• Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse

    Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]

  • Richard Byrne Retires as Active Firefighter

    After 58 years, veteran status By Joseph Kelly He was a young Navy veteran, about to be married and ready to start a family in his hometown when, in February 1968, his older brother convinced him to join the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). For Richard Byrne it was the start of an association that […]

  • Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus Will Benefit Local Food Banks

    Three Grammy nominees to perform at Infinity Hall By Colleen Gundlach On April 11, Infinity Hall will be the setting for Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus, a concert that will benefit Stock the Shelves, an outreach of United Way of Northwestern Connecticut. The Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus will feature three Grammy nominees […]

  • Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics

    To get the ice just right, filmmakers tapped Norfolk expertise By Joseph Kelly The underdogs who battle the odds—the washed-up boxer, the outclassed football team, the aging baseball slugger with one last homerun in him—are all Hollywood standbys. Ronald Reagan may be remembered as much for “win one for the Gipper” as he is for […]

  • How Botelle (Carefully) Uses AI for Learning

    By Avice Meehan For more than three decades, children visited the fictional town of Frog Creek, Penn., home to two children named Jack and Annie. With the help of a magic tree house, the pair are whisked away to distant places where they have adventures, solve problems and, perhaps, learn a thing or two. Like […]

  • Choral Singing Meets Bluegrass

    LCCU welcomes all ages to sing new styles By Andra Moss The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is entering its 127th concert year with decidedly youthful energy. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Gabriel Löfvall, the LCCU will convene a youth choral festival in Norfolk in late spring; offer a series of choral seminars […]

  • Winter Weekend In Norfolk

    It was a cold and blustery weekend, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out on Feb. 21 and 22 for Winter WIN, the weekend for enjoying all things Norfolk in the winter season. The photos below show a story of a town that came together to strut its stuff for the world to […]

  • From Freeze to Flow: Extreme Temps and the Maple Syrup Season

    Reaching that ideal mix of natural conditions By Jude Mead The extreme cold and heavy snowfall this season has raised some concern among maple syrup producers. Reports of loud, cracking noises in wooded areas have set the stage for a phenomenon called “frost cracking.” During these periods of intense cold, the water and sap inside […]

  • Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale

    With Jude Mead at the guitar and with great enthusiasm, members of the Isabella Eldridge Club defied a threatened winter storm and entered Battell Chapel on Feb. 10 for a memorable performance of an episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” a daft 1960s television comedy. Despite the best efforts of the Professor (played by Marinell Crippen, left) […]

  • Cook For Goodness Sake

    America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]

  • Be Careful, Very Careful

    An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]

  • The Week that Was

    First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others […]

Articles

Festive Party to Lead Off Annual Book Sale

By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Library’s annual book sale will be held the weekend of Aug. 26 and 27, under a large tent set up next to the library. The sale will have slightly longer hours this year, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. With 16,000 books in 30 categories—including art, gardening, history, music, film, […]

Upcoming Musical Events on Robertson Plaza

The completion this spring of the expansion of Robertson Plaza in downtown Norfolk has created a unique new space to draw visitors to the town’s commercial center. Sited above and offering easy access to City Meadow, the plaza now has substantial space for events, as well as seating, tables and an unobstructed view of Haystack […]

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Ushers in New Musical Programs in a Renovated Facility 

2023 Season Begins By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 7 until Aug. 19, offers exciting changes to its facility and programming this season. Nearing completion is a $10 million renovation of the Music Shed, which includes air-conditioning, a remodeled entry, new restrooms, a small store and a new green room. […]

Norfolk Salutes its Volunteers

Spotlight on Weekend in Norfolk Ruth Melville I’ll always be glad to have had a part in putting together the first Weekend in Norfolk in 2016, along with Sue Frisch and Holly Gill. The original idea came from Sue, and she was—and still is—the driving force behind the now biannual all-town festival. A crucial part […]

Weekend in Norfolk Is Back for Its Eighth Summer

Celebrating Art, Culture and Nature in Norfolk By Ruth Melville On Aug. 4, 5 and 6, Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) is back in town for its eighth annual summer, with a mixture of old and new events. Some of the old favorites coming back this year are a tour of the stained class windows at […]

Gas Spill Cleanup: Final Phase with Silver Lining?

Remediation and monitoring could end in 2024 By Joe Kelly The arrival of spring and a successful completion of legal negotiations with nearby property owners havecleared the way for what may be the final phase of the cleanup of last November’s gas spill.As the ground thawed in April and May, and agreements were reached to […]

It Must Be Summer – The Farmers Market is OpenI

By MaryJo Tomaselli The Norfolk Farmers Market will kick off its 17 th season on Saturday, June 3, on thetown hall lawn at 19 Maple Avenue. The market’s focus remains the same: To supportlocal farmers and artisans and to provide them with an outlet to sell their goods to thecommunity.This year the market committee has […]

Little Guild Animal Shelter Plans Major Renovation of Their Building

Capital campaign launching at the Great Country Mutt Show in June By Ruth Melville For over 60 years, the Little Guild has been taking in homeless cats and dogs and helpingthem find their “forever homes.” Located for 30 of those years in a 3,000-square-footbuilding in West Cornwall, the shelter is now planning a major renovation […]

Church’s Fellowship and Growth Team Eager to Help

Serving the Community By Jude MeadNavigating life post-pandemic has been a struggle for many, including Norfolk’s Church of Christ Congregational. Just before Covid-19 struck, the church had restructured its committees into what are now known as teams. Since the pandemic, church members have been searching for ways to better help serve the community. One group, […]

Grant-Funded Mental Health Professional to Join Botelle Staff

By Virginia Coleman-Prisco An $8.7 million U.S. Department of Education grant has been awarded to EdAdvance with thepurpose of increasing school-based mental health services over the next five years to 30 K-12schools in northwestern Connecticut. EdAdvance is one of Connecticut’s six RegionalEducational Service Centers (RESCs), and its mission is to promote the success of school […]

Norfolk Salutes its Volunteers

Spotlight on Norfolk Volunteer Ambulance Bill Brodnitzki We moved to Norfolk in 1971, and about a year after moving into town, my neighbor called over to me. “Bill can you go on an ambulance call?” I went! Things were different then. We referred to those days as “load and go.” No training was required, and […]

Coming Soon: The Great Barrington Triplex II

Community has come together to purchase a piece of history By Patricia PlattEarly in 1995, Richard Stanley bought a lumber yard in Great Barrington and built the Triplex Theater on its site. It quickly became a beloved community gathering place where, for 28 years, locals of all ages remember eating popcorn and watching Hollywood, independent […]