• 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

Focus on New Firehouse shifts to funding

Costs likely to rise beyond initial $5 million estimate By Joe Kelly After months of sometimes contentious public hearings, plans for a new Norfolk firehouse are nearing the end of the wetlands/zoning part of the approval process and heading into a decisive new phase: finding the money to pay for it all. The Planning & […]

Pig Iron Films

East Canaan Landmark Was Inspiration for Filmmaking Business By Michael Cobb Perotti is a name well known throughout the northwest corner of Connecticut. Though he has worked as a plumbing apprentice for the family business, Perotti & Sons, Inc., Ted Perotti’s vocation has led him in a different direction –  filmmaking. A native of East […]

New Beginnings

Jennifer Almquist Works to Document the Faces of Homelessness and Poverty By Bina Thomson When Jennifer Almquist first heard an offhand comment about “the people living in the woods,” she had to find out more. Almquist, a lifelong resident of Northwestern Connecticut, knew that the woods between Norfolk and Winsted were not a good place […]

The Curling Weatherman

Russell Russ Has Written his 200th Norfolk Weather Column for Norfolk Now By David Beers What do you get when you combine a wry wit, Minnesota nice, the weather, some curling, and a woodsman sprinkled with maple sugar? You get Russell Russ.  In April of 2006, three years after the start of Norfolk Now, Russ […]

Botelle Students to Present “Frozen Jr.” March 22 and 23

By Andra Moss What more ideal setting could there be for a production of Frozen Jr., this year’s musical by the students of Botelle Elementary School, than the Icebox of Connecticut?  “Frozen Jr. is an abbreviated version of the 2018 Broadway show by Disney,” explains Becky Keyes, a co-director, with Megan Schneider, of the production. […]

Eye on the Arts: Local Dance Company Inspires Audiences with Emotional Performances

By Bina Thomson Garet Wierdsma began dancing as a young child, but it didn’t become a passion until her teenage years. Now she runs Garet&Co, a contemporary dance company that offers breathtaking performances to audiences throughout northwestern Connecticut. The company will be making a welcome return to Norfolk on March 9 with a performance in […]

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 […]