• 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

Steeple of Congregational Church Needs Urgent Repair

Congregation will look to community for help in restoration   By Wiley Wood From the vantage of one of the wooded ridgetops around town, there is often no indication of where Norfolk lies other than the spire of the Congregational Church, a white shaft rising out of the trees to mark the village green. But […]

Retirement Party Honors First Selectman Dyer

Counting the achievements of nearly two decades   By Wiley Wood The tables and chairs were pushed back in the dining room at the Wood Creek Bar and Grill on a recent Sunday, and a broad cross-section of Norfolk residents were gathered around a banquet table to honor First Selectman Sue Dyer, who will step […]

Norfolk Food Pantry Is Open to All, All Year Round

  By Chris Sinclair As the cornstalks mysteriously migrate from the now flattened fields into people’s front yards, and eggnog begins appearing on the supermarket shelves in a startling array of novelty flavors, it is important to recall that the harvest cornucopia is not overflowing for everyone. While Norfolk is a beautiful and comfortable home […]

Artisans Guild Flourishing in Revived Downtown

  By Ruth Melville When the Artisans Guild decided to close its doors in January 2008, after 17 years in operation, it was a sad day for craft lovers and gift buyers in Norfolk. But now, almost 10 years later, the Artisans Guild is not just back in business but thriving, under the ownership of […]

Cooperative Grocery Store Coming to Downtown Winsted

Mad River Market hoping to open by the end of 2018   By Colleen Gundlach Winsted used to have a variety of grocery stores from which to choose: the A&P on Main Street and later Willow Street; Liberty Market and Mencuccini’s on Main Street; Nichols Market on Park Place; Bruno’s and Toto’s up by the […]

At closing time, in a little-known part of the forest…

BH Upcycled Designs Gives New Life to Old Clothing

  By Ruth Melville We all know there’s too much waste in the modern world. The days of “make do and mend” are largely gone, and new clothing is available so cheaply that most people prefer to throw an old shirt out and buy a new one. But Norfolk Farmers Market vendor MaryLynne Boisvert takes […]

Zoning and Wetlands Seek Authority to Issue Citations

Town schedules enforcement ordinance for vote   By Wiley Wood Should the Town of Norfolk be allowed to fine its residents for violations of zoning and inland wetlands regulations? This is the question that will be put to vote at a town meeting this month. At present, the enforcement officer can notify a landowner who […]

Trouble Comes Disguised as a Beautiful Ornamental!

  By John Anderson As mid fall approaches, the leaves of many plants senesce and change color. White ash trees are some of the first woody plants to drop their leaves, followed by the glorious colors of maples, birches, blueberries and spicebush. But amongst them are invaders, which can outnumber and choke out the natural […]

Innovation in the Service of Convenience

Store allows night-time access to key card holders   By Christopher Sinclair It is difficult to envision a 7-Eleven, Cumberland Farms, or other 24-hour store popping up in Norfolk’s downtown center. One senses that large, flashing neon signs and the designs of Alfredo Taylor would make for rather peculiar neighbors. That being the case, Ryan […]

Give Your Pet’s Toilette a Boost

By Susannah Wood Rover getting a bit whiffy? Tired of your aching back as you wrestle him in the bathtub? Pet Valu at the Winsted Stop and Shop plaza has the answer for you. For $10 plus tax you can take your pet to their do-it-yourself dog wash stations and soap up your Labradoodle, Bergamasco […]

Winsted Paper Folds, Merges With Lakeville Journal

News coverage for Norfolk to continue uninterrupted   By Colleen Gundlach Before Lloyd Garrison and Rosanna Trestman breathed life into Norfolk Now 14 years ago, local news was circulated by out-of-town papers such as the Register-Citizen (formerly Winsted Evening Citizen) and The Lakeville Journal.  The Register-Citizen has long since forgone any in-depth coverage of Norfolk, […]