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The chicken who wanted to be a star and other tales from a norfolk movie set
By Andra Moss Secrets and small towns don’t often pair well, and Norfolk is a small town. Yet, for eight weeks this summer, a crew of nearly 100 people quietly transformed Tim and Paula Webster’s 1908 Norfolk farmhouse into a film set for a feature-length production, all the while staying under the local radar. It […]
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Proposed Manor House Expansion Draws Large Crowd
Many differing views on effect of change in town center By Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents filled the Botelle School Hall of Flags on a very cold evening on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to attend the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) public hearing regarding a modification to the special permit granted in 1996 to the property known as […]
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From All Angels
Throughout the month of February, Garet&Co will be returning to Norfolk to present their third annual performance in the Battell Chapel, where each piece will be set in the round. In this presentation, titled “From All Angles”, the audience will witness the translation of three of the works presented at their fall show. “Can’t Keep […]
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Norfolk Then
Pictured here is the house built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spofford as their summer home. The son of Ainsworth Spofford, Librarian of Congress, Charles Spofford was an electrical engineer, who would be hired in 1902 to manage London’s underground railway system, converting it from steam to electricity. The Spoffords engaged the architect […]
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Sweets on the Green
A Decade of Decadent Desserts By Andra Moss How is your naughty versus nice rating? Those needing to influence Santa with an especially impressive treat should grab their stockings and head to the Norfolk Historical Society (NHS) for the 10th Annual Cake Auction on Saturday, Dec. 7. Now a Norfolk holiday tradition, the event was […]
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Artist Tom Burr Brings His Torrington Project to an End
Performances celebrate studio closing By Stephen Melville Norfolk resident and artist Tom Burr organized a day of performances and exhibition at his studio in Torrington on Oct. 26, marking an end to what he has called “The Torrington Project.” For the past three and a half years, Burr has rented a vast—15,000 square foot—former industrial […]
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New Meanings for a Monument
Light Shines on the Memorial Green By Joe Kelly On Monday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, a crowd of about 100 gathered for the rededication of Norfolk’s World War 1 memorial, artfully restored under the auspices of the Norfolk Community Association. It was sunny. Temperatures in the low ‘60’s. Another day of no rain. Everyone talked […]
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Norfolk Then…
This 1920s postcard shows Memorial Green just after the War Memorial, designed by Alfredo Taylor, was built. It was Taylor’s wife Minna who first proposed that a memorial “heroes grove” be planted on the small lot of land known as the Triangle opposite the Catholic Church. The lot had been left empty with the demolition […]
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Restored war memorial to be celebrated on veterans day
plaque now honors all who served By Patricia Platt A World War I monument, designed by Alfredo Taylor and erected on Norfolk’s Memorial Green in 1921, bears the inscription, “for those who gave and those who offered their lives for liberty, the people of Norfolk have built this monument and crowned it with the Liberty […]
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NLT Tail Ablaze with Runners
More than 120 runners enjoyed perfect fall weather as they wound their way through picturesque Barbour Woods in the 11th Annual Norfolk Land Trust Trail Race. Some chose to add a challenging loop over Haystack Mountain, while the half-marathoners just kept moving on up—topping out at over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. *photo by June […]
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Can you spot the Real Curler?
