• 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

The Mountain Road Bridge Project Is Finally Complete

In-depth negotiations maintain the beauty of the landscape By Leila Javitch At long last, the Mountain Road bridge is finished and motorists, bikers and walkers can enjoy the extraordinary views along the road, such as the hay field with the Virginia split rail fence and the Perkins house with its long driveway lined with glorious […]

Wild Turkey Restoration Has Been Successful in Norfolk

It’s Only Natural By Jude Mead Travel any road in Norfolk and you are certain to see a flock of turkeys. The eastern wild turkey is a large, majestic bird with adult males weighing anywhere between 15 and 25 pounds, and adult females weighing between eight and 12 pounds. They look similar in their appearance, […]

The Norfolk Transfer Station Is a Very Busy Place

Keeping everything flowing smoothly at the transfer station By David Beers Who is someone you see about once a week? He is reliably available for your weekly visit. While somewhat unassuming, he is quite approachable and eager to help. Your spouse, your mom, your dad, your kids – perhaps. Another possible answer is Jim Powelzyk […]

Cyclists Get a Big Assist From New North Canaan E-Bike Shop

Out and About By Andra Moss For most bicyclists in Norfolk, starting a ride from home involves hitting a sizeable hill sooner or later—or sooner and later, given the daunting topography of the Northwest Corner. How is it then, that so many riders of the non-millennial vintage have recently been spotted happily climbing Lovers Lane […]

The Future of Healthcare in the Northwest Corner

Rural providers struggle with staffing and competition By Avice Meehan Healthcare in Connecticut continues to evolve – too quickly for some, too slowly for others – as providers consolidate or programs are eliminated. Statewide, the story is about the ongoing consolidation of hospitals and medical practices into three big networks: Hartford Healthcare, Yale-New Haven Health, […]

Rural Poverty Is Alive and Well in the Northwest Corner

In Our Own Back Yard By Elizabeth Bailey “The number of people who are clearly in distress as the result of the pandemic, and now rising inflation, is the most I have seen in my nineteen years in Norfolk,” says Erick Olsen, pastor of the Church of Christ Congregational.  “It is easy for those of […]

Battell Arts Foundation Publishes First Journal

It happened to me when I was in first grade. I was 6 years old. Now I’m 8. It has been two terrible years. – Lexi LaForge, grade 3 As we all know, in 2020 the coronavirus Covid-19 made its appearance on the world stage. Within weeks, it had profoundly changed the course of human […]

Correction to Print Article: Constitutional: Amendment Question is Two-Pronged

Norfolk Now regrets that its fron-tpage article on the proposed amendment to permit early voting suggested that a yes vote would allow new procedures that would diminish the security of the voting process.  There is only one question at issue: whether or not Connecticut should permit in-person voting prior to the actual election day.  Authorization […]

Art Meets Nature In New Commission for City Meadow

By Patricia Platt “There is an ability for sculpture to move people in a unique way when they’re engrossed in looking at it and everything else falls away. It’s called the silence of sculpture,” commented Norfolk’s Jon Riedeman when he unveiled his sculpture of a Great Horned Owl on Sept. 17 at an event for […]

Board of Ed Examines Turnover at Botelle

By Colleen Gundlach At a Board of Education (BOE) meeting held in August, a delegation of parents and other concerned citizens urged board members to address several issues that had been raised in light of the departure at the end of the 2021-22 school year of four of the five Botelle classroom teachers, as well […]

Woodland Stewardship Training Helps Them See the Forest and the Trees

Program creates a state network of land stewards Text By David BeersPhotos by William Carter   For many years, the third weekend of September at Great Mountain Forest (GMF) has been devoted to an intensive training for Connecticut woodland owners and land trust stewards. This year, 26 students from across the state were ensconced at Yale […]

Veteran Teacher to Offer Afterschool Violin Lessons in Battell Chapel

The Sounds of Music Text By Ruth MelvillePhoto Courtesy of Meg Hill In 2018 the Norfolk Board of Education reluctantly decided, for budgetary reasons, to eliminate the strings part of Botelle School’s music curriculum. But thanks to the talents of Meg Hill, a professional violinist and experienced teacher, children—and adults—will soon be able to again […]