• Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse

    Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]

  • Richard Byrne Retires as Active Firefighter

    After 58 years, veteran status By Joseph Kelly He was a young Navy veteran, about to be married and ready to start a family in his hometown when, in February 1968, his older brother convinced him to join the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). For Richard Byrne it was the start of an association that […]

  • Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus Will Benefit Local Food Banks

    Three Grammy nominees to perform at Infinity Hall By Colleen Gundlach On April 11, Infinity Hall will be the setting for Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus, a concert that will benefit Stock the Shelves, an outreach of United Way of Northwestern Connecticut. The Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus will feature three Grammy nominees […]

  • Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics

    To get the ice just right, filmmakers tapped Norfolk expertise By Joseph Kelly The underdogs who battle the odds—the washed-up boxer, the outclassed football team, the aging baseball slugger with one last homerun in him—are all Hollywood standbys. Ronald Reagan may be remembered as much for “win one for the Gipper” as he is for […]

  • How Botelle (Carefully) Uses AI for Learning

    By Avice Meehan For more than three decades, children visited the fictional town of Frog Creek, Penn., home to two children named Jack and Annie. With the help of a magic tree house, the pair are whisked away to distant places where they have adventures, solve problems and, perhaps, learn a thing or two. Like […]

  • Choral Singing Meets Bluegrass

    LCCU welcomes all ages to sing new styles By Andra Moss The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is entering its 127th concert year with decidedly youthful energy. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Gabriel Löfvall, the LCCU will convene a youth choral festival in Norfolk in late spring; offer a series of choral seminars […]

  • Winter Weekend In Norfolk

    It was a cold and blustery weekend, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out on Feb. 21 and 22 for Winter WIN, the weekend for enjoying all things Norfolk in the winter season. The photos below show a story of a town that came together to strut its stuff for the world to […]

  • From Freeze to Flow: Extreme Temps and the Maple Syrup Season

    Reaching that ideal mix of natural conditions By Jude Mead The extreme cold and heavy snowfall this season has raised some concern among maple syrup producers. Reports of loud, cracking noises in wooded areas have set the stage for a phenomenon called “frost cracking.” During these periods of intense cold, the water and sap inside […]

  • Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale

    With Jude Mead at the guitar and with great enthusiasm, members of the Isabella Eldridge Club defied a threatened winter storm and entered Battell Chapel on Feb. 10 for a memorable performance of an episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” a daft 1960s television comedy. Despite the best efforts of the Professor (played by Marinell Crippen, left) […]

  • Cook For Goodness Sake

    America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]

  • Be Careful, Very Careful

    An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]

  • The Week that Was

    First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others […]

Articles

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 […]

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 […]