• Early Morning Fire Guts Norfolk Barn

    Forty firefighters respond from five towns By Avice Meehan Adair Mali often sleeps with earplugs but dispensed with them on the night of Aug. 18, tired after a night at Tanglewood with her husband, Antonio Guindon, and another couple. Thank goodness she did. At about 4:20 a.m. Mali awoke to a “loud crackling noise” and […]

  • Litchfield County Choral Union Closes 2026 Season

    Celebrating America’s 250th birthday By Jude Mead The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) brought its 2026 summer season to a stirring close on Sunday, Aug. 2, with “From Roots to Promise: Singing America at 250,” an ambitious program that celebrated the country’s musical traditions while looking toward its future. The concert featured the LCCU anthem […]

  • Haystack Book Festival Returns to Norfolk

    Nationally recognized authors offer conversation and insights By Ann DeCerbo Book lovers, curious minds and anyone who enjoys a lively conversation about ideas have plenty to look forward to next month when the Haystack Book Festival returns to Norfolk Oct. 2–4 with events at Infinity Hall, the Norfolk Library and Great Mountain Forest. A program […]

  • Fire and Circus Arts on the Green

    By Jude Mead Matica Circus, a professional performing group based in Harwinton, Conn., brought an unforgettable combination of fire, acrobatics and circus arts to the Norfolk Village Green for the grand finale of the season of the Friday Nights on the Green summer concert series. The high-energy performance captivated the crowd with dramatic fire spinning, […]

  • Botelle Ushers in a New Year

    The first day of school dawned cool and cloudy, but no one seemed to notice. Students arrived at Botelle Elementary School on Aug. 26 via bus, car and firetruck (complete with siren). Some students, like Daphne Rutolo who walked her older sister to the bus, will have to wait for the start of the pre-Kindergarten […]

  • A New Year, New Pathways

    Northwestern Regional 7 expands opportunities for students By Virginia Coleman-Prisco As students and staff return to Northwestern Regional School District No. 7 (NWR7) middle and high schools for the 2026-27 school year, district leaders say the focus will be on strengthening student opportunities, preparing young people for an evolving workforce and building an even stronger […]

  • When Is a Check Really in the Mail?

    By Joseph Kelly The United States Postal Service (USPS), longtime target of many complaints and butt of numerous jokes, may seem an unlikely source of metaphysical speculation. But this year the USPS added a new wrinkle to an age-old question: When can it truly and truthfully be said that “a check is in the mail?” […]

  • Steady as She Goes

    Crews working on Norfolk’s new firehouse hoisted the “final” truss in place on Saturday, Aug. 29, as members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, town officials and representatives of Newfield Construction watched from the sidelines. The truss, signed by key players in the major project, marks a symbolic milestone toward completion of the building. NVFD […]

  • Caring for Forests: Ethan Tapper’s Message of Stewardship

    By Jude Mead Ethan Tapper recently spoke at the Church of Christ Congregational on the green about his work as a forester, author and advocate for the natural world. The evening centered on his 2024 book, “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World,” which explores how forests function and […]

  • IT’ S ONLY NATURAL: Putting the Brakes on Bittersweet: a September Strategy

    by Susannah Wood Over the last couple of years, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) has increasingly taken hold on Norfolk’s roadsides. Anyone who has driven back and forth to New York City over the years has seen how, unchecked, the vines can envelope trees, girdle and kill them, and leave behind a wrecked woodland. A member […]

  • Woodman Spare that Tree—Or Don’t

    The somewhat lopsided Japanese Zelkova tree that once stood near the entrance to Nor-folk’s Post Office on Station Place is no more. Likely planted some 30 years ago during Ar-thur Rosenblatt’s tenure as first selectman, the hardy tree fell victim to progress and the need to replace the adjacent sidewalk. The planned removal of the […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    In the early 20th century, the Mountain Road bridge over Norfolk Brook had a rustic-style guard rail bordering the road and sidewalk. Characterized by the use of twigs, branches, and bark, the rustic style had been used in formal English gardens in the 1700’s and in this country was very popular in the second half […]

Articles

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 […]

EDC Sponsors New Forum for Norfolk Businesses

Seeking common solutions to common problems By Ruth Melville At the invitation of the Economic Development Commission, over 25 Norfolk business owners gathered at the Hub on June 27 to explore new ways of supporting town stores and businesses. Interviews with some of the attendees indicate that the general response to the meeting has been […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers: Spotlight on Botelle School

Lisa Bazzano When I was growing up in Norfolk, I had a Norman Rockwell childhood, and I wanted the same for my five children. That’s why I chose to raise them in Norfolk, and it’s why I want to give back as much as I can through volunteering. My first child to enter Botelle School […]

WIN Weekend Has Something for Everyone, Kids Included

By Janet Serra Weekend in Norfolk, Aug. 4, 5 and 6, is a three-day, town-wide art, music and nature festival. This year, WIN has a large selection of things that kids and their families will especially enjoy. The fun starts Friday with bocce at the court behind 10 Station Place. The court, complete with equipment, will […]

Lady Bird Johnson’s Beauty Strip Still Shielding Unsightly Views

By David Beers In 1965, First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson worked the halls of Congress to help pass the Federal Highway Beautification Act (HBA). This act created regulations for the size and location of billboards along federal and interstate highways. It also created annual federal funding for projects that enhance the beauty and enjoyability […]

Festive Party to Lead Off Annual Book Sale

By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Library’s annual book sale will be held the weekend of Aug. 26 and 27, under a large tent set up next to the library. The sale will have slightly longer hours this year, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. With 16,000 books in 30 categories—including art, gardening, history, music, film, […]

Upcoming Musical Events on Robertson Plaza

The completion this spring of the expansion of Robertson Plaza in downtown Norfolk has created a unique new space to draw visitors to the town’s commercial center. Sited above and offering easy access to City Meadow, the plaza now has substantial space for events, as well as seating, tables and an unobstructed view of Haystack […]

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Ushers in New Musical Programs in a Renovated Facility 

2023 Season Begins By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 7 until Aug. 19, offers exciting changes to its facility and programming this season. Nearing completion is a $10 million renovation of the Music Shed, which includes air-conditioning, a remodeled entry, new restrooms, a small store and a new green room. […]

Norfolk Salutes its Volunteers

Spotlight on Weekend in Norfolk Ruth Melville I’ll always be glad to have had a part in putting together the first Weekend in Norfolk in 2016, along with Sue Frisch and Holly Gill. The original idea came from Sue, and she was—and still is—the driving force behind the now biannual all-town festival. A crucial part […]