• 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

Christina Vanderlip Awarded a First Prize in Garden Club Show

Implying National Parks in Floral Design   By Colleen Gundlach Norfolk’s Christina Vanderlip was honored with a first place award in the Litchfield Garden Club’s Flower Show on June 9. The theme of this show was “Our National Parks—America’s Best Idea.” Entrants were given a phrase to interpret in the media of floral design, horticulture […]

June Is the Month for Town Permits and Licenses

  By Wiley Wood If you’re making garbage in Norfolk, or planning to cool off in Tobey Pond this summer, or if you own a dog, then chances are you will be making a pilgrimage to the town clerk’s office, checkbook in hand, some time this month. “Cash or check,” says Town Clerk Linda Perkins. […]

Fire Chief Matthew Ludwig Continues a Family Tradition

  By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matthew Ludwig has been a member of the NVFD for 24 years, joining as an Explorer at the age of 14. Officers are elected every year from the 50 members, and 2017 marks Ludwig’s fifth as fire chief. He was first assistant chief for seven […]

Japanese Crepe-Paper Books in the Norfolk Library

Treasures from the Rare Book Room     By Lucy Mookerjee  “The Tongue Cut Sparrow” is a Japanese fable about an old woman who cuts out the tongue of a sparrow for stealing her washing basket. When her neighbors rescue the sparrow, the basket is returned to them filled with jewels. Hearing this, the old […]

Marble Cliffs, Open Fields and River Walks

Visiting Bartholomew’s Cobble   By Susannah Wood Less than half an hour away from Norfolk is a little gem of a place where walking ferns trail their way down marble outcrops, a miniature grove of white trillium marks a recent burn, and neo-tropical migrants fly in to rest along the banks of the Housatonic. Bartholomew’s […]

Christmas Tree With Long Local History Planted on Town Green

  By Wiley Wood Norfolk is a town that takes its trees seriously. In the nineteenth century, it endorsed a project to plant one of every native tree in Norfolk on the village green. So when the town’s Christmas tree on the green across from the library started to show signs of needle rust two […]

June, Ticks Suck!!!

By Leslie Watkins Ticks really, really suck. They are reported to suck on more than 300,000 Americans each year, and actual numbers are believed to be far higher. Migratory birds carry the ticks around the world and it’s becoming a pandemic. And can you guess where tick headquarters is located? New England has the greatest […]

Exploring a World Where Technology Trumps Instinct

Courtney Maum’s new novel launched May 30   By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo When asked how she feels now that her new novel, “Touch,” is completed, Courtney Maum says with some hesitation, “I feel good.” Launching a book in early summer is usually optimal, as it is the high season for reading. Putnam, Maum’s new publisher, […]

Honeybees on the Rise in Norfolk

  By Jude Mead Why would anyone raise honeybees? Honeybees give us honey, with its rich sweet taste. And beeswax, used in candles and cosmetics. There’s also the fact that honeybee pollination may account, either directly or indirectly, for one-third of our food. Whatever the reason, beekeeping has become a popular hobby in Norfolk. My […]

Renowned Musicians Will Reunite in Norfolk in June

Nick Halley, Jon Suters, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudemus will all be back in town   By Colleen Gundlach When Paul Halley founded Chorus Angelicus, his son Nick was just eight years old. Nick Halley sang in the very first group of children who formed the original chorus and has since become a musician in his […]

Second Annual Weekend in Norfolk Festival Gears Up

Dozens of events to occur simultaneously   By Wiley Wood If Norfolk is generally a quiet town, there is one weekend in the year when it bangs its own drum, and that is during the town-wide celebration of arts, culture and outdoor activities known as Weekend in Norfolk, or WIN, when every organized group in […]

Town Offers Free Training in Mental Health First Aid

  By Ruth Melville We are all familiar with the idea of offering first aid for physical injuries, from Band-Aids to the Heimlich maneuver to CPR. But what about first aid for mental distress? What would you do if confronted by a person having a panic attack? What aid or advice would you feel competent […]