• 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 […]

  • A Look Into Norfolk’s Past

    Exhibit Explores Pupin’s Haven of Happiness on Westside Road By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Historical Museum graces Norfolk’s village green with the reserve and understated elegance of a New Englander well worth getting to know. Visitors who step inside will find exhibits that tell the stories of the town’s past, often with intriguing ties to […]

  • Norfolk Past and Present

    The Summer Chapel Eases Gracefully Into Its 130 Years By Elizabeth Bailey Ayreslea Rowland Denny began attending services at The Church of the Transfiguration in Norfolk in 1939 on the eve of World War II. A New Yorker, she was a student at the Chapin School in New York City, but her family had been […]

  • Church Steeple Shines Once Again

    Local dignitaries and friends of Norfolk’s Church of Christ Congregational gathered on Saturday, May 25, to formally celebrate the completion of the steeple restoration project. The Rev. Erick Olsen thanked the community for supporting the years-long effort and welcomed everyone to enjoy a splendid cake featuring an image of the steeple.

  • Making the Native… Personal

    Cheryl Heller Builds a Wild Garden in Norfolk By Joe Kelly Gardens are best when they’re personal, argued the late Fred McGourty, who remains Norfolk’s best- known plantsmen. McGourty’s 1989 book, “The Perennial Gardener,” recounts the gardens he and his wife, Mary Ann, created at Hillside, their home near Dennis Hill State Park. Were he […]

Articles

“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 […]

Caring for the Northwest Corner in Perpetuity

Text by Nicole Carlson EasleyPhoto by Katherine Griswold Working with the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, Norfolk resident Sally Vaun has recently endowed a scholarship fund to support local students studying medicine and healthcare. Vaun spent much of her childhood playing in the rolling farmland of Pennsylvania. She worked on her family’s farm, tending to chickens, […]

Forty Years of Snow Sculpting for the Best Possible Ski

By David Beers It is an exciting February for winter sports, as many enjoyed watching the Olympics. Norfolk Curling Club is sending a curler to the Paralympics this year and has sent other Norfolk-based winter athletes to the Olympics in the past. While impressive for such a small town, this should come as no surprise […]

Bringing Irish Cheer and “Trad” to the Norfolk Library

Text by Michael CobbPhoto by Anna Colliton On Sunday, March 13, at 5 p.m., the Norfolk Library will present an entertaining evening of traditional Irish music with the help of Irish duo The Murphy Beds—plus a few fabulous “Friends.” The group features guitarists and singer-songwriters Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer, both internationally recognized Irish musicians. […]

Making Maple Syrup: A Sweet Process Revealed

By Jude Mead Maple syrup is a wholesome and natural sweetener that is produced by boiling the sap that flows out of the sugar maple tree in early spring. Many people look forward to the annual winter tradition of standing in the middle of a steam-filled room, inhaling that sweet maple scent and tasting fresh, […]

Trustees Aim to Take Stoeckel Estate Into the Next Century

Eldridge Barn and Music Shed annex up next for renovation by Andra Moss In an unprecedented public meeting, the Trustees of the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trust (EBST), deans of the Yale University schools of music and art and the directors of the Yale Summer School of Music and Art came together at the Hub (some […]