• Norfolk’s Newest Neighborhood Puts Down Roots

    Haystack Woods lauded as a “model for the state” By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s newest neighborhood, the Haystack Woods affordable housing development, has officially come to life. A year ago, the 39-acre location—a former gravel pit off Old Colony Road—was little more than a muddy building site. Now construction of the 10, two- and three-bedroom homes […]

  • Winsted Church Auctions Tiffany Window for $1.25 Million

    Sale highlights women’s role in Tiffany designs By Joe Kelly When medieval architects found ways to build taller cathedrals, the techniques they developed also made possible the enormous stained-glass windows that we so enjoy today, such as at Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle in France and Canterbury Cathedral in England. American-made stained glass is more recent, dating […]

  • A Revolutionary Year

    1776 Norfolk explored in summer exhibition By Andra Moss Communities across the country are looking back with wonder at 1776, the year that 13 British colonies initiated a revolution that, against astonishing odds, led to the birth of an independent republic. In Norfolk, two curators have combed the Norfolk Historical Society’s (NHS) collection for colonial-era […]

  • SUMMER MUSIC: Familiar Quartets, New Composers at Yale Chamber Festival

    By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 3 until Aug. 22, will present an exciting season of classical, innovative and international music. This summer, the Brentano Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Ying Quartet and the Horszowski Trio are among those who will perform during weekend concerts and serve as artist-in-residence mentors to the […]

  • Botelle Students Move Up

    By Avice Meehan Four sixth graders bid farewell to Botelle Elementary School at a laughter-filled, but occasionally serious, ceremony on June 16 that was attended by family, friends and town officials. First Selectmen Henry Tirrell, a Botelle graduate whose mother and aunt taught at the school for many years, reminded the students that they would […]

  • Norfolk Rail-Trail Project Pedals Forward

    By Jude Mead After more than a decade of planning, permiting and redesign work, Norfolk’s long-await-ed Rails-to-Trails initiative has reached a major milestone, bringing the community closer to the creation of a new multi-use recreational trail along a historic railroad corridor. The project is the North Brook Trail, a planned three-quarter-mile ADA-accessi-ble pathway that will […]

  • LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Budgets, Beetles, Nips and More

    By Avice Meehan State Rep. Maria Horn came prepared to share details about the Connecticut budget (she is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee) and the progress that has been made toward paying down the state’s unfunded pension liability, increasing the rainy day fund (now up to $18 billion) and allocating more state funds […]

  • Noteworthy Natives: Coral Honeysuckle

    By Jill Chase Do you go to other people’s gardens and envy all the hummingbirds they have? I did. But then I realized I had completely overlooked one of their favorite plants: The native coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens. It was practically designed for humming-birds. Their long beaks and extra-long tongues are a perfect fit for […]

  • CELESTIAL SPHERE: Honoring an Astronomer and Patriot

    By Matthew Johnson As America celebrates its semi-quincentennial and the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this writer also celebrates the life of David Rittenhouse, an astronomer and political thinker who helped build the nation’s scientific infrastructure and informed its founding documents. The customary astronomical notes will follow at the end […]

  • Norfolk Then

    As we prepare for the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence on July 4, let’s look back 50 years to June 12, 1976, and the American Revolution Bicentennial parade in Norfolk. The parade was the largest parade ever held in Norfolk with almost everyone participating, many dressed in colonial garb. The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department […]

  • GoodWorks Shares Plans for Infinity Hall

    Restaurant, more concerts coming to historic venue By Avice Meehan When Dave Rosenfeld walked onto the starlit stage at Infinity Hall, many of the more than 200 people gathered to hear what he had to say, were unsure about what to expect. The co-founder of GoodWorks Entertainment, which acquired the green Victorian gem of a […]

  • A New Tradition Begins for Litchfield County Choral Union

    Generations come together to refresh a century-long legacy By Jude Mead Music from singers young and old filled Battell Chapel on May 22 as the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) joined the Torrington High School choir for a collaborative concert aimed at connecting generations of choral musicians. Organizers hope the successful event will become an […]

Articles

At the Library

Rare Book Room By Sally Quale “It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Co-Director Robin Yuran, describing the recently-completed Rare Book Room, another part of the Norfolk Library’s current capital improvements project. The new room is actually a refurbished meeting room on the second floor that now boasts walls of warm, wooden shelving, and is heat and humidity regulated. […]

Another Torch Passed

Norfolk’s Memorial Day ceremonies on May 26 will be marked by the annual parade of marching bands, school groups and servicemen and women. An 81-year- old Navy veteran will not be marching this year. Hobbled by arthritis, Colebrook resident Peter Giansiracusa will ride in a horse-drawn buggy as he has done for the past five […]

“Bella,” Based on “Our Town,” Comes to Life at the Library

The annual play performed by the women of the Isabella Eldridge Club at the library had the look of a costume party.  Jack O’Malley’s deftly written  script of “Bella” used Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town” as a template to reflect on life in Norfolk in the late 1800’s. Directed by Ann Havemeyer, the cast and extras […]

Zone 4: Spring Planting Choices

By Mark A. Tonan Spring is soon to be upon us, and plants are on a lot of people’s minds. Annuals, perennials, woody plants, ground covers, and edibles are all well suited to spring planting and will become widely available as the weather warms. These plants come in many forms and have certain signs to […]

Special Needs Program at Botelle Benefits All Students

By Timothy Lee Botelle School is home to the Intensive Education Program, or IEP, that serves the educational needs of severely disabled students who range in age from six to 16 and present a variety of challenges in the areas of mobility, communication and self-care. They are typically in wheelchairs and require adult support in […]

Grant Applications Invited From Area Artists and Writers

A newly incorporated foundation based in Norfolk and known as AWED, is now accepting grant applications from visual artists and nonfiction writers who live in Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Norfolk, North Canaan and Winsted. The foundation name is an acronym for Artists and Writers Education and Development. Grants to be awarded in 2008 will range from […]

Library to Exhibit the Work Of Norfolk’s Ron Sloan

  By Robin Yuran During the month of March, the Norfolk Library is showcasing the artistic genius of Ron Sloan, who has been attacking the canvas with primary colors that are representative of his agonized view of the human condition since 1965. “I can feel the screams of everybody that have been hurt in this […]

Fiscal Year 2009-2010 town budget looks stable

2010-2011 not as predictable By Bridgette L. Rallo The numbers won’t be official until after the annual budget audit is released in January but, according to First Selectman Sue Dyer, Norfolk’s finances are stable despite unprecedented cuts in the state budget. Next year’s financial picture, though, may not be quite as rosy. “We’re still hanging. […]