• Early Morning Fire Guts Norfolk Barn

    Forty firefighters respond from five towns By Avice Meehan Adair Mali often sleeps with earplugs but dispensed with them on the night of Aug. 18, tired after a night at Tanglewood with her husband, Antonio Guindon, and another couple. Thank goodness she did. At about 4:20 a.m. Mali awoke to a “loud crackling noise” and […]

  • Litchfield County Choral Union Closes 2026 Season

    Celebrating America’s 250th birthday By Jude Mead The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) brought its 2026 summer season to a stirring close on Sunday, Aug. 2, with “From Roots to Promise: Singing America at 250,” an ambitious program that celebrated the country’s musical traditions while looking toward its future. The concert featured the LCCU anthem […]

  • Haystack Book Festival Returns to Norfolk

    Nationally recognized authors offer conversation and insights By Ann DeCerbo Book lovers, curious minds and anyone who enjoys a lively conversation about ideas have plenty to look forward to next month when the Haystack Book Festival returns to Norfolk Oct. 2–4 with events at Infinity Hall, the Norfolk Library and Great Mountain Forest. A program […]

  • Fire and Circus Arts on the Green

    By Jude Mead Matica Circus, a professional performing group based in Harwinton, Conn., brought an unforgettable combination of fire, acrobatics and circus arts to the Norfolk Village Green for the grand finale of the season of the Friday Nights on the Green summer concert series. The high-energy performance captivated the crowd with dramatic fire spinning, […]

  • Botelle Ushers in a New Year

    The first day of school dawned cool and cloudy, but no one seemed to notice. Students arrived at Botelle Elementary School on Aug. 26 via bus, car and firetruck (complete with siren). Some students, like Daphne Rutolo who walked her older sister to the bus, will have to wait for the start of the pre-Kindergarten […]

  • A New Year, New Pathways

    Northwestern Regional 7 expands opportunities for students By Virginia Coleman-Prisco As students and staff return to Northwestern Regional School District No. 7 (NWR7) middle and high schools for the 2026-27 school year, district leaders say the focus will be on strengthening student opportunities, preparing young people for an evolving workforce and building an even stronger […]

  • When Is a Check Really in the Mail?

    By Joseph Kelly The United States Postal Service (USPS), longtime target of many complaints and butt of numerous jokes, may seem an unlikely source of metaphysical speculation. But this year the USPS added a new wrinkle to an age-old question: When can it truly and truthfully be said that “a check is in the mail?” […]

  • Steady as She Goes

    Crews working on Norfolk’s new firehouse hoisted the “final” truss in place on Saturday, Aug. 29, as members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, town officials and representatives of Newfield Construction watched from the sidelines. The truss, signed by key players in the major project, marks a symbolic milestone toward completion of the building. NVFD […]

  • Caring for Forests: Ethan Tapper’s Message of Stewardship

    By Jude Mead Ethan Tapper recently spoke at the Church of Christ Congregational on the green about his work as a forester, author and advocate for the natural world. The evening centered on his 2024 book, “How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World,” which explores how forests function and […]

  • IT’ S ONLY NATURAL: Putting the Brakes on Bittersweet: a September Strategy

    by Susannah Wood Over the last couple of years, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) has increasingly taken hold on Norfolk’s roadsides. Anyone who has driven back and forth to New York City over the years has seen how, unchecked, the vines can envelope trees, girdle and kill them, and leave behind a wrecked woodland. A member […]

  • Woodman Spare that Tree—Or Don’t

    The somewhat lopsided Japanese Zelkova tree that once stood near the entrance to Nor-folk’s Post Office on Station Place is no more. Likely planted some 30 years ago during Ar-thur Rosenblatt’s tenure as first selectman, the hardy tree fell victim to progress and the need to replace the adjacent sidewalk. The planned removal of the […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    In the early 20th century, the Mountain Road bridge over Norfolk Brook had a rustic-style guard rail bordering the road and sidewalk. Characterized by the use of twigs, branches, and bark, the rustic style had been used in formal English gardens in the 1700’s and in this country was very popular in the second half […]

