• 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

Sentencing Scheduled In Norfolk Assault Case

By Avice Meehan The young Winchester resident accused of sexually assaulting a Norfolk woman in 2022 accepted a plea agreement and could be formally sentenced as early as Oct. 13 in Litchfield County Court in Torrington. Jason Tyrone Heath, 21, entered a guilty plea on Aug. 4 to two felony charges, attempted sexual assault and […]

Owl Sculpture to Be Unveiled on Robertson Plaza

First installation in a planned sculpture trail By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Community Association (NCA) will unveil Jon Riedeman’s sculpture, the Owl of Good Fortune, at Robertson Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. The public is invited to the event, which will include an introduction by the NCA, comments by Jon Riedeman, and […]

View From The Green

Do We Need A Land Ethic? By Kathy Robb The people of Norfolk have long known the importance of good land stewardship, as evidenced by the environmental work of Great Mountain Forest, Aton Forest, the Conservation Commission, the Norfolk Land Trust and many other organizations in town. The demands of global human justice—and humanity’s health—require […]

The Old Newgate Coon Club

A Long History of Preserving Tradition, Community and Nature By Jude Mead Sitting atop a hill on Colebrook Road (Route 182) in Norfolk, the Old Newgate Coon Club stands as a testament to the preservation of tradition, community, and nature and is among one of the oldest sporting clubs in Connecticut. It was first established […]

Setting History in Stone

Norfolk Sculptor Participates in Project Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg By Andra Moss In late May, stone carver Adam Paul Heller of Norfolk received an unexpected phone call from the chief architect responsible for the New York State Capitol building. Would he be interested in joining a project underway at the capitol? It was extremely short […]

Rains Delay Spill Cleanup as More Gas Is Found

Cleanup shifts to Maple Avenue Words and photo by Joseph Kelly This summer’s rainy weather, including the severe storms in July that wiped out several bridges in town, has also delayed the ongoing cleanup of last year’s gas spill. As a result, through traffic on Maple Avenue is likely to remain disrupted well into September. […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers Spotlight on the Library

Galene Kessin My involvement with the Norfolk Library was almost accidental.  I went into the library one day because Comcast had interrupted our phone and internet service and I urgently needed to call my husband Rich, who was in New York.  While I was seated in a comfortable chair in what I now know is […]

Proposed Firehouse Plan Comes Before Wetlands Agency

By Susan MacEachron A full contingent of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) attended the Inland Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) meeting on Aug. 7.  NVFD members came to hear the proposed application for the construction of a new firehouse.  Emily Bousaada, a civil engineer from Benesch, outlined the proposal.  Benesch, a professional services firm, was hired […]

EDC and Board of Education Discuss Ways to Support Botelle

By Ruth Melville The Economic Development Commission (EDC) invited members of the Board of Education (BoE), along with Superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli and Principal Lauren Valentino, to attend an in-person meeting on Aug. 10 meeting to have a conversation about ways the EDC might be able to assist Botelle School. EDC co-chair Libby Borden started […]

A Haystack Book Festival Discussion of One Poet’s Insights into Music and Poetry

By Leila Javitch In early July, the Haystack Book Festival hosted a talk on the musical interests of the distinguished American poet John Ashbery. Karin Roffman, author of “The Songs We Know Best: John Ashbery’s Early Life” and currently completing a full biography of Ashbery, was accompanied by Melvin Chen, director of the Norfolk Chamber […]

Training Shelter Dogs to Become Stage Stars

By Patricia Platt If your idea of a celebrity sighting is petting Toto (The Wiz), Sandy (Annie) or Bruiser (Legally Blonde)—or if you’re simply interested in how dogs are trained to act in Broadway shows—head to the Norfolk Music Festival’s open house at the Art Barn on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m., for “Broadway […]

Bakery Pop-Up a Sweet New Addition to Downtown

By Andra MossNorfolk will soon have a new destination for those in search of homemade cookies, pastries and other fresh baked goods. Dawn Muzzulin is the baker behind Dawnie’s Delights, soon to open as a pop-up bakery in downtown Norfolk’s Royal Arcanum Building, in the former space of the Healing Nest. “I’ve been baking basically […]