• 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

Big Bluestem Beauty Highlights Open Space Availability

Shelley Harms wins award for her nature photography By Colleen Gundlach Shelley Harms is no stranger to conservation and land trust issues. A longtime Norfolk resident, she has served on several land trusts in the region and now has won a first-place award for her nature photography. Each year, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council partners […]

Senior Health and Happiness a Priority at Geer Village

Health and Wellness in the Town Budget By Ruth MelvillePhoto: The residents of Geer’s skilled nursing facility gather for a sing-along every Friday afternoon, led by volunteer Barbara Moeckel, left, of Norfolk. When you walk in the door of main building at Geer Village Senior Community, you might think you were in a country lodge. […]

April Programs at the Norfolk Library

Heather Scofield Exhibit at the Norfolk LibraryThe landscape paintings of Heather Scofield will be on display at the library during the month of April. Scofield is part of the Kent School community, where her husband teaches art. In her work she focuses on the sculptural shapes, lines, and varied colors of trees, from birches to […]

The Year-Round Work of Mounting a Festival

By James NelsonPhoto by Bruce Frisch: Harumi Rhodes, violin, and Benjamin Hochman, piano, play a Friday concert at the Music Shed. Melvin Chen and company are all hard at work putting everything in place for the coming Norfolk Chamber Music Festival programs. Yes, we work on Norfolk year-round—planning, organizing, recruiting, fund-raising, marketing, more planning, hiring […]

Trout Fishermen on the Watch for Spring

By Doug McDevitt The sound of crusted snow crunched under my boots. The snow gave me a modicum of traction on the hard-packed ice as I approached a closed gate that displayed an ominous sign stating, “ICE IS NOT SAFE.” I certainly knew that going out on the water now wouldn’t be any fun at […]

Dealing With a Loved One’s Legacy of Stuff

By Kelly Kandra Hughes “If we don’t start taking care of Mother Earth, she’s going to stop taking care of us,” says Norfolk resident Ann Moseley. These thoughts are forefront in Moseley’s mind these days as she recently went through the process of dealing with her father’s and stepmother’s belongings. They both passed away at […]

Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission Plans for the Future

Organization to concentrate on two key issues By Gordon Anderson According to the town website, the purpose of Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission is “to grow business revenues and to promote a wide variety of investment in the community. To achieve these goals, the Commission develops initiatives and encourages other governmental and volunteer groups to participate.” […]

Volunteers at Botelle School Enrich Student Learning Both Academically and Socially

By Kelly Kandra Hughes In 1998, Sergeant Richard Byrne retired from the Airport Division of the State Police. Looking for a way to spend his newfound free time, Byrne began volunteering at Botelle Elementary School, since his oldest granddaughter, Angelina Mary, was a student there. Twenty-one years later, Byrne is still active at Botelle. “It’s […]

Norfolk Hosts NHCOG 2019 Economic Development Summit

Attendees tour downtown before annual meeting By Ruth Melville The Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) held its 2019 Economic Development Summit in Norfolk on Feb. 19. This annual gathering gives representatives of the 21 towns in the Northwest Corner a chance to assess how their region is doing—what gains, or losses, were experienced during […]

Cannabis: Coming of Age in 2019

By David Beers In early January, a store that sells recreational cannabis (marijuana) opened its doors in Great Barrington. The Theory Wellness dispensary is the first of its kind in our area, which makes it a much talked about destination. The recreational sale of cannabis is now legal in Canada and the states of Massachusetts, […]

Mountain View Green Retreat Offers Bio-Magnet, Massage and Reiki Therapies

By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Bruyce Frisch Imagine relaxing in a sun-drenched room overlooking the hills and valleys of Norfolk while a trained therapist works on revitalizing your spirit and relaxing your body. Soft music envelops the room while you recline in soft white linens. This is the reality to be found at Mountain View Green […]

Agricultural Education Program Provides Classroom Learning and Hands-On Skills

By Charlotte McDevitt There are many different activities that students can participate in when entering Northwestern Regional 7, and some programs will benefit them throughout their lives. One example is the Agricultural Education Program, or Ag. There are three different parts of the Ag program: Class and Lab, FFA (Future Farmers of America) and SAEP […]