• Norfolk Crowds Return to New Farmers Market

    By Andra Moss The crowd was large, loud and loving it at July’s Northwest Farm to Fork farmers market, held under the pavilion at Norbrook Farm Brewery. “We were very pleased with the turnout, with approximately 230 customers coming through and 16 food and farm vendors,” says Lisa Auclair, a co-founder, with Devin Grosso and […]

  • Friday Night on the Green Celebrates America’s 250th

    July 3 was a picture-perfect night for the community-wide event cel-ebrating America’s Independence. Following a quick parade, picnickers enjoyed burgers and ice cream while judges dug into the entries in the pie baking contest. First Selectman Hen-ry Tirrell moved seamlessly from his welcome speech to the dunk tank, and a few folks, like Pete Sanders […]

  • NORFOLK REMEMBERS Laurene Mary Wallace

    Laurene Mary Wallace, 77, of Colebrook passed peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Friday, July 10, 2026. Laurene was born on April 28, 1949, in Bridgeport, the last of four children born to the late Lawrence and Irene (Misencik) Firmender of Stratford. A retired registered nurse, Laurene’s career in nursing and cardiac rehabilitation […]

  • Norfolk Remembers Sally Sterling Ellis Quale

    Sally Sterling Ellis Quale, of Norfolk and St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Bronxville, N.Y., died unexpectedly of heart failure on July 7 at the age of 87. Sally will be remembered for her deep commitment to her family and communities and for her warmth, kindness, intelligence, creativity … and, of course, for her beautiful smile […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    This charming house, still standing on the west side of Litchfield Rd., was built in 1905 for Richmond Paine, the newly appointed conductor of the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU). Carl and Ellen Battell Stoeckel engaged the architect Ehrick Rossiter to design the house for Paine as well as the Music Shed for performances by […]

  • Norfolk’s Newest Neighborhood Puts Down Roots

    Haystack Woods lauded as a “model for the state” By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s newest neighborhood, the Haystack Woods affordable housing development, has officially come to life. A year ago, the 39-acre location—a former gravel pit off Old Colony Road—was little more than a muddy building site. Now construction of the 10, two- and three-bedroom homes […]

  • Winsted Church Auctions Tiffany Window for $1.25 Million

    Sale highlights women’s role in Tiffany designs By Joe Kelly When medieval architects found ways to build taller cathedrals, the techniques they developed also made possible the enormous stained-glass windows that we so enjoy today, such as at Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle in France and Canterbury Cathedral in England. American-made stained glass is more recent, dating […]

  • A Revolutionary Year

    1776 Norfolk explored in summer exhibition By Andra Moss Communities across the country are looking back with wonder at 1776, the year that 13 British colonies initiated a revolution that, against astonishing odds, led to the birth of an independent republic. In Norfolk, two curators have combed the Norfolk Historical Society’s (NHS) collection for colonial-era […]

  • SUMMER MUSIC: Familiar Quartets, New Composers at Yale Chamber Festival

    By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 3 until Aug. 22, will present an exciting season of classical, innovative and international music. This summer, the Brentano Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Ying Quartet and the Horszowski Trio are among those who will perform during weekend concerts and serve as artist-in-residence mentors to the […]

  • Botelle Students Move Up

    By Avice Meehan Four sixth graders bid farewell to Botelle Elementary School at a laughter-filled, but occasionally serious, ceremony on June 16 that was attended by family, friends and town officials. First Selectmen Henry Tirrell, a Botelle graduate whose mother and aunt taught at the school for many years, reminded the students that they would […]

  • Norfolk Rail-Trail Project Pedals Forward

    By Jude Mead After more than a decade of planning, permiting and redesign work, Norfolk’s long-await-ed Rails-to-Trails initiative has reached a major milestone, bringing the community closer to the creation of a new multi-use recreational trail along a historic railroad corridor. The project is the North Brook Trail, a planned three-quarter-mile ADA-accessi-ble pathway that will […]

  • LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Budgets, Beetles, Nips and More

    By Avice Meehan State Rep. Maria Horn came prepared to share details about the Connecticut budget (she is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee) and the progress that has been made toward paying down the state’s unfunded pension liability, increasing the rainy day fund (now up to $18 billion) and allocating more state funds […]

