• Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse

    Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]

  • Richard Byrne Retires as Active Firefighter

    After 58 years, veteran status By Joseph Kelly He was a young Navy veteran, about to be married and ready to start a family in his hometown when, in February 1968, his older brother convinced him to join the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). For Richard Byrne it was the start of an association that […]

  • Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus Will Benefit Local Food Banks

    Three Grammy nominees to perform at Infinity Hall By Colleen Gundlach On April 11, Infinity Hall will be the setting for Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus, a concert that will benefit Stock the Shelves, an outreach of United Way of Northwestern Connecticut. The Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus will feature three Grammy nominees […]

  • Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics

    To get the ice just right, filmmakers tapped Norfolk expertise By Joseph Kelly The underdogs who battle the odds—the washed-up boxer, the outclassed football team, the aging baseball slugger with one last homerun in him—are all Hollywood standbys. Ronald Reagan may be remembered as much for “win one for the Gipper” as he is for […]

  • How Botelle (Carefully) Uses AI for Learning

    By Avice Meehan For more than three decades, children visited the fictional town of Frog Creek, Penn., home to two children named Jack and Annie. With the help of a magic tree house, the pair are whisked away to distant places where they have adventures, solve problems and, perhaps, learn a thing or two. Like […]

  • Choral Singing Meets Bluegrass

    LCCU welcomes all ages to sing new styles By Andra Moss The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is entering its 127th concert year with decidedly youthful energy. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Gabriel Löfvall, the LCCU will convene a youth choral festival in Norfolk in late spring; offer a series of choral seminars […]

  • Winter Weekend In Norfolk

    It was a cold and blustery weekend, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out on Feb. 21 and 22 for Winter WIN, the weekend for enjoying all things Norfolk in the winter season. The photos below show a story of a town that came together to strut its stuff for the world to […]

  • From Freeze to Flow: Extreme Temps and the Maple Syrup Season

    Reaching that ideal mix of natural conditions By Jude Mead The extreme cold and heavy snowfall this season has raised some concern among maple syrup producers. Reports of loud, cracking noises in wooded areas have set the stage for a phenomenon called “frost cracking.” During these periods of intense cold, the water and sap inside […]

  • Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale

    With Jude Mead at the guitar and with great enthusiasm, members of the Isabella Eldridge Club defied a threatened winter storm and entered Battell Chapel on Feb. 10 for a memorable performance of an episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” a daft 1960s television comedy. Despite the best efforts of the Professor (played by Marinell Crippen, left) […]

  • Cook For Goodness Sake

    America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]

  • Be Careful, Very Careful

    An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]

  • The Week that Was

    First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others […]

Articles

Holistic Health Counselor to Appear at Norfolk Farmers Market

Terry Walters, author of three best-selling cookbooks, “Eat Clean, Live Well,” “Clean Food” and “Clean Start” returns to the Norfolk Farmers Market on July 24 for a cooking demonstration and book signing. A well-known holistic health counselor, food educator and motivational speaker, she serves on the Board of Directors for Urban Oaks Organic Farm, one […]

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 […]