• 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 […]

  • The chicken who wanted to be a star and other tales from a norfolk movie set

    By Andra Moss Secrets and small towns don’t often pair well, and Norfolk is a small town. Yet, for eight weeks this summer, a crew of nearly 100 people quietly transformed Tim and Paula Webster’s 1908 Norfolk farmhouse into a film set for a feature-length production, all the while staying under the local radar.  It […]

  • great blue heron rookeries

    working together to provide sustainable breeding habitats By Jude Mead Great Blue Herons are a familiar sight in Norfolk and are one of the largest of all North American herons, standing up to four feet tall with a wingspan of close to six feet. They are most noticeable in flight as they soar across the […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    Tennis at Town Hall? The building we know as Town Hall was originally the Eldridge Gymnasium, built in 1892. Located within easy walking distance of hotels and boarding houses in Norfolk at the turn of the last century, the Gymnasium was a popular gathering place for both residents and visitors. People played croquet on the lawn […]

  • Looking Back Over the Years

    The End of an Era for Norfolk Now By Colleen Gundlach After 10 years and over 30 issues, Ruth Melville has put on her Norfolk Now editor’s hat for the last time. In June, the paper marked the end of an era with the publication of Ruth’s final issue as one of the executive editors […]

  • A Look Into Norfolk’s Past

    Exhibit Explores Pupin’s Haven of Happiness on Westside Road By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Historical Museum graces Norfolk’s village green with the reserve and understated elegance of a New Englander well worth getting to know. Visitors who step inside will find exhibits that tell the stories of the town’s past, often with intriguing ties to […]

  • Norfolk Past and Present

    The Summer Chapel Eases Gracefully Into Its 130 Years By Elizabeth Bailey Ayreslea Rowland Denny began attending services at The Church of the Transfiguration in Norfolk in 1939 on the eve of World War II. A New Yorker, she was a student at the Chapin School in New York City, but her family had been […]

  • Church Steeple Shines Once Again

    Local dignitaries and friends of Norfolk’s Church of Christ Congregational gathered on Saturday, May 25, to formally celebrate the completion of the steeple restoration project. The Rev. Erick Olsen thanked the community for supporting the years-long effort and welcomed everyone to enjoy a splendid cake featuring an image of the steeple.

  • Making the Native… Personal

    Cheryl Heller Builds a Wild Garden in Norfolk By Joe Kelly Gardens are best when they’re personal, argued the late Fred McGourty, who remains Norfolk’s best- known plantsmen. McGourty’s 1989 book, “The Perennial Gardener,” recounts the gardens he and his wife, Mary Ann, created at Hillside, their home near Dennis Hill State Park. Were he […]

Articles

Beaver and Humans, Can We All Just Get Along?

Beaver Liberation Text by Dave BeersPhoto by Roger Johnson On Saturday, Dec. 28, at around 4 p.m., Roger Johnson and Katka Hannelova were walking their dog on top of the southerly Wood Creek dry dam when they noticed splashing and thrashing in the dam outlet plunge pool. They headed down to investigate and found a […]

The Secrets to a Long and Happy Marriage, as Told by Eve and John Thew

Text and Photo by Kelly Kandra Hughes I’m sitting with Eve and John Thew on their screened-in porch. An electric heater is keeping us toasty warm during these subfreezing January temperatures. John is sitting across from me, and Eve is sitting in a chair to my left. “I’ll tell you the secret of marriage,” John […]

Local Author Writes a Guide to Publishing for Aspiring Writers

NN Book Review Text by Michael SelleckPhoto by Clinton J. Sosna I spent my entire career in the book business, first as a bookseller for eight years followed by 35 years in publishing, and even today I coproduce a podcast, with bookseller Roxanne Coady, called “Just the Right Book.” Inevitably, I am asked on a […]

Things to Do in the Winter Dark

Text by Ruth MelvillePhoto by Doug McDevitt Norfolk quiets down in the winter months after the holidays are over, especially once the sun goes down, but several town organizations have activities planned to get people to put on their parkas and get out after dark. The Norfolk Library is offering a Thursday night classic film […]

What’s New on the Books in Connecticut in the New Year

Laws enacted in 2019 and now in effect By Susannah Wood A number of newly minted laws that may be important to Norfolk residents came into effect in 2019 or on Jan. 1 of this year. The following list is by no means exhaustive, however. Also, since space does not allow for an in-depth discussion […]

Celebrating WINter in Norfolk

Two-Day Winter Festival Returns for Third Year Text by Doug McDevittPhoto by Bruce Frisch Fall has a bittersweet flavor to it. It’s beautiful, the weather is perfect, but we know that cold days with fewer hours of daylight will soon be upon us. Once the holidays are over, our lives settle down, and after a […]

The Norfolk Community Association, 125 Years Old and Going Strong

By Ruth Melville In 1895, the Norfolk Village Improvement Association was organized with the goal of preserving and enhancing the town’s beauty. Their first project was to lay a flagstone walk from the library to the railroad bridge. The association went on to put in further sidewalks and, in 1911, to restore the Village Green […]

Norfolk’s November and December Weather and a Yearly Summary for 2019

A cool and wet conclusion to 2019 By Russell Russ The year of 2019 came to a close with winter conditions making the headlines. November was considerably colder than normal, and December had an above-normal snowfall total. Unlike some recent years when winter seemed to be delayed until January, the close of 2019 saw winter […]

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): It’s More Than the Winter Blues

By Kelly Kandra Hughes It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s what we tell ourselves as we approach Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. But for an estimated 10 million Americans, the winter months are a time marked by sadness, loss of interest in favorite activities, changes in sleep and energy levels, and increased […]

Exploring Norfolk’s History

A Walk Along the Blackberry River Finds Traces of Norfolk’s Industrial Past Text by Ruth MelvillePhoto by Savage Frieze Once you know where to look, the signs of Norfolk’s industrial past are everywhere, and Richard Byrne knows where to look. He has spent decades trolling through historical records at Town Hall—survey maps and deeds—and searching […]

Reading Forest Signs: Bear’s Nests

Text and Photos by Wiley Wood The first dusting of snow in the forest shows us what we know anyway—the woods are full of animals, we just don’t see them. A day after the snowfall, you might come across the print of a foraging mouse traveling from the base of a windthrown tree to a […]

Colebrook Weaver and Activist Receives Creative Arts Award

Maltz honored for her work with the Norfolk Makerspace  Text by Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Sue Williams Colebrook’s Alesia Maltz has been a weaver since childhood. Her love of fiber began when her Aunt Bea told her she didn’t have to spend her weekly allowance on Barbie clothes at the store, she could knit them […]