• 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

Local Therapist Uses the Web to Teach Proper Movement Techniques

By Jude Mead “Remember what it felt like to be a kid, moving effortlessly and without pain? Correcting your movement is the first step in returning to this state.” These are the words of James O’Brien, a physical therapist and the founder of Perfecting Movement, LLC. O’Brien recently launched a new website, perfectingmovement.net, whose focus […]

Great Falls Brewing Company Now Serving Up Pints in Canaan Rail Station

By Jeremy WithnellPhoto by Clinton J. Sosna Great Falls Brewing Company in North Canaan opened its doors only this past December, yet it has already become a vibrant community hub in addition to a place to down a pint. Owner Chris Tripler says that has been his vision all along. Situated in the heart of […]

Summer Art Program Gets a New Start in Its 71st Year

New lecture series planned By Wiley WoodPhoto by A. Kim From mid-May to late June each year, Norfolk hosts the 26 undergraduates who attend the Yale Summer School of Art in Norfolk, but though they live in the houses of Norfolk residents, they go largely unnoticed. A few more young people may be seen walking […]

Affordable Condo Development Planned for Old Colony Road

State funds sought for 10 energy-efficient homes By Wiley Wood In 2015, Norfolk architect Kate Johnson won a statewide award for having designed an energy-efficient home. So efficient was the house that it was given a Home Energy Rating System Index of -12, meaning that the building generates more energy from the photovoltaic cells on […]

Pop-Up Makerspace Fosters Craft and Community

Making art while making friends By Ruth MelvillePhotos by C. J. Sosna The Hub has been host to a variety of public events since it opened its doors less than a year ago, but none has been as lively as the pop-up makerspace that took place on Jan. 26. This first-time event was organized by […]

Church Choirs in Norfolk Sing for Worship and Fellowship

By David BeersPhotos by Bruce Frisch For many decades both the Catholic Church and Congregational Church in town have had active choirs with a long list of devoted singing members. Both choirs are fortunate to be led by musically gifted and experienced choir directors (and organ players), who are paid church staff. Deirdre Broderick has […]

Changes On the Way for the Children’s Room at the Library

Facelift will feature reading nook and star-bright lighting By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Savage Frieze Generations of Norfolk children have spent many happy hours in the Children’s Room at the Norfolk Library. Originally located in what is now the Reference Room, the Children’s Room moved to its current location about 30 years ago when the beautiful […]

Nocturnal Animals Enliven the Norfolk Darkness

By Jude MeadPhoto by Fred Knight Norfolk is considered a quiet town during the cold winter months, leading to the mistaken impression that the village rolls up its streets at dusk and slumbers until dawn. Actually that is the time when the exciting world of darkness comes alive and the stillness of the night is […]

November and December Weather and a Yearly Summary for 2018

Lots of Warmth and Precipitation By Russell Russ The year of 2018 was a wet one, and the months of November and December were also above normal for precipitation with both months adding to our yearly surplus. The previous three years were all below normal for precipitation, but 2018 ended that—and then some. The conclusion […]

From the Fire Department to the Farmers Market, Norfolk Always Needs Volunteers

By Kelly Kandra HughesPhoto by Jon Barbagallo New Year’s may have come and gone, but many of us are still grappling with our New Year’s resolutions. For anyone in Norfolk who included give back to the community as a resolution in 2019, we have good news for you—there are many ways you can help right […]

A Very Unusual Election Day Indeed

Huge turnout for mid-terms   By Colleen Gundlach It was a mid-term election like none other in the collective memories of Norfolk residents. Most mid-term voters are apathetic, resulting in, as a general rule, a low turnout. That was not the case with this November’s race. A whopping 70 percent of the town’s voters came […]

Collaborative Workshop on Downtown Design Holds Final Meeting

Suggestions will be added to new town plan By Wiley Wood Photo by Bruce Frisch As winter closes in, most Norfolkians will limit their interactions with the town center to the few yards of sidewalk between their parked car and the post office or library. In the summertime, a person might take a more expansive […]