• 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

Main Street by Another Name

By Avice Meehan Is Norfolk a “bend in the road in [Route] 44 where people go 40, 50, 60 miles per hour?” Or is it more like a college campus with nodes of activity clustered near the historic Village Green and former train station? Does Norfolk even have something that might be described as a […]

LCCU Sings America at 250

By Patricia Platt In keeping with the 2026 Norfolk Chamber Music Festival’s theme of “Anniversaries,” the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a special multi-cultural performance entitled “From Roots to Promise: Singing America at 250” on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m., in the Battell Music Shed, conducted by Gabriel […]

Bridging Fashion and Music

By Avice Meehan Designer and entrepreneur Emily Adams Bode Aujla is known for her ability to transform archival research and images into wearable and compelling garments that are in demand from New York to Tokyo. At this year’s Met Gala, for example, she wore an ethereal tulle gown bedecked with antique paper scrapbook cutouts sourced […]

Community Garden Helps Gardeners of All Ages to Grow

By Jude Mead A local community garden is growing more than vegetables this season—it’s cultivating curiosity, responsibility and a lifelong appreciation for nature among local children and adults. The Norfolk Community Garden, located at Botelle School, was started by Lisa Auclair after the community’s farmers market ended during the Covid-19 pandemic. Auclair then handed it […]

Sadie and Shakespeare

The Bard and a highschooler inspire young readers By Jude Mead While many teenagers spend their summer vacations relaxing or working seasonal jobs, rising high school senior Sadie Rotolo is sharing her passion for one of history’s greatest playwrights with the next generation. Rotolo recently led a weeklong Shakespeare program at the Norfolk Library, where […]

IT’S ONLY NATURAL: Conservation Commission and Public Works Team Up on Invasives

By Susannah Wood Some residents have been wondering about the pink and blue flagging and strange patterns of mowing along Westside Road and elsewhere in town. It’s all part of an effort to combine regular roadside maintenance and invasive species control. Norfolk Conservation Commission (NCC) member Becky Eaton began this effort last year, organizing a […]

GREENING OF NORFOLK

Heroic Spotted Joe-Pye Weed By Jill Chase A key rule of thumb for gardening is “right plant in the right place,” meaning that properly matching up the needs of the plant with the existing conditions will go a long way toward low maintenance gardening. That being said, if you have a moist-to-wet place that is […]

Aquarion Sale in Norfolk Now Official

New owner, new regulation, higher rates? By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s public water supply is officially under new ownership, is subject to new regulation and may well undergo significant rate increases in the coming years. The Aquarion Water Company—which provides Norfolk with water via Wangum Lake—is no longer owned by Eversource Energy. Instead, as of July […]

Community News

WIN Weekend is Here Weekend in Norfolk, held July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 has free garden walks, a gravelbike ride, tag sales, live music on Robertson Plaza, tours, art shows and SidewalkSunday from noon to 4 p.m., on Station Place. Come out and celebrate your town!Check weekendinnorfolk.org for the full list of events. […]

SELECTMAN’S CORNER: Celebrating Summer and Community

By Henry Tirrell Summer is flying by! I hope you have all had a chance to slow down and enjoy it. Wehave been lucky to have had a really great one so far. Unfortunately, some of ourneighboring towns were devastated by the July 4th storm. Trees down, roads blockedand power and utilities out seem like […]

EYE ON TOWN GOVERNMENT

Northbrook Trail, Speed Cameras at Board of Selectmen By Avice Meehan The Board of Selectmen (BoS) has scheduled a special town meeting for Monday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m., at Town Hall, to appropriate $399,750 for construction of the long-delayed Northbrook Trail being developed by the town’s Rails to Trails Committee. All funds will be […]

Norfolk Crowds Return to New Farmers Market

By Andra Moss The crowd was large, loud and loving it at July’s Northwest Farm to Fork farmers market, held under the pavilion at Norbrook Farm Brewery. “We were very pleased with the turnout, with approximately 230 customers coming through and 16 food and farm vendors,” says Lisa Auclair, a co-founder, with Devin Grosso and […]