Articles

New Artisans’ Shop Opens in Canaan

Woodworking, iron works, yard art and more By David BeersPhoto by Bruce Frisch Jesse Morey wanted to experiment in the world of retail after 20 years of self-employment in construction. He opened a pop-up shop across the street from Stop & Shop in Canaan this past December to sell a variety of items made locally […]

The Psychology of Stuff

On April 15, as part of the Mondays at the Hub series, with a record-breaking 22 people in attendance, Dr. Kelly Kandra Hughes gave an engaging presentation on how to simplify one’s life by reducing one’s possessions. Working from the evaluations and feedback, Hughes will be hosting another session on getting rid of stuff later […]

Zoning Approves Agribusiness Proposal

By Wiley Wood Husky Meadows Farm applied for and was granted a special permit to operate a five-bedroom country inn on its Doolittle Drive property. At a public hearing on March 12 before the Planning and Zoning Commission, farm manager Tracy Hayhurst described the proposed inn as a place for weekend-long retreats that would combine […]

Artist and Arborist

By David BeersPhoto by Bruce Frisch Paul-Robert Blackman is very excited about his recent move to Norfolk. Blackman grew up in Torrington with a family that is intimately involved with the arts and the trades. Playing music, acting in community theater and creating art were part of growing up. Also part of growing up was […]

It’s Spring! Animals Awake From Hibernation

By Jude Mead Spring is the time to celebrate more sunshine and warmer days. Spring is also the time when many animals awaken from a long winter’s nap. After spending a season sleeping, they emerge hungry and ready to roam. Making it to spring, however, is not an easy task for some of these animals. […]

Big Bluestem Beauty Highlights Open Space Availability

Shelley Harms wins award for her nature photography By Colleen Gundlach Shelley Harms is no stranger to conservation and land trust issues. A longtime Norfolk resident, she has served on several land trusts in the region and now has won a first-place award for her nature photography. Each year, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council partners […]

Senior Health and Happiness a Priority at Geer Village

Health and Wellness in the Town Budget By Ruth MelvillePhoto: The residents of Geer’s skilled nursing facility gather for a sing-along every Friday afternoon, led by volunteer Barbara Moeckel, left, of Norfolk. When you walk in the door of main building at Geer Village Senior Community, you might think you were in a country lodge. […]

April Programs at the Norfolk Library

Heather Scofield Exhibit at the Norfolk LibraryThe landscape paintings of Heather Scofield will be on display at the library during the month of April. Scofield is part of the Kent School community, where her husband teaches art. In her work she focuses on the sculptural shapes, lines, and varied colors of trees, from birches to […]

The Year-Round Work of Mounting a Festival

By James NelsonPhoto by Bruce Frisch: Harumi Rhodes, violin, and Benjamin Hochman, piano, play a Friday concert at the Music Shed. Melvin Chen and company are all hard at work putting everything in place for the coming Norfolk Chamber Music Festival programs. Yes, we work on Norfolk year-round—planning, organizing, recruiting, fund-raising, marketing, more planning, hiring […]

Trout Fishermen on the Watch for Spring

By Doug McDevitt The sound of crusted snow crunched under my boots. The snow gave me a modicum of traction on the hard-packed ice as I approached a closed gate that displayed an ominous sign stating, “ICE IS NOT SAFE.” I certainly knew that going out on the water now wouldn’t be any fun at […]

Dealing With a Loved One’s Legacy of Stuff

By Kelly Kandra Hughes “If we don’t start taking care of Mother Earth, she’s going to stop taking care of us,” says Norfolk resident Ann Moseley. These thoughts are forefront in Moseley’s mind these days as she recently went through the process of dealing with her father’s and stepmother’s belongings. They both passed away at […]

Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission Plans for the Future

Organization to concentrate on two key issues By Gordon Anderson According to the town website, the purpose of Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission is “to grow business revenues and to promote a wide variety of investment in the community. To achieve these goals, the Commission develops initiatives and encourages other governmental and volunteer groups to participate.” […]