• 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

Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry in Canaan Raising Money to Repair Pilgrim House

By Ruth MelvillePhoto by C. J. Sosna Since 1992, the Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry in Canaan has been abiding by its motto, “Feed the community you want to live in.” The pantry, part of the mission of the North Canaan Congregation Church, serves 70 families a week, mostly from Canaan, but they also welcome […]

African-American Civil War Soldier Remembered in Winsted

Righting a Historical Wrong By Wiley Wood The African-American community in northwestern Connecticut responded strongly to the call for volunteers during the Civil War, according to local historian Virginia Shultz-Charette, and at least seven black men from Winsted served in the Union Army. Until a few days ago, six of them had their names inscribed […]

Electric Bikes Take Off in Norfolk

By David BeersPhoto by David Beers On the evening of May 20 there were a bunch of cyclists going up hills in town while giggling—part of the ebike workshop at the Norfolk Hub, organized by West Lowe and Berkshire Bike and Board. The bicycles looked a bit different and certainly the cyclists were acting strange. […]

The Thin Red Line of Volunteers

Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance By Doug McDevittPhoto by Bruce Frisch The anticipated knock at the door was greeted with a quick step while the guests were greeted with smiles and the aroma of roast turkey, stuffing and fresh baked pies. Mouths were watering on both sides of the door as family and friends were reunited […]

Acupuncture for Horses? Of course!

Results-based alternative therapies for pets By Kelly Kandra Hughes Mexico, a horse with a big personality, wasn’t too sure about Dr. Andrew Flint, DVM, of Litchfield Hills Mobile Veterinary Clinic, the first time they met. Now, he greets Dr. Flint every time by sticking his head out of his stall and making all sorts of […]

Enriching Talent at Botelle

By Virginia Coleman-PriscoPhoto by Kailyn Nadeau          On Friday, May 3, Botelle Elementary School hosted its fourth annual Talent Show to a large and enthusiastic audience. Botelle parent and talent show producer Kailyn Nadeau pointed out how “great it is to see Norfolk residents who are without kids in the school attend the talent show and […]

Norfolk Farmers Market

A Proud History and a Bright Future By Jude MeadPhoto by Bruce Frisch When the farmers market began to make a slow comeback about 13 years ago on the West Coast and in urban areas, Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission took notice of the trend. They also paid attention to the clean food movement and saw […]

Curtain Rises on a New Act at Infinity Hall

Dan Hincks sells business to GoodWorks Entertainment By Ruth MelvillePhoto by Bruce Frisch After months of uncertainty and rumors in town, it was announced in early April that owner Dan Hincks had sold Infinity Music Hall and Bistro in Norfolk and Hartford to Goodworks Entertainment, a concert promotion company based in Fairfield, Conn.  After extensive […]

Town Sets Lean Budget for Coming Year

Tax rates will rise By Wiley Wood Spring is when the bean counters at Town Hall reveal the budget for the coming year—and its consequences for taxpayers. This year the news is mixed. Town spending will go down in 2019-20, and the overall taxes the town will collect will drop by almost 3 percent. But […]

What Birds Can Be Found in Norfolk?

Volunteers in Connecticut Bird Atlas Project Collect Evidence By Shelley HarmsPhoto by Bruce Frisch: great blue herons nesting It is spring, and birds are raising their families, but which birds are bringing up babies here in Norfolk? The bird atlas project currently underway will reveal which birds are enjoying Norfolk alongside us.  Connecticut’s first atlas […]

Spring Cleaning for a Summer Garden

Small Seeds Need Volunteers to Help Them Grow By Virginia Coleman-PriscoPhoto by Hilary VanWright  On the afternoons of April 10and 11, The Norfolk After School Program (NASP) hosted a Community Garden Clean Up at the Botelle School Community Garden located in the southwest corner of the building.   Led by Botelle’s school nurse and healthy eating advocate, […]

Zinke’s Homegrown Knows a Thing or Two About Food Trends

Keeping the Family Farm Sustainable By Jeremy Withnell Photo by Bruce Frisch Bruce Zinke, owner of Zinke’s Homegrown, a farm and business just next door in Canaan, puts down his gardening shears and states, “You know, I’ve never had a full-time job in my whole life.” It quickly becomes clear that this doesn’t mean he hasn’t worked […]