There was movie magic ice to be made, and the pros of the Norfolk Curling Club were the first to get the call. In October, NCC’s Jon Barbagallo, Lou Barbagallo, Rachel Barbagallo, Mark Walsh, Harvey Chalmers and Phill West were hired by a production company to make curling ice at a Rhode Island hockey rink […]
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Norfolk Then…
This 1917 photograph is a timely reminder of the long struggle fought by many dedicated women for basic civil liberties, including the right to own property, hold public office, sit on juries, participate in public assemblies and vote. The group of 25 suffragists—20 women and five men—gathered on the porch following their meeting with Congressman […]
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The chicken who wanted to be a star and other tales from a norfolk movie set
By Andra Moss Secrets and small towns don’t often pair well, and Norfolk is a small town. Yet, for eight weeks this summer, a crew of nearly 100 people quietly transformed Tim and Paula Webster’s 1908 Norfolk farmhouse into a film set for a feature-length production, all the while staying under the local radar. It […]
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Proposed Manor House Expansion Draws Large Crowd
Many differing views on effect of change in town center By Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents filled the Botelle School Hall of Flags on a very cold evening on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to attend the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) public hearing regarding a modification to the special permit granted in 1996 to the property known as […]
Articles
Former Norfolk Resident Publishes Her First Children’s Book
Finding Inspiration in the Words of a Child Text By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Laura Roehl A few years ago, there was a grandmother whose little grandson ran to her and said, “Grammy, Grammy, there’s a fish in the tree,” to which she replied, “A fish in a tree? How could that be?” That simple, spontaneous […]
Local Hero Recounts Grueling Guadalcanal Campaign
Text By Patricia PlattPhoto Courtesy of the Marolda Family The Battle of Guadalcanal, a six-month campaign for control of a strategically important Pacific island airfield, marked a critical turning point in World War II for the Allies. If the Japanese controlled the island, they could cut off the sea route between Australia and America. From […]
Preparing in Norfolk to Fight Wildfires Across North America
Interstate fire crew trains locally at Yale Camp By David Beers During the first week of June, 26 students and 10 instructors were cut off from the world at Yale Camp at Great Mountain Forest for four days of wildland fire training. The instructors were seasoned wildland fire fighting veterans and the students were new […]
The Joshua Whitney House, c. 1755
This Old Norfolk House By Joseph Kelly Whitney is a storied family name in America. Think Eli Whitney and his cotton gin or the Connecticut company Pratt & Whitney. In worlds as diverse as art, aviation, film, finance, journalism, linguistics, politics and women’s rights, Whitneys have played prominent roles including, as it turns out, right […]
Matt Riiska Talks Trash
Text By Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto By Heath Hughes Historically, Connecticut has done well with its garbage. As a state, it buries the least amount of trash in landfills. “But now it’s going to get ugly quick,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska to a group attending his talk about trash at the Norfolk Hub on June […]
Local Landowners Rally to Protect Hemlocks
It’s Only Natural Text By Susannah WoodPhoto by Wiley Wood On a cool afternoon at the beginning of June, a dozen or so volunteers gathered around a short woman sporting hiking gear, several fanny packs and a long stave with a hook on the end. Carole Cheah of the Connecticut State Agricultural Experiment Station was […]
Beagles and Terriers and Hounds, Oh My!
Text By Janet Gokay MeadTop Photo By Kelly Kandra Hughes The evening of the second annual Norfolk Library Pet Parade on June 17 began as it did last year: with perfect early summer weather, bright and a bit breezy. Though 18 dogs had been preregistered for the event—which Library Director Ann Havemeyer has declared a […]
Art to Assist Ukraine Exhibit Opens at the Norfolk Hub
Local artists rally to raise money to provide support By Patricia Platt A remarkable, comprehensive show of art from the northwest Connecticut area can be found this month at the Norfolk Hub. The event, Art to Assist Ukraine, is a fundraising benefit put together by community members and 35 artists to support Assist-Ukraine, a nonprofit […]
New Lamps at the Norfolk Library Illuminate a Whimsical Walk Downton
Text By Michael Cummings KellyPhoto By Doug McDevitt To the number of reasons we already have for taking a leisurely walk through Norfolk’s anomalous, historic village can now be added the crooked pathway that courses down a gentle incline on the east side of the Norfolk Library. Where daily for 50 years a dozen New […]
Norfolk Boards Consider In-Person vs. Virtual Meetings
Are hybrid meetings the new normal? By Andra Moss Following the May 1 expiration of the pandemic-related law giving emergency permission for remote meetings, the Connecticut legislature passed House Bill 5269 giving local boards and commissions the option to continue meeting remotely. The law does not require remote access to meetings; it allows the decision […]
Music Shed Hosts Premier of Kirk Sinclair’s American Discovery Symphony
A Musical Love Story Text by Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Heath Hughes The world premiere of the American Discovery Symphony, an orchestrated travelogue and love story, took place on May 24 at the Music Shed in Norfolk with a socially distanced crowd of about 150 people. Approximately 37 musicians took the stage under conductor Mark […]
Life in a One-Room Schoolhouse at the Historical Museum
On Sunday, June 5, at 3 p.m., Susan Webb will present “School Days with the Traveling Schoolmarm: A Chronicle of American Country School Images, Artifacts, Recitations, and Adventures” at the Norfolk Historical Museum. For the past 20 years, the Norfolk Historical Society has been hosting Webb’s presentations for children at Botelle School. She spends the […]
