• 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

Collins & Company Upholstery

By Andra Moss Another newer addition to North Canaan’s Main Street is Collins & Company Upholstery, at number 93. Sylvia (Dooley) Collins opened her eponymous atelier in June, after having worked for 35 years in a studio in Sheffield.  Many in the local design world are familiar with Collins’ work and her dedication to the […]

Norfolk Ambulance Offers Narcan Leave Behind Kits

Program endeavors to reduce opioid deaths in Northwest Corner By Brigitte Ruthman Addiction can be found in every nook and cranny and just about every small town in America, including Norfolk. However, there are remedies in the hands of first responder Emergency Medical Technicias (EMTs) and firefighters who are on the front lines of emergency […]

Stace Dillard and Hilary VanWright to Display Their Art at The Hub

By Virginia Coleman-Prisco Georgia O’Keeffe once observed that “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way, things I had no words for.” Two local artists that similarly work from the heart will be exhibiting their work this month at the Norfolk Hub. Stace Dillard and Hilary […]

GMF Partnering with Yale School of Architecture

New research program explores sustainable forestry and building design By John Perkins What does forestry have to do with architecture? A lot, says Alan Organschi, senior critic at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, and director of Innovation Labs at Bauhaus Earth in Berlin, Germany. Organschi is also a design principal and partner […]

Keeping Us Informed

Town Website Plays Multiple Roles, Serving Multiple Audiences By Avice Meehan Over the past decade, Norfolk’s website has evolved from a project nurtured by the Coalition for Sound Growth (CSG) into a town-supported information hub that provides access to everything from agendas and minutes for town boards and committees to the seasonal operating hours for […]

Fresh, Healthy Dining Innovations Are on  the Menu at McMuckle’s Market

New eatery offers clean food for all tastes By Andra Moss Those who have vowed to eat healthier this year can get a delicious jump-start on that resolution with a visit to North Canaan’s newest dining establishment, McMuckle’s Market.  Chef and owner Matthew Sadowski offers guests his take on healthy grains and vegetable-forward fare that […]

West Lowe to Perform as Mark Twain at the Norfolk Library

Script made up of original Twain writings By Michael Cobb West Lowe is reviving his one-man show as Mark Twain for a Feb. 13 performance at the Norfolk Library. For those who have never seen Lowe as Twain, the actor embodies the writer by wearing period clothing and makeup, something he’s been doing for nearly […]

A New Kind of Recycling

Fire Department Gets New Truck, Gives Old One to Public Works Department By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department has recently purchased a new 2023 Ford F-350 brush truck, with a 225-gallon water tank and a 6-gallon fire-fighting foam cell. This smaller truck is good for handling brush fires and accessing difficult to reach […]

The Guilded Artisan Has Closed

By Jude Mead As The Guilded Artisan closed its doors last month, owner Sean Sweeney reflected on the past years. “My vision for the guild was to support our incredibly talented artist community while providing a place for the people of Norfolk, as well as others, to enjoy the artist’s talents and our beautiful town. […]

Hundreds Attend Service for Avery Nelson, 23

Fatal Christmas Day crash on Smith Hill in Salisbury By Joe Kelly In even the smallest town, you may not get to know all your neighbors. But if you’ve lived in Norfolk at any time in the last 20 years, had school-age children or simply went for a swim at Tobey Pond, there’s a good […]

Let’s Go Caroling Together

It’s the holiday season, and time for an old-fashioned carol sing. Everyone is invited – all ages, singers, musicians and even those who sing off key. This is the gathering to celebrate down home, small town holiday season. Come to the Church of Christ Congregational for a horse-drawn hayride around Norfolk for caroling on Sunday, […]

The Changing Scene on Ashpohtag Road

How a dream house became a sober house By Joe Kelly People often buy homes that turn out to be too small.  But the opposite scenario—getting stuck with a house that’s too big—can be even more problematic. It’s never fun trying to unload a property that’s bleeding you dry with taxes, utilities and a jumbo […]