• 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

Town Looks at Creating Solar Farm

Takes first steps to creating solar array at town landfill by David Beers On the same 149-acre town property where the transfer station is located, the town farm was established by the town in the 1800s to provide food and shelter to Norfolk’s indigent population. This was a town-run residence where destitute people were supported […]

Iconic Church Steeple Set for Temporary Removal

Judged unsafe in high winds By Kelly Kandra Hughes On September 8, after its Sunday worship service, the congregation of the United Church of Christ, Congregational voted on whether to remove the church steeple. Engineers had determined that even after recent repairs, the steeple was not guaranteed to be safe during winds greater than 40 […]

A Weekend of Puppets, Marionettes and Stiltwalkers: The Greenwoods Puppet Festival

A busker walks out from behind the puppet stage, ukulele in hand, and sings a brief history of the art of puppetry. There was Punch and Judy, of course, but also Pulcinella, escaped from the commedia dell’arte; Guignol, of the sharp wit and heavy cudgel; Karagöz, the Turkish shadow puppet; and Kaspar and Gretel, originally […]

Is Broadband for the Whole Town in Our Future?

By Andrew Thomson A few weeks ago, I sat at the counter in the Berkshire Country Store drinking my morning coffee and was approached by Norfolk Now to write an article about the initiative to bring a fiber optic connection to every house in town. As a millenial, I have realized that my age has […]

Convenience at Its Best

Berkshire Country Store to Launch “Norfolk Store 24” By Doug McDevitt We all enjoy convenience. While fishing the Housatonic River for many years, one of my convenient stops afterward was at a little corner store in Cornwall where I could enjoy a hot beverage or sandwich. It was warm and quaint inside and finished my […]

New Town Plan Imagines Downtown as ‘Campus’

Takes hard look at parking and pedestrian access By Wiley Wood With little fanfare and to sparse public attention, the Planning and Zoning Commission adopted a new town plan on Sept. 9. The document, which builds on earlier plans and a community input process that started eighteen months ago, is intended to guide growth and […]

Marty the Robot Arrives at Stop & Shop

Technology Report By Jude Mead If you shop at Stop and Shop in Canaan you might encounter Marty, an autonomous robot that roams throughout the store using image technology to notify store employees of any spills, debris or other potential hazards that may impede the safety of the customer. Stefanie Shuman, the communications manager for […]

Discussing the Future of Farming with Presidential Hopeful

Amanda Freund raises awareness of ecological advantage of farming By Colleen Gundlach The future of the farming community, and of northwestern Connecticut farmers in particular, was brought into the national spotlight when Amanda Freund of East Canaan had the opportunity to question a potential Democratic presidential candidate about his thoughts on the matter. Freund, whose […]

New Program to Bring a Little Wild Into Your Life

By Ruth Melville For the past few years, Norfolk resident Angela Luna Grano, a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator, has been offering presentations on nature and animals for children at local schools and libraries. But recognizing that adults, too, might need a little wildness in their lives, she developed a new program, called “Wild Magic,” that […]

Bibliomania: The Passion for Books and for Collecting Them

New exhibition opening at the Historical Society Museum By Ruth MelvillePhoto, top, of curator Lucy Mookerjee at the Norfolk Historical Society, by Bruce Frisch.In the late 18th century, a popular hobby, especially among English gentlemen, scholars and clergymen, was collecting books. In his 1809 book “Bibliomania; or Book Madness,” the English bibliographer Thomas Dibdin satirized […]

Maria Horn Discusses Education at Norfolk Forum

A statewide cooperative to stabilize special education costs is being considered By Wiley Wood State Representative Maria Horn recently addressed a group of Norfolk residents about education and education funding. The meeting was held at Botelle School on Aug. 1, with about 45 people in attendance. Horn reported that a task force delegated by the […]

Michele Sloane Retiring as Tax Assessor

By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Bruce Frisch An era will come to an end when Norfolk’s long-term and well-respected tax assessor retires next month. Michele Sloane, who also serves as chairman of the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z), recently took some time from organizing her move to Florida to reminisce about her years in Norfolk […]