• 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 […]

  • 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 […]

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 […]