Articles

Learning to Use Technology Efficiently

Grant to fund digital literacy program at Norfolk Library By Andra Moss The Northwest Connecticut Library Collaborative (NCLC) has secured major funding to launch a regional digital literacy initiative aimed at helping residents in seven area towns build essential technology skills. The collaborative—made up of the Norfolk Library, Cornwall Library, Douglas Library in North Canaan, […]

Town Meeting Moves Swiftly

By Avice Meehan Roughly three dozen voters took 11 minutes to work their way through a six-resolution agenda at the May 11 annual town meeting held at Botelle School’s Hall of Flags. Only one item—the request to transfer $58,366 to the Botelle Elementary School budget drew any questions and those were handled with dispatch by […]

SELECTMAN ’ S CORNER

Summertime in Our Unique Town By Henry Tirrell While we had snow flying just last month, all of a sudden we are almost into summer, and it is starting to feel like it. There is more activity in town, with more on the way. In addition to the ongoing major projects and all of the […]

Board of Education Updates

By Avice Meehan Topics covered at the April 26 Board of Education (BOE) meeting ranged from the June 16 moving up ceremony for departing sixth graders to a briefing about how students exercised their computational muscles by solving math problems through observing the maturation of salmon eggs, which were eventually released (as fry) into the […]

Inlands Wetlands Bridges the Gaps

By Susan MacEachron The reconstruction of the two bridges in south Norfolk, and an emergency driveway repair were addressed at the Inland Wetlands Agency meeting on May 4. David McKay, an engineer from Garg Consulting Services, Inc., attended the meeting and briefly reviewed plans for the bridges on Old Goshen Road and Smith Road which […]

Speeding, Online Permitting Occupy Selectmen

By Avice Meehan Early May seems a long time ago, but the subjects addressed by the Board of Selectman at the May 6 meeting will remain topical for many months to come—first and foremost being the epidemic of speeding through Norfolk’s town center. Enabling online filing of building and other permits was also discussed as […]

A Centennial Celebration of Long-Term Forest Research

Aton Forest has a long history in Norfolk By Carol Goodstein Along with a growing population of moose, black bear and red fox, Norfolk’s roughly 1,500 residents have plenty of room to roam. Great Mountain Forest, The Norfolk Land Trust, state-owned lands and public parks welcome hikers, bikers, skiers, strollers and even, to a limited […]

Sunscreen Safety for Tobey Pond

Protecting our beloved swimming area by Linda Garrettson All my life I’ve had a love affair with water. It began at age four, much to the concern of my parents, as they watched me jump off a diving board into an Olympic pool. My love with water extended to less scrutinized swims at the Jersey […]

IT’ S ONLY NATURAL      

Protecting Norfolk’s Waters Starts in Our Own Backyards by Jude Mead Norfolk’s quiet brooks and winding streams may appear insignificant, but scientists say these small waterways play a critical role in protecting the health of the town’s rivers, lakes, and drinking water systems. What begins as a narrow stream flowing through the woods is often […]

Through the Looking Glass

The cathedral stained-glass window removed from Battell Chapel in January made its return on a cold May afternoon following complex repairs and restoration undertaken by the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio. The window, which had undergone prior repairs, now awaits a protective glass covering that will be installed by Sullivan Glass. The fundraising committee leading […]

NOTES FROM A FRENCH KITCHEN

Rhubarb Heralds the Spring By Marie-Christine Perry The first edible in my garden is usually rhubarb, followed quickly by asparagus, both valued in my kitchen—fresh and preserved! Beyond the celebrated strawberry rhubarb pie, I like rhubarb in many guises: in compote, jam, chutney and cake, but also in unexpected savory dishes, where its acidity is […]

Inside the Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art

A season of student and community activity By Patricia Platt For over 80 years, the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trust has endowed Yale University’s summer music and art programs in Norfolk. The renowned Yale Norfolk School of Art opens the 2026 summer season on May 23, before the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival begins, and shares its […]