• 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

Icebox Cafe Plans Opening For Memorial Day Weekend

New Norfolk cafe will focus on food and community Text By Michael CobbPhoto Courtesy of The Crippen Family After more than 10 years owning and running Rex Cafe in Hell’s Kitchen and five years managing the iconic Mermaid Inn in Chelsea and Red Rooster in Harlem, New York City restaurateur Peter Crippen and his wife, […]

Questions Linger On Gas Spill Crash 

Could it have been prevented? Can it happen again? By Joe Kelly   The tanker truck that crashed last November on Route 44 in Norfolk didn’t just disgorge thousands of gallons of gasoline into the center of town, it also left behind lingering questions about the circumstances surrounding the accident and worries that it could happen […]

Biking to Norfolk with The Western New England Greenway

By Stephen Melville Norfolk residents driving to and from nearby destinations like Sand Road Animal Hospital, LaBonne’s Market or the Millerton Moviehouse may have noticed a new series of green-and-white signs along their route. These signs mark the Western New England Greenway (WNEG), also known as U.S Bicycle Route 7. This multi-part, multistate bike route […]

Norfolk Early Learning Center Celebrates 10-Year Milestone 

Supporting Norfolk’s Children Text By Jude MeadPhoto By Bailee Robinson When your work brings joy and you share a commitment to children, a decade can pass quickly, as Kailyn Nadeau and Paige Corey have discovered since opening the Norfolk Early Learning Center (NELC) in 2013. Nadeau grew up in Norfolk. She babysat, cared for children […]

Invasives: What To Do When Good Plants Go Bad

By Jill Chase  Here’s a little secret: not all plants are good guys. Some are very bad actors indeed. It’s not their fault; they were good plants minding their own business, growing in their own native habitat, until someone introduced them to our homeland. Here, with a climate that suited them and no native insects […]

Return of the Cranes 

It’s Only Natural Text By Shelley HarmsPhoto By Savage Frieze Some special summer Norfolk residents have returned from their winter sojourns in the south. Sandhill cranes have always migrated through Connecticut, stopping here briefly in spring and fall, but in Norfolk, two pairs have decided to stay for the summers. Last year, both pairs succeeded […]

Litchfield County Choral Union Call for Singers

Text By Jude MeadPhoto Courtesy of Harold Shapiro Local singers take note—the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is seeking voices to join them for the Aug. 19 season finale concert of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, featuring Mendelssohn’s jubilant symphony-cantata “Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise).”  Dr. Jeffrey Douma, professor of choral conducting at Yale’s Institute of […]

The Healing Nest Is Planning a Full Season of New Programs 

Around Station Place Text By Ruth MelvillePhoto Courtesy of The Healing Nest In the two years since Dianna Hofer took a leap and opened the Healing Nest in Station Place, she’s faced several challenges in running her fledgling business. The pandemic was a major one, of course, but also life intervened. She decided to accept […]

Tom Hodgkin and Tom Vorenberg

Saluting Norfolk’s Volunteers Text By Janet Gokay MeadPhoto By Jon Reideman The Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance may be on the small side, but its volunteers are remarkable for their dedication. Many of the ambulance’s 30 active volunteers sign up for a six-hour shift and, off-hours, use a system of two-way radios, pagers and emails to […]

The Buzz of Spring

Beekeeping in the Northwest Corner  By Avice Meehan The moment has come to embrace the dandelions in your lawn and all those early flowering plants and trees that attract some of the 378 species of wild bees that call Connecticut home—in addition to the beloved, nonnative honeybee that brings such golden sweetness into our lives. […]

“My Norfolk” Photo Contest Winner Announced 

Congratulations to Elizabeth Hilpman, winner of the Norfolk Photo Contest!  Her evocative photo of Tobey Pond was selected from over 220 submissions by judges—and distinguished local photographers—Savage Frieze, Katherine Griswold, Christopher Keyes, Christopher Little and Babs Perkins. The images were evaluated on how well they represented the theme of “My Norfolk” and the quality of […]

Seasonal Foraging

In Search of Spring Wild Edibles  By Tracy Hayhurst  While we eagerly await the first lettuces, spinach and arugula from the garden, Mother Nature has provided us with many nutrient-rich wild greens and herbs to sample now.  Stinging nettle, garlic mustard and dandelion, for example, are often maligned as weeds but can be used in […]