• 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

Hans Carlson Heads North

Ex-GMF director to take over Blue Hill Heritage Trust in Maine   By Ruth Melville Hans Carlson may be leaving Great Mountain Forest, but he is not leaving the New England woods. After four years at GMF, Carlson has resigned from his position as director there and is moving to Maine to become the executive […]

Land Trust Clears 18 Acres in Barbour Woods

Many wildlife species need young forest habitat By Wiley Wood Photographs by Bruce Frisch The silence in Barbour Woods has been broken in recent weeks by the sound of heavy machinery. Its broad public paths and mature forest of mixed hardwoods have made Barbour Woods a favorite of birders, dog walkers and Sunday strollers. But […]

Connecticut Faces Severe Drought

Groundwater reserves in Norfolk appear ample   By Janet G. Mead On Nov. 15, after two years of scant rainfall and snow, one of the hottest summers on record and a warm fall, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) reported that almost half of Connecticut (44.5 percent), including the Northwest Corner, is in a condition of […]

Berkshire Country Store Plans Late December Opening

The Berkshire Country Store is scheduled to open at 6 Station Place in late December, according to a press release by Norfolk’s Economic Development Commission (EDC). The work of converting the generic retail space into a functioning food service and grocery store has been assisted, under the direction of store owner Ryan Craig, by many […]

Burnt to the Ground, Now Stronger Than Ever

Five years after the fire, the Norfolk Curling Club is thriving   By Leila Javitch Back in December 2011, two teenagers on a drug-fueled rampage burned the Norfolk Curling Club to the ground. Now, five years later, it can boast of a remarkable recovery. The club’s situation was drastic after the fire in 2011. The […]

Simplified Form of CPR Now Widely Recommended

Norfolk Ambulance will teach the skill at Dec. 3 Farmers Market   By Wiley Wood If someone near you suffers cardiac arrest, the best response is still to call 911 and start CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to Christopher Little, chief of Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance. But the American Heart Association now recommends a simplified […]

Norfolk Voters Turned Out in High Numbers for Clinton

Republicans Witkos and Ohler won crossover vote in local contests   By Wiley Wood Voter turnout in Norfolk was high, with 86 percent of the town’s electorate casting a ballot in the election. The presidential vote went to Clinton (547 to 373), but in two local races, a majority of Norfolk residents voted for the […]

State Renews City Meadow Grant

Completion expected by December 2017   By Wiley Wood Plans for a park in the sunken wