• 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

Not Your Mother’s Exercise Class

Norfolk seniors get moving with Robyn Centrella By Joanne Hohmeister Did you know that Norfolk provides a free exercise class for any senior citizen who wants or needs some extra exercise in their lives?  At Meadowbrook Apartments, a certified Senior Fitness Specialist (ACE) , Robyn Centrella, who also teaches in New Hartford, Torrington, Harwinton and […]

Some Trick-or-Treaters Get an Early Start

They tumbled out of the van and drifted across the parking lot of the Meadowbrook Apartments—a shark, a skeleton, several butterflies, a ghost, a dinosaur, a clown, a princess. Leading them in Wonder Woman costume was Kailyn Nadeau, co-director of the Norfolk Early Learning Center. This was the daycare’s annual trick-or-treat outing for three- and […]

Norfolk’s Input Sought on Regional Development Plan

  No regional plan exists for the 21 towns in northwest Connecticut that are served by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG). The council was formed in January 2014 by the consolidation of two earlier regional planning organizations and has now turned for the first time to the task of formulating its Regional Plan […]

At Northwestern Regional High School, the Band’s All Here

  By Ruth Melville In music education circles, the music program at Northwestern Regional High School has long been acknowledged to be one of the finest in the state, if not the region. Three times, in 2000, 2006 and 2015, the Northwestern high school band has been chosen the top ensemble at the Connecticut Music […]

Snapping Turtles Hatch on Public Beach at Tobey Pond

  By Jude Mead On the muggy evening of Saturday, September 10, Tobey Pond was surprisingly quiet. It was the last weekend of the season, yet only a handful of us took advantage of the hot weather to visit the town beach. But instead of cooling in the water or lolling on our beach towels, […]

Coal Oil Tank Behind Library Safely Unearthed

Environmental effects are being monitored   By Michael Kelly During excavation for the Norfolk Library’s new handicapped access ramp, pipes were unearthed that led to a mysterious gas tank buried behind the library’s great room. After much head-scratching and research, it was determined that the tank was part of a then-sophisticated 19th-century technology that, before […]

Economic Development Consultant Nears End of Contract

Firm receives mixed grades from Norfolk businesses   By Wiley Wood Two years ago, with the Corner Store shuttered and half of the old hardware store unoccupied, it came as good news to Norfolk residents that the regional council was hiring an economic development consultant to help Norfolk and seven other Northwest Connecticut towns revitalize […]

A Portrait of Two Equestrians

It Takes More Than Money to Ride   by Courtney Maum There’s a saying that the way to heaven is on horseback, but even veteran riders would admit that the journey is expensive. Happily, the careers of two local trainers prove that passion and moxie can make up for what your bank account might lack. […]

Old-Time General Store Opens in Salisbury

White Hart Provisions   By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo “Would you like a homemade soda?” is a question I have been asked zero times in my life, but that offering, and other nostalgic touches, is what welcomed me to White Hart Provisions in Salisbury last week. Stepping into the new general store and café at the […]

Artifact of Another Era Found During Renovation of Library

  Excavation uncovers forgotten gas tank   By Michael Kelly Norfolk Library patrons, inconvenienced by excavation of the parking lot to make way for a new, more accessible handicapped entrance, will have to scramble for parking space a bit longer than expected. After a successful, aesthetically pleasing restoration of the terra-cotta tile roof to its former […]

Town Approves Convenience Store Plan

Stannard to withdraw suit   By Wiley Wood On Monday, August 29, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a plan for the proposed convenience store and deli at 6 Station Place, following a public hearing at which many town residents spoke urging approval. The store’s operator, Ryan Craig, and the building’s owner, the Norfolk Foundation, […]

The All-Volunteer Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance Service Is Always On Call

Help Whenever You Need It     By Ruth Melville The Lions Club is an international secular service organization founded in 1917. Their motto is “We Serve,” and it would be hard to find a better description of the Norfolk Lions Club. The Norfolk Lions Club is an invaluable organization that provides help to the […]