• 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • great blue heron rookeries

    working together to provide sustainable breeding habitats By Jude Mead Great Blue Herons are a familiar sight in Norfolk and are one of the largest of all North American herons, standing up to four feet tall with a wingspan of close to six feet. They are most noticeable in flight as they soar across the […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    Tennis at Town Hall? The building we know as Town Hall was originally the Eldridge Gymnasium, built in 1892. Located within easy walking distance of hotels and boarding houses in Norfolk at the turn of the last century, the Gymnasium was a popular gathering place for both residents and visitors. People played croquet on the lawn […]

  • Looking Back Over the Years

    The End of an Era for Norfolk Now By Colleen Gundlach After 10 years and over 30 issues, Ruth Melville has put on her Norfolk Now editor’s hat for the last time. In June, the paper marked the end of an era with the publication of Ruth’s final issue as one of the executive editors […]

Articles

Farmers Market Makes Plans for the Future

New generation of market planners needed for continuity Text by Jude MeadPhoto by Lisa Auclair As the weather warms and gardens get planted, thoughts naturally turn to the Norfolk Farmers Market. For the past 16 springs, the community has looked forward to the excitement of opening day, knowing the season will bring plenty of fresh […]

Well-Known Norfolk Author Publishes Her First Memoir

Text by Patricia PlattPhoto courtesy of Courtney Maum Norfolk’s acclaimed author, Courtney Maum, will launch her first memoir, The Year of the Horses, at the Norfolk Library on May 3, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. During the event, she and author Elisa Altman will explore how Maum’s love of horseback riding helped her regain physical and […]

Grassroots Group Continues Opposition to New Asphalt Plant in Canaan

Organization has new name and new funding By John Coston Residents fighting a proposed asphalt plant in East Canaan have a new name, a broader mission and a dedicated funding source.  The Blackberry River Valley Protection Alliance, Inc., (BRVPA) is the new name for Stop the Asphalt Plant (STAP). With a wider focus and newfound […]

Meet Jen Pfaltz: The New Manager of the Norfolk Hub

A Fresh Face in Station Place Text by Patricia PlattPhoto by Kelly Kandra Hughes After four years in operation, the Hub has a new manager, Jen Pfaltz. “When the Hub first opened, no one knew just what it would become,” said Dawn Whalen, the executive director of the Norfolk Foundation. “Since then the Hub has […]

The Norfolk Community Art Space Is Coming Back at Botelle School

Art for Everyone By Virginia Coleman-Prisco Trends come and go, but art endures. When Botelle School needed some upgrades in the 1990s, Norfolk community members decided to work together on a project that would benefit all of Norfolk, not just Botelle students. And so they created the Norfolk Community Art Space. According to former PTO […]

“No Mow May” Movement Wants to Protect Spring Habitats of Local Pollinators

It’s Only Natural By Kelly Kandra Hughes The Norfolk Conservation Commission, the Church of Christ and the Land Trust have a request this coming May: Please don’t mow your lawn! The initiative known as “No Mow May” is a growing movement across the United Kingdom and the United States. The reason behind it is simple—not […]

The Wilcox Tavern House

This Old Norfolk House Text By Michael SelleckPhoto Courtesy of the Norfolk Historical Society It’s probably not a good idea to fall in love with a house, but that’s exactly what I did when I first visited the Wilcox Tavern in 2016. I was searching for an 18th-century house because I was looking for a […]

Norfolk Child Care Celebrates a Decade of Learning and Fun

Caring for Our Most Precious Assets By Colleen Gundlach A lot has changed since Donna Adams opened her Norfolk Child Care (NCC) nine years ago, but the basic tenets on which the center was built have remained consistent. Adams says the main focus of guiding each child toward independence and preparing them for preschool will […]

WIN’s YouTube Channel Brings the World to Norfolk

By Ruth Melville When the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, Sue Frisch and the rest of the Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) team were, like so many other art and cultural organizers, faced with a tough question: How can we keep going without an audience? Since its inaugural session in 2016, WIN, a weekend-long festival designed […]

NN Pulls up a Chair with Small Business Owner Ryan Craig

Photo by Allen Dennis Ryan Craig has owned and operated the Berkshire Country Store in Norfolk since 2017. Norfolk Now recently sat down with him to ask about the store and what it’s like being a small business owner in the Northwest Corner.  NN: Let’s dive in deep: Most popular sandwich? RC: In terms of […]

In Search of the People of Pond Town Cemetery

Text By Vicky MacLean and Linda PerkinsPhoto By Vicky MacLean Located on Doolittle Drive, across from Benedict Lake, is a small cemetery surrounded by woodland known as Pond Town Cemetery. It holds a few more than 200 gravesites. Do you believe someone in your family might be buried here? If so, please join our project […]

Quietly Celebrating 50 Years of Service with the Fire Department

NVFD, town applaud Ron Zanobi’s 5 decades of dedication Every town and community needs people who put others first, who do not strive for the spotlight, but prefer to be behind the scenes, ensuring that things are taken care of. This is an opportunity for Norfolk to acknowledge one of its quiet heroes. Ron Zanobi […]