• 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

Norfolk Awaits the Opening of the Hub in Station Place

  By Dijana Vajushi As many Norfolkians are aware, 2 Station Place in downtown has been vacant since September 2014. This spring will see the eagerly awaited reincarnation of the building as the Hub, the Norfolk Foundation’s coworking and meeting space. Dawn Whalen, executive director of the Norfolk Foundation, explains the purposes of the Hub: […]

Open Anywhere: New Stories by John Funchion

  By Charles Fidlar “When once invited to join a police lineup, I didn’t visualize the scurrilous group of dysfunctional miscreants that I would be alongside.” I know you might guess Mickey Spillane wrote this teaser, but in fact it’s the opening sentence of “The Lineup,” one of John Funchion’s stories from his new collection, […]

Wellness Classes for Mental and Physical Health

Exercising with Friends   By David Beers There is something special happening at the Norfolk Congregational Church’s Battell Chapel almost every day of every week. That something is wellness classes that are open to everyone in our community. You could (and should) go to a gym to get exercise, but you could also enjoy these […]

Station Place Café Serves Up Good Food and Lively Conversation

Spotlight on Town Business   By Colleen Gundlach To build a successful business in Norfolk, it takes a special kind of strong and business-savvy person. That person needs to be able to know instinctively what the 1,500 or so locals need year-round and what the expanded summer population wants during their few months here. In […]

Winter WIN

It was hardly a winter wonderland in Norfolk for Winter WIN, but plenty of people showed up anyway. At 40 degrees, ice skating and sledding were off the schedule, but there was still plenty of fun to be had indoors and out. Visitors. above, enjoyed s’mores and hot chocolate on the patio of Infinity Bistro. […]

NHCOG Hosts Annual Regional Economic Summit

What Have We Accomplished, Where Are We Going   By Ruth Melville On a bitterly cold night at the end of January, the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) held its third annual economic development summit in the Mad River Lofts building in Winsted. The main goal for the summit was to discuss the perennial […]

Curling Club Celebrates the Olympics

The sport of curling is an important part of Norfolk winter life, but it’s not a passion that’s much shared among the general population. But every four years, during the Winter Olympics, curling takes its place on the world stage. In honor of this year’s Olympics, the Norfolk Curling Club hosted a day of special […]

Norfolk Community Garden Flourishes at Botelle School

  By Gabby Nelson Walking through the Norfolk Community Garden behind Botelle School in midwinter, one may not be greeted by the same lush show as in midsummer, but there is evidence everywhere of promise for the season to come. The picnic tables sitting on a brick patio in the center of the garden wait […]

Consolini & Tonan: Planting Gardens, Building Community

  By Ruth Melville Marc Tonan and Marialisa Consolini, the co-owners of Consolini & Tonan Landscape Design, have been working together, on and off, for over 25 years. Both gardeners got an early start on their future careers. When he was only 11 years old, Tonan was hired by Fred and Mary Ann McGourty to […]

School Costs Rise, but Board of Finance Unmoved

Plea for small increase meets with little sympathy   By Wiley Wood In an early skirmish of the town budget wars, the Board of Finance delivered strong messages to the Regional No. 7 Board of Education and to the Norfolk Board of Education that this was not a year for budget increases. School Superintendant Mary […]

State Biologists Call on Public to Report Bobcat Sightings

  By Jude Mead Have you seen a bobcat lately? Have you spotted a footprint of one in the snow? If so, then Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), would like to know. Hawley said the state is conducting a bobcat study to evaluate the habitat and […]

It’s a Farm Brewery, But Not Just Beer Is on Tap

Outdoor activity for all seasons at Norbrook Farm Brewery   By Colleen Gundlach Excitement has been mounting around town for the much-anticipated opening of Norbrook Farm Brewery, expected to begin operations later this year. This new business in town, owned by brothers John and Randy Auclair, promises to be much more than a place to […]