• 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

Rosemary Gill Will Perform One-Woman Show

“When the Theatre Came to Town”   By Jude Mead “There is no business like show business,” according to Rosemary Gill, whose debut performance of “When the Theatre Came to Town” takes place on Sunday, May 29 in the Great Hall of the Norfolk Library with two showings, one at 6 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. This one-person, original […]

The Ultimate Farm-to-Table Experience

Babs Perkins’s new photography on view at the library   By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo Babs Perkins describes a Zen-like element to life in the Balkans, which is certainly reflected in her photographs from the region. Her upcoming show at the Norfolk Library, “Bosnia & Serbia through the Lens” includes a collection of 30 photographs from […]

Local Animal Shelter Offers Free Care

The Little Guild That Could   While Norfolk doesn’t have its own shelter for cats and dogs, The Little Guild of St. Francis in West Cornwall has long filled that void. The fastest-growing animal rescue effort in Connecticut, the Little Guild adopted out 515 animals last year, more than twice its previous record. The shelter […]

Norfolk Bids Farewell to Evan G. Hughes

Evan G. Hughes, who, with Peter Ermacora, his late partner and spouse of 42 years, was a long-time resident of Norfolk, died on March 9, 2016 at Kindred Hospital of the Palm Beaches, after a long illness, surrounded by his loving family and friends. Evan had moved to Jupiter, Florida two years ago. His spiritual […]

Norfolk’s February 2016 Weather

A One Month Winter Season?   By Russell Russ Winter finally arrived this month, bringing with it a near-average amount of snowfall and briefly some very cold temperatures. Unlike last year’s snowy deep freeze of a month, this year gave us just a taste of what normal February weather should be. Even with a brief […]

Save the Date

Weekend in Norfolk On August 5, 6, and 7, come celebrate Norfolk’s many natural and cultural offerings. Events will include a fire department open house, Battell Arts ice cream social and games, Land Trust six-peak climb fora free t-shirt, Artisans Guild demonstrations & discounts, U.S. Coast Guard concert at the Yale Music Shed, After School […]

Haystack Possible Site of Viking Burial Mound

What is believed to be an ancient Norse coin was discovered March 17 on the slopes of Haystack Mountain, reigniting longstanding debate about whether the Vikings ever reached Norfolk. Dr. Dagmar Holblad, of Malmo, Sweden, was examining the site of a charcoal pit in Haystack State Park when he uncovered the coin. A specialist in […]

Taconic Learning Center Spring Courses Taught by Expert Teachers

The Taconic Learning Center (TLC) is a non-profit membership organization providing the opportunity for lifelong learning to area residents. TLC’s courses cover a wide variety of academic subjects, taught by volunteers who are all experts in their fields, with courses such as The Civil War in Fiction and Creation of the Modern Middle East, just […]

Book and Exhibition to Showcase Work of Norfolk Photographers

By Ruth Melville Residents of Norfolk are well aware, thanks to the Norfolk Artists & Friends annual exhibition and shows at the Norfolk Library, Infinity Bistro and Aija, that their town is home to many excellent photographers. A new book featuring the work of 10 local photographers will be published later this year, and this […]

It’s Only Natural

The Legacy of Glacial Lake Norfolk By Hans M. Carlson A couple of months ago I wrote about the low water in Tobey Pond, and how it revealed interesting aspects of the pond’s human history. Today I’m thinking about high water at the pond, and that’s an entirely different story, one which unfolded even before […]

Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program Begins April 1

Your library card opens the world to you through books, audio books, music CDs and DVDs. Now let your library card open the doors of Connecticut libraries by participating in the Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program! To celebrate National Library Week during April, the Connecticut Library Association’s Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program invites you to […]

Religious Compound on West Side Road Changes Hands

Loss of tax-exempt status to be appealed By Wiley Wood The Hutterian Brethren used to be seen along West Side Road, the women in head scarves and long skirts, the children in straw hats, taking their Sunday walk or going to look for berries in the neighboring woods. Then, in the fall of 1999, the Hutterites sold […]