• 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 […]

  • 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 […]

Articles

Norfolk Farm Talks Turkey

Text by Jeremy WithnellPhoto by Bruce Frisch For many household cooks, Thanksgiving means finding room in the refrigerator to accommodate 20 pounds of poultry for a couple of days in order to properly defrost it. For those lucky enough to be in the know about Lost Ruby Farm in south Norfolk, there’s a better way. […]

Norfolk Costumer Readies Tin Soldiers for This Year’s Battle With Mouse King

Text by Wiley WoodPhoto by Bruce Frisch On a Monday morning in early November, costume designer Susan Aziz apologized for the bareness of her studio. Fittings had been held over the weekend for the Nutmeg Ballet’s new production of “The Nutcracker,” and most of the costumes were now at the theater. “We fitted nine mice, […]

Going Completely Over the Edge But Doing It for a Good Cause

Event company helps organizations raise funds Text by Heath and Kelly Hughes Photo Courtesy of Daryl Byrne Imagine standing at the top of a building 485 feet tall. To help raise money for Connecticut Special Olympics, you agreed to rappel down the building. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now you’re here […]

Norbrook Farm Brewery Hopes to Build on a Successful Start

Owners want to bring in food trucks Text and Photo by Doug McDevitt For many, sipping a fine ale with friends, revisiting past adventures or planning new ones and talking history or debating current events in a comfortable setting can be as good as it gets. What could make that even better? Perhaps a really […]

Neighbors in the News

Torpedoed Ship and Stolen Identity Are Basis of Author’s Second Novel Text by Colleen GundlachPhoto Courtesy of Frank Buyak It was spring, 1939, and the feeling of unrest in Europe was increasing. World War II was in the offing. Frank Buyak was less than two years old when he, his brother and his mother were […]

American Mural Project to Honor the American Worker

American Mural Project Will Be Five Stories Tall and 120 Feet Long  Text and Photo by Jeremy Withnell The first impression one gets when stepping into the cavernous space occupied by the American Mural Project (AMP) in Winsted is one of enormity. This work of art, once completed, will stand five stories tall and 120 […]

Norfstrom’s First Winter

Text and Photo by Kelly Kandra Hughes Five months have gone by since Norfstroms opened at the Transfer Station in June. So far, this experiment is heading in the right direction. Response has been enthusiastic, donations have been abundant, and volunteers have been outstanding. But what will happen to Norfstroms during Norfolk’s cold and snowy […]

From Puppy to Assistance Dog

ECAD provides animals and training that help change lives Text and Photo by Jude Mead Some people are great at seeing a situation and assessing ways to solve it. Lu and Dale Picard are two such people. In 1995, the couple founded ECAD, the East Coast Assistance Dogs facility. According to Ms. Picard, ECAD was […]

Identifying Invasive Plants in Norfolk’s Village Center

Conservation Commission to lead inventory walk By Martha KleinPhoto by Bruce Frisch November is a perfect time of year to identify and remove invasive plants in Norfolk, because the fall color changes make some of these plants very visible. For example, the plant Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is an invasive shrub seen along roadsides near woods, and […]

Breathing New Life into an Historical Landmark

Crissey Place has a new owner By Doug McDevitt Sometimes a good thing just can’t be kept down, even in the form of a house. A very old house. It’s located just inside the village green as you travel north towards Maple Street. It’s the first house you see on your right and it is […]

Fidlar, Charles Lenhart: 1940 – 2019

Charles L. Fidlar died on Dec. 14 at his home in Norfolk, Conn. with family by his side. Charles was born in Terre Haute, Ind. and then moved to Hartford and Windsor, Conn. as a youth. He lived 17 years in the San Francisco Bay area before settling in Norfolk. He was born into a […]

Help! My Friend Hit an Owl

A smalltown wildlife rescue in the age of social media By Heath Hughes BAM! Something hit my car as I was driving home on Route 44 one night last fall. The sun had just crossed the edge of the trees and it was almost completely dark. I caught a glimpse of large, white wings.  I […]