• 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

Local Farmers Navigate Shift in Weather Patterns, Hardiness Zones

Norfolk reclassified as zone 6 By Jude Mead Gardening and farming have always been important in the Northwest Corner, and those involveddepend on the Plant Hardiness Zone Map released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to helpthem determine the best practices in these activities. Growing zones help identify the types of plantsand crops that […]

New Choral Union Director Plans Multigenerational Rebuild

Singers of all ages invited to join LCCU By Patricia Platt“When the Litchfield County Choral Union sings, our love of music and Mozart fills the air,” announcedGabriel Lofvall, the LCCU’s new musical director. Rehearsals will start in late May for an August concertwhich will include Mozart’s “Mass of the Sparrows (Spatzenmesse),” a selection of pieces […]

Can wildlife safely cross Norfolk’s Roads?

By Shelley Harms Where are animals crossing Norfolk’s roads? Are they making it across? Is it possible to make theircrossings safer? Julia Rogers, Senior Land Protection Manager at the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), helped agroup of interested Norfolk residents explore these questions at a training session sponsored by theNorfolk Land Trust on March 22 at […]

Great Mountain Forest’s New Executive Director Returns to His Connecticut Roots

By David Beers Mike Zarfos started his new position as executive director of Great Mountain Forest (GMF) at the end ofFebruary. It has been a lively time for Zarfos and his family; in addition to moving from Washington,D.C., to Connecticut, they are expecting a baby in April. Zarfos grew up in Deep River, Conn., where […]

A Norfolk Library Card Unlocks a World of Digital Collections

Apps offer readers free access to e-content By Andra MossThe Norfolk Library may be filled with history (and books), but it is also an outstanding resource fordigital media. Thanks to several easy-to-use apps, the library provides 24/7 access to a universe of freedigital collections via the power of a library card. Tired of watching that […]

Focus on New Firehouse shifts to funding

Costs likely to rise beyond initial $5 million estimate By Joe Kelly After months of sometimes contentious public hearings, plans for a new Norfolk firehouse are nearing the end of the wetlands/zoning part of the approval process and heading into a decisive new phase: finding the money to pay for it all. The Planning & […]

Pig Iron Films

East Canaan Landmark Was Inspiration for Filmmaking Business By Michael Cobb Perotti is a name well known throughout the northwest corner of Connecticut. Though he has worked as a plumbing apprentice for the family business, Perotti & Sons, Inc., Ted Perotti’s vocation has led him in a different direction –  filmmaking. A native of East […]

New Beginnings

Jennifer Almquist Works to Document the Faces of Homelessness and Poverty By Bina Thomson When Jennifer Almquist first heard an offhand comment about “the people living in the woods,” she had to find out more. Almquist, a lifelong resident of Northwestern Connecticut, knew that the woods between Norfolk and Winsted were not a good place […]

The Curling Weatherman

Russell Russ Has Written his 200th Norfolk Weather Column for Norfolk Now By David Beers What do you get when you combine a wry wit, Minnesota nice, the weather, some curling, and a woodsman sprinkled with maple sugar? You get Russell Russ.  In April of 2006, three years after the start of Norfolk Now, Russ […]

Botelle Students to Present “Frozen Jr.” March 22 and 23

By Andra Moss What more ideal setting could there be for a production of Frozen Jr., this year’s musical by the students of Botelle Elementary School, than the Icebox of Connecticut?  “Frozen Jr. is an abbreviated version of the 2018 Broadway show by Disney,” explains Becky Keyes, a co-director, with Megan Schneider, of the production. […]

Eye on the Arts: Local Dance Company Inspires Audiences with Emotional Performances

By Bina Thomson Garet Wierdsma began dancing as a young child, but it didn’t become a passion until her teenage years. Now she runs Garet&Co, a contemporary dance company that offers breathtaking performances to audiences throughout northwestern Connecticut. The company will be making a welcome return to Norfolk on March 9 with a performance in […]

Collins & Company Upholstery

By Andra Moss Another newer addition to North Canaan’s Main Street is Collins & Company Upholstery, at number 93. Sylvia (Dooley) Collins opened her eponymous atelier in June, after having worked for 35 years in a studio in Sheffield.  Many in the local design world are familiar with Collins’ work and her dedication to the […]