• Proposed Manor House Expansion Draws Large Crowd

    Many differing views on effect of change in town center By Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents filled the Botelle School Hall of Flags on a very cold evening on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to attend the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) public hearing regarding a modification to the special permit granted in 1996 to the property known as […]

  • From All Angels

    Throughout the month of February, Garet&Co will be returning to Norfolk to present their third annual performance in the Battell Chapel, where each piece will be set in the round.  In this presentation, titled “From All Angles”, the audience will witness the translation of three of the works presented at their fall show.   “Can’t Keep […]

  • Norfolk Then

    Pictured here is the house built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spofford as their summer home. The son of Ainsworth Spofford, Librarian of Congress, Charles Spofford was an electrical engineer, who would be hired in 1902 to manage London’s underground railway system, converting it from steam to electricity. The Spoffords engaged the architect […]

  • 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 […]

Articles

A Quick Preview of the Midterm Election

The midterm elections on Nov. 6 will see the election of a new governor in Connecticut, as Dannell P. Malloy leaves after eight years in office. Also in contention are Christopher Murphy’s United States Senate seat and the Fifth Congressional District seat currently held by Elizabeth Esty, who has chosen to step down in the […]

Squirrels: They Are Everywhere

  By Jude Mead On a good day it seems like there’s an overpopulation of squirrels this year, but the professionals disagree. According to Michael Gregonis, a wildlife biologist at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the number of squirrels racing about in our backyards is actually lower than last year. “There has […]

At Budget Meeting, Parents Debate Botelle’s Future Direction

  By Wiley Wood The tone was confrontational. “I really don’t care about that,” said Heather Adams, a parent. The superintendent was saying that each student at Botelle Elementary School gets a computer tablet. “The amount the school spends on technology,” said Adams, “is a concern for me.” The meeting was intended to give parents […]

Shrinking Our Water Footprint on ‘The Blue Marble’

How Norfolk measures up   By Kathy Robb We connect with water, and our lives depend on it. The quality and availability of unpolluted drinking water has topped our environmental concerns in polls for a quarter of a century. In 2017, Americans expressed more concern about water pollution than they had since 2001. Low-income and […]

A New Priest Joins St. Martin of Tours Parish

Norfolk parish welcomes Father M. David Dawson   By Colleen Gundlach After serving the Norfolk community for the past five years, Father Ian Highet celebrated his final Mass at St. Martin of Tours Parish on Sunday, September 9. During his last homily at the Norfolk church, Fr. Highet thanked the parishioners for their love and […]

Instrumental Education Hits the Right Note at Northwestern Regional

Program attracts budding musicians   By Charlotte McDevitt Music is very significant part of a child’s education, but music education is often one of the first academic areas cut during budget negotiations. Botelle School was recently forced to eliminate their stringed instrument program, but band class at the school is still ongoing. A very encouraging […]

New Teachers Bring Renewed Energy and Broad Experience to Botelle School

  By Ann DeCerbo Three new faces greeted Botelle’s elementary school students this year—fourth grade teacher Nichole Pitruzello, music teacher Sandra Kleisner, and school nurse Donna Pequignot. These women bring a wide range of experiences and perspectives to the school. A recent UConn graduate, Nichole Pitruzello is a bubbly, enthusiastic new teacher certified in elementary […]

Is a Maker Lab in Norfolk’s Future?

Local group explores the possibility on a field trip to New Haven   By Karen Rossi In New Haven there is a special scent to the air in early fall. It’s born from the rustling leaves of the tree-lined streets, the cool nights and hot days mixed with a bit of salt air rolling in […]

Norfolk’s Club Activities: The Shooting Sports

  By David Beers If you head past the Norfolk landfill toward Winsted on Route 44, you may have noticed a few red buildings, a gated gravel road and some archery targets in the woods across from the Rock Pile Driving Range. What you are seeing as you whiz by is just the tip of […]

The Paperback Revolution That Started in Norfolk

How Modern Age Books changed the way Americans read   By Lucy Mookerjee Modern Age Books, Inc., founded by Norfolk’s Richard S. Childs in 1936, was the first large-scale publisher to produce paperback books in the United States. Modern Age released progressive paperbacks that were inexpensive and accessible to the general public. On display at the […]

Restaurant Roundup: New and Ethnic Eateries

The Norfolk area offers a wide array of choices   By Ruth Melville Although I love the many advantages of living in such a beautiful place as Norfolk, one thing I miss about city life is the wide choice of foreign cuisines on offer. So I was delighted to discover that there are several new […]

Catching the Annual Fall Migration of Hawks

  By Jude Mead Witnessing firsthand the sight of hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of hawks flying overhead during their fall migration to South America is an extraordinary experience. Those that have seen this spectacle say it is the event of a lifetime, and Ayrslea Denny can attest to that. Denny has been […]