• 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 […]

  • Local Affordable Housing Groups Pioneer New Model

    Bundling projects helps meet state minimums By Leila Javitch It’s an exciting spring for affordable homes in Northwest Connecticut.  Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO) has fit together a program to build 10 new homes on scattered sites in five northwest towns via partnerships with each town’s volunteer affordable housing group.  In Norfolk, the […]

  • Proposed Manor House Expansion Draws Large Crowd

    Many differing views on effect of change in town center By Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents filled the Botelle School Hall of Flags on a very cold evening on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to attend the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) public hearing regarding a modification to the special permit granted in 1996 to the property known as […]

  • From All Angels

    Throughout the month of February, Garet&Co will be returning to Norfolk to present their third annual performance in the Battell Chapel, where each piece will be set in the round.  In this presentation, titled “From All Angles”, the audience will witness the translation of three of the works presented at their fall show.   “Can’t Keep […]

  • Norfolk Then

    Pictured here is the house built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spofford as their summer home. The son of Ainsworth Spofford, Librarian of Congress, Charles Spofford was an electrical engineer, who would be hired in 1902 to manage London’s underground railway system, converting it from steam to electricity. The Spoffords engaged the architect […]

  • 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 […]

  • Local Affordable Housing Groups Pioneer New Model

    Bundling projects helps meet state minimums By Leila Javitch It’s an exciting spring for affordable homes in Northwest Connecticut.  Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO) has fit together a program to build 10 new homes on scattered sites in five northwest towns via partnerships with each town’s volunteer affordable housing group.  In Norfolk, the […]

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Articles

Norfolk EMTs Study Wilderness Medical Skills at New Hampshire’s SOLO School

Norfolk EMTs Study Wilderness Medical Skills at New Hampshire’s SOLO School By Jon Riedeman Imagine going for a hike in the woods with a friend and two hours into your hike your friend loses their footing and tumbles down into a ravine. You climb down the side of the ravine and find your friend unconscious […]

Keep on Singing – High-Tech Covid Style

Text by David BeersPhoto by Liz Allyn Three or more weeknights every week, two to four singers get together in the Battell Chapel for fellowship and a chance to do what they love to do–sing. The chapel windows are open and the singers are properly distanced from one another. They all sing facing the same […]

Spotting Unusual Animals on the Back Roads of Norfolk

Who’s Your Llama? By Andra Moss In Norfolk it’s wise to keep an eye out for deer, bears, skunks and the rare awe-inspiring appearance of a bald eagle. But travelers on Winchester Road often do a double take at an unfamiliar hilltop silhouette. These are the llamas on Roy Pilbin’s farm.  Pilbin has been raising […]

Holiday Celebrations Change During the Time of Covid

Families finding ways to be together and safe by Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto Courtesy of Janet Byrne Family celebrations are a holiday tradition many people look forward to during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Because of Covid-19, however, these celebrations come with the risk of exposure to a potentially fatal virus. Many Norfolk residents now must decide what […]

Battling Buckthorn While Staying at Home

It’s Only Natural By Susannah Wood When the novel coronavirus dropped “normal” on its head, many Norfolkians found themselves spending much more time at home. People cleaned attics and garages, went through their closets, baked a lot of bread. Molly Ackerly and Mike Sconyers, very busy lawyers before March hit, knew just what to do […]

Artisans Guild of Norfolk Closing After Twenty-Six Years

Sales have slowed during the pandemic Text by Jude MeadPhoto by Savage Frieze The Artisan Guild of Norfolk is closing its doors. Vee Kausel and Kathy Williams, co-owners of the Guild, made the announcement in October. The last day of business will be December 11 unless someone steps up to take it over. “We would […]

Norfolk Library Reopens Its Doors with Precautions

Providing opportunities for education, entertainment and reading Text by Mattie VandiverPhoto by Christopher Little On June 29, the Norfolk Library was able to open up to the public once again after being closed because of Covid-19 for three months. The library began by offering curbside service. It is now fully open, with slightly limited hours, […]

Keeping the Trick-or-Treating on Halloween in Norfolk

Covid changes the experience but not the fun by Kelly Kandra Hughes Last year on Halloween, Cecily Mermann, who lives on Emerson Street, sat on her front porch with her dog, Dodger, and greeted the multitude of trick-or-treaters making their way through the village of Norfolk. She enjoyed seeing the costumes, giving out handfuls of […]

Children’s Foundation Gives Botelle Students Chromebooks

New computers help with the transition to virtual learning Text by Ann DeCerboPhoto by Jonathan Barbagallo It would be an understatement to say that things were different for the 2019/20 sixth grade class at Botelle School than for previous graduating classes. Concerns over Covid-19 precipitated the start of remote learning in March 2020 and the […]

Connecting to the Internet in Norfolk

A proponent of broadband answers our questions By Dave Beers Norfolk resident Kim Maxwell is president of the board of directors of Northwest ConneCT, a regional nonprofit formed to bring fast fiber-optic Internet to a 25-town region that extends from Salisbury to Hartland to Burlington to New Fairfield. Northwest ConneCT is leading the effort to […]

Tropical Storm Isaias Tests Norfolk’s Resilience

Local emergency crews worked overtime in Eversource’s absence by Colleen GundlachPhotographs by Jonathan Barbagallo It was a storm to remember, and one that brought out the very best of the people of Norfolk. In the midst of incredible frustration, there was a spirit among the townspeople of working together to get through the inconvenient and […]

Teen Plans New Lifeguard Shed for Tobey Pond

By Wiley WoodPhoto of Ethan Perlman, top, by Savage Frieze Public beach adapts to Covid Ethan Perlman is in his second year as a lifeguard at the town’s public beach, so when he started looking for a project to earn his Eagle Scout ranking from Boy Scout Troop 19 in New Hartford, he quickly settled […]