• 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

Two Wheels Bicycles Gears Up in Sheffield

Route 7 shop offers repair and rentals By Andra Moss Norfolk residents will be able to take on the town’s notorious hills with greater ease thanks to a new electric bicycle rental and repair shop just over the Massachusetts border in Sheffield. Those still clinging to the dream of analog, zero-assist bicycles can also rent […]

Future of Norfolk Farmers Market Uncertain, For Now

Long-time head steps down, replacement sought By Michael Cobb Norfolk Farmers Market Manager Lisa Auclair and Market Master Angie Bollard have resigned, leaving both positions open and plans up in the air for next season’s market. Doug McDevitt, Norfolk Farmers Market co-chair, commends their years of commitment, saying, “These individuals have put their hearts and […]

Norfolk Literary Event Hits Its Stride

Haystack Book Festival explores far-ranging topics By Joe Kelly From a small conversation six years ago with a biographer of the poet John Ashberry, Norfolk’s Haystack Book Festival has evolved into a multi-day exploration that remains true to its roots in literature but now ranges into criticism, religion, history, foreign affairs, journalism, domestic politics and […]

Community in Action

Haystack Woods Development Moves Forward By Avice Meehan Sixteen years after the idea first surfaced, the affordable housing development off Old Colony Road is approaching a major milestone: completion of site prep work and road construction. A first coat of asphalt should be laid down before winter if all goes according to plan. The project […]

View From the Green

How did we shape up? By Colleen Gundlach When something momentous happens in a town, it sometimes begins quietly, without fanfare, and quite innocuously. Then slowly, like a snowball rolling down a hill, it gains girth and strength until it becomes a vital source of information and communication in the lives of the townspeople. Such […]

Coston Recognized at “20 Over 50” Honoree

Editor-in-chief of the Lakeville Journal and Millerton News is honored By Carol Kneeland  John Coston, editor-in-chief of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, is one of 20 journalists over the age of 50 to be recognized in the Sept. 1 edition of the trade publication Editor & Publisher (E&P). E&P Editor Robin Blinder wrote […]

Director Brings Film of Overlooked Champion for the Environment to Norfolk

By Andra Moss A documentary highlighting the life and legacy of environmentalist and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m., at the Norfolk Library. Director John de Graaf will introduce his film, “Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty,” and will participate in a discussion and Q&A […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers: Spotlight on the Norfolk Community Association

Barry Webber & Doreen Kelly Barry Webber Giving back and supporting one’s community has always been a strong calling for me. I’d lived in Norfolk for only two weeks when Sue Dooley hooked me in to help with the Mandy Patinkin concert to benefit Prime Time House—an organization I spent more than 10 years working […]

Up Up and Away

Leaf-Peeping From the Sky By Jude Mead One way to see the fall foliage is hot air ballooning, and Spirit Ballooning LLC is ready to guide you above the colorful display of leaves in Norfolk. The locally owned and operated hot air balloon adventure company (spiritballooning.com) is based in North Canaan. Darrel Long, owner and […]

This Old Norfolk House

The Grant Homestead By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo When we were looking at houses in Norfolk about 20 years ago, there were three homes on the market for under one million dollars: two charming but overpriced Victorians in the center of town and a 244-year-old colonial on the Winchester Center town line that looked like it […]

Out and About: New Yoga Studio in Winsted Welcomes All Levels of Experience

By David Beers It is Friday evening and I am unfolding my tense body on the floor of a storefront in downtown Winsted, which is not the typical thing to be doing on Main Street. At the corner of Elm and Main, two doors down from Rooted Market, is Earthbound Yogi, a new yoga studio […]

Prime Time House Holds Fundraiser In Norfolk

Helping Adults with Mental Illness By Michael Cobb  A lively crowd gathered at Michael Selleck’s house on Greenwoods Road East on Sept. 16 to raise money for Prime Time House, a mental health organization based in Torrington that helps adults with mental illness find employment, education, housing and support. Guests were greeted by volunteers from […]