• 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 […]

  • This Old Norfolk House

    Stevens House By Joe KellyWhen our Puritan forebears arrived on these shores in the early 1600s, they were no doubt surprised todiscover how the traditional thatched roof cottages they knew from back home were no match for thewind and cold of a typical New England winter. But it would have likely surprised them even more […]

  • Can wildlife safely cross Norfolk’s Roads?

    By Shelley Harms Where are animals crossing Norfolk’s roads? Are they making it across? Is it possible to make theircrossings safer? Julia Rogers, Senior Land Protection Manager at the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), helped agroup of interested Norfolk residents explore these questions at a training session sponsored by theNorfolk Land Trust on March 22 at […]

  • Great Mountain Forest’s New Executive Director Returns to His Connecticut Roots

    By David Beers Mike Zarfos started his new position as executive director of Great Mountain Forest (GMF) at the end ofFebruary. It has been a lively time for Zarfos and his family; in addition to moving from Washington,D.C., to Connecticut, they are expecting a baby in April. Zarfos grew up in Deep River, Conn., where […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    In the late 19th century, the arrival of every train at the depot on Station Place was widely anticipated.There were freight trains, milk trains and passenger trains unloading throngs of summer visitors. Theattractive station pictured here was built in 1898, replacing an earlier modest structure. Constructed ofnative granite, it was designed by Hill & Turner, […]

Articles

Collins & Company Upholstery

By Andra Moss Another newer addition to North Canaan’s Main Street is Collins & Company Upholstery, at number 93. Sylvia (Dooley) Collins opened her eponymous atelier in June, after having worked for 35 years in a studio in Sheffield.  Many in the local design world are familiar with Collins’ work and her dedication to the […]

Norfolk Ambulance Offers Narcan Leave Behind Kits

Program endeavors to reduce opioid deaths in Northwest Corner By Brigitte Ruthman Addiction can be found in every nook and cranny and just about every small town in America, including Norfolk. However, there are remedies in the hands of first responder Emergency Medical Technicias (EMTs) and firefighters who are on the front lines of emergency […]

Stace Dillard and Hilary VanWright to Display Their Art at The Hub

By Virginia Coleman-Prisco Georgia O’Keeffe once observed that “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way, things I had no words for.” Two local artists that similarly work from the heart will be exhibiting their work this month at the Norfolk Hub. Stace Dillard and Hilary […]

GMF Partnering with Yale School of Architecture

New research program explores sustainable forestry and building design By John Perkins What does forestry have to do with architecture? A lot, says Alan Organschi, senior critic at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, and director of Innovation Labs at Bauhaus Earth in Berlin, Germany. Organschi is also a design principal and partner […]

Keeping Us Informed

Town Website Plays Multiple Roles, Serving Multiple Audiences By Avice Meehan Over the past decade, Norfolk’s website has evolved from a project nurtured by the Coalition for Sound Growth (CSG) into a town-supported information hub that provides access to everything from agendas and minutes for town boards and committees to the seasonal operating hours for […]

Fresh, Healthy Dining Innovations Are on  the Menu at McMuckle’s Market

New eatery offers clean food for all tastes By Andra Moss Those who have vowed to eat healthier this year can get a delicious jump-start on that resolution with a visit to North Canaan’s newest dining establishment, McMuckle’s Market.  Chef and owner Matthew Sadowski offers guests his take on healthy grains and vegetable-forward fare that […]

West Lowe to Perform as Mark Twain at the Norfolk Library

Script made up of original Twain writings By Michael Cobb West Lowe is reviving his one-man show as Mark Twain for a Feb. 13 performance at the Norfolk Library. For those who have never seen Lowe as Twain, the actor embodies the writer by wearing period clothing and makeup, something he’s been doing for nearly […]

A New Kind of Recycling

Fire Department Gets New Truck, Gives Old One to Public Works Department By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department has recently purchased a new 2023 Ford F-350 brush truck, with a 225-gallon water tank and a 6-gallon fire-fighting foam cell. This smaller truck is good for handling brush fires and accessing difficult to reach […]

The Guilded Artisan Has Closed

By Jude Mead As The Guilded Artisan closed its doors last month, owner Sean Sweeney reflected on the past years. “My vision for the guild was to support our incredibly talented artist community while providing a place for the people of Norfolk, as well as others, to enjoy the artist’s talents and our beautiful town. […]

Hundreds Attend Service for Avery Nelson, 23

Fatal Christmas Day crash on Smith Hill in Salisbury By Joe Kelly In even the smallest town, you may not get to know all your neighbors. But if you’ve lived in Norfolk at any time in the last 20 years, had school-age children or simply went for a swim at Tobey Pond, there’s a good […]

Let’s Go Caroling Together

It’s the holiday season, and time for an old-fashioned carol sing. Everyone is invited – all ages, singers, musicians and even those who sing off key. This is the gathering to celebrate down home, small town holiday season. Come to the Church of Christ Congregational for a horse-drawn hayride around Norfolk for caroling on Sunday, […]

The Changing Scene on Ashpohtag Road

How a dream house became a sober house By Joe Kelly People often buy homes that turn out to be too small.  But the opposite scenario—getting stuck with a house that’s too big—can be even more problematic. It’s never fun trying to unload a property that’s bleeding you dry with taxes, utilities and a jumbo […]