• Inside the Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art

    A season of student and community activity By Patricia Platt For over 80 years, the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trust has endowed Yale University’s summer music and art programs in Norfolk. The renowned Yale Norfolk School of Art opens the 2026 summer season on May 23, before the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival begins, and shares its […]

  • Trio Revives Local Farmers Market

    Northwest Farm to Fork launches at Norbrook By Andra Moss When Devin Grosso and her husband moved to Norfolk in 2024, she was disappointed to learn that the town’s farmers market had permanently closed just the year before. However, a chance meeting at the Botelle School garden with Lisa Auclair, who had managed the Norfolk […]

  • Tracing the Dudley Legacy

    Family history and the truth behind Dudleytown By Jude Mead The Dudley name, with roots stretching back to 14th-century England, carries with it a long and often dramatic history. For Susan Dudley of Winchester, that legacy has been a lifelong source of curiosity—particularly her family’s connection to Dudleytown, the long-abandoned settlement hidden within Cornwall’s Dark […]

  • Cultivars, Nativars and Natives: The Lowdown

    by Susannah Wood It’s May and gardening is in full swing. At nurseries and on gardening sites, beginners and enthusiasts often encounter plants labelled “cultivar” or “nativar,” as well as “native.” What is the difference between a cultivar and a nativar? If someone wants to support local ecosystems and biological diversity, are nativars a good […]

  • Noteworthy Natives: Arrowwood Viburnum

    By Jill Chase For some, a mass of viburnums in bloom on the woodlands edge rivals the beauty of any formal garden around. The fresh white flowers on green foliage let you know that the spring garden season is well and truly on. There are several good varieties of viburnum—some produce blooms like snowballs, while […]

  • A Town Hall Treat for Pollinators

    The Norfolk Nature Alliance sponsored a student native plant garden project at Town Hall. The Northwestern Regional 7 Agricultural Education Program/FFA arrived on a sunny Sunday to install the donated native shrubs and perennials.

  • Birds Now

    A view on the prose and poetry of spring By Cheryl Heller As I write, the red-winged blackbirds are partying outside my window. Goldfinches, in their bright almost-summer feathers, make yellow polkadots in the dogwood that will flower any day. The phoebe (or her daughter) who has nested on our hanging porch light for the […]

  • Happiness Is …

    Smiles and squeals greeted “Farmer John” Coston as he surprised the Merrymakers group of kindergarten and first-graders with a lamb visit at the Norfolk Library’s after-school program on March 23. Cuties and lambs—need we say more?

  • Greenwoods Puppet Festival Returns to Norfolk Library

    By Bina ThomsonThe Greenwoods Puppet Festival returns to Norfolk for a third exciting showcase of puppet magic. Children’s Librarian and Event Coordinator Eileen Fitzgibbons, who has coordinated the previous two festivals, is busy fine-tuning this year’s offerings. In addition to a full day of performances, a puppetry workshop for adults will also be offered. Festivities […]

  • Botelle Beat

    Power Goals and WIN Time Personalize Learning at Botelle By Lauren Valentino One of Botelle School’s SOAR expectations is to Achieve Your Goals. We believe that when students know their goals—what they are learning, why and what success looks like—they are more engaged and motivated. They are partners in the learning process and own their […]

  • Courtney Maum’s Comedic Take on Capitalism

    On June 2nd, Norfolk author Courtney Maum launches her new novel, “ALAN OPTS OUT” (Little Brown) at the Norfolk Library in conversation with WAMC radio’s Sarah LaDuke. The book is a comedy about an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career and decides to move into a backyard playhouse, opt out of […]

  • “You Shall Not Pass!”

    Gandalf and the state Department of Transportation have spoken. Mountain Road at Westside Road is now closed through November for the Spaulding Brook bridge replacement project. Traffic is being detoured off Route 44 via Westside Road. Cars can still reach the ball fields along the short stretch of Mountain Road.

Articles

The Guilded Artisan Has Closed

By Jude Mead As The Guilded Artisan closed its doors last month, owner Sean Sweeney reflected on the past years. “My vision for the guild was to support our incredibly talented artist community while providing a place for the people of Norfolk, as well as others, to enjoy the artist’s talents and our beautiful town. […]

Hundreds Attend Service for Avery Nelson, 23

Fatal Christmas Day crash on Smith Hill in Salisbury By Joe Kelly In even the smallest town, you may not get to know all your neighbors. But if you’ve lived in Norfolk at any time in the last 20 years, had school-age children or simply went for a swim at Tobey Pond, there’s a good […]

Let’s Go Caroling Together

It’s the holiday season, and time for an old-fashioned carol sing. Everyone is invited – all ages, singers, musicians and even those who sing off key. This is the gathering to celebrate down home, small town holiday season. Come to the Church of Christ Congregational for a horse-drawn hayride around Norfolk for caroling on Sunday, […]

The Changing Scene on Ashpohtag Road

How a dream house became a sober house By Joe Kelly People often buy homes that turn out to be too small.  But the opposite scenario—getting stuck with a house that’s too big—can be even more problematic. It’s never fun trying to unload a property that’s bleeding you dry with taxes, utilities and a jumbo […]

Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance Demonstrates a Typical Callout

What to Do in an Emergency By Ruth Melville Most Norfolk residents know that if they need emergency medical help, they can rely on the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance (NLCA.) This all-volunteer service is available all day, every day, and there is never a bill to pay. But what can you do to help the […]

Shop Local: Holiday Pop-Up Opens in Arcanum

By Andra Moss “It is,” says Bella Erder, “a bit like going full circle.”  Erder is referring to her return to a retail space in the Royal Arcanum Building, where she has opened a holiday pop-up version of her shop, Aija (pronounced Asia). “My first retail presence in Norfolk was a store and art gallery […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers

Ron Zanobi Back in July 1969, I joined the U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer 3rd Class and served at several bases in the United States, the Island of San Salvador and in Viet Nam.  Oddly enough, on the day I left for boot camp; my father’s parting words were, “Don’t volunteer. If they want […]

The Spell is Broken in 2023

State and Church Absolve 12 People Accused of Witchcraft in Colonial Era By Patricia Platt It has been over 370 years since Connecticut conducted the first witch trials in New England, but their shadow still reaches into 2023. Between 1647 and 1663, at least 34 people were accused of witchcraft in the Connecticut and New […]

Celebrating All- Encouraging Creativity

Botelle School’s Community Quilt Brings School and Town Together By Ruth Melville Botelle School has chosen “Celebrating All and Creating Community” as its theme for this academic year. Each month the school plans to organize a special project, involving both the school and the town, to honor this theme. Principal Lauren Valentino says the goal […]

Helping the Enviorment

Two Town Buildings Install Heat Pumps to Reduce Oil Consumption By Bina Thomson Norfolk has worked hard to establish itself as a champion of the environment, and two key town non-profits are continuing that work. The Norfolk Library and the Church of Christ on the green have installed heat pumps as a way to reduce […]

NorfolkNET’s Focus Expanding

Group is looking for more ways to support the community By Bina Thomson Of the many monthly meetings held at the Norfolk Hub, perhaps some of the most needed are the meetings for NorfolkNET (Networking Everyone Together). NorfolkNET is a grassroots organization with the goal of alleviating poverty and strengthening community relationships. NET was born […]

Food Pantry Reports Surge In Visits as Grocery Prices Remain High

Goal remains dignified client experience By Elizabeth Bailey Food price inflation has slowed from this time last year, down from an annual rate of 8.5 percent to 4.3 percent, but families continue to experience the shock waves. “We have undoubtedly seen a drastic increase in the number of people utilizing the food pantry, including many […]