wrote in 1907, “except that the landscape gardener paints with actual color, line, and perspective to make a composition . . . while the painter has but a flat surface […]
Farmers Market Organizes Townwide Activities on Norfolk Day
Two bands will serenade the crowds on Saturday, August 15, vendors will spill over from the farmers market site into the downtown area, there will be face painting for children, a scavenger hunt and an ice cream truck. It is even rumored that Norfolk’s first selectman will take a turn in the pitchburst booth. Organizers […]
A Dark Night and a Bright Lamp: Calling All Moths
Brigette Zacharszenko, an entomologist at the University of Connecticut, examined the moths drawn to a spotlighted sheet on the Norfolk village green on July 22, while two young residents of Norfolk looked on. Zacharszenko began across the street in the library with a discussion of the major types of moths, their behaviors and distinguishing characteristics. […]
Yale Summer School of Art Gives Back
Children’s art classes a popular summer item each year By Colleen Gundlach The children of Norfolk had the opportunity on June 22 and 23, to study art with students enrolled in the Yale Summer School of Art. Each year, 26 undergraduate art majors are selection from institutions around the country and abroad to study at […]
New Town Building Officer Appointed
Watches over building code compliance By Kurt Steele There is a new face in Town Hall. Jerry Waters has been appointed Norfolk’s Building Official. He assumed the job on April 1 and succeeded Mike LaRosa, who resigned for personal reasons after 18 years of dedicated service to the town. Waters comes to Norfolk with extensive construction […]
Great Mountain Forest Gets a New Sawmill
Thanks to the generosity of a Norfolk family, the foresters at Great Mountain Forest (GMF) have a new piece of equipment. Heather and Schuyler Thomson underwrote the purchase price of a new sawmill for GMF. Forest Technician Wes Gomez has been appointed as the chief operator. Gomez and Forest Manager Jody Bronson have been working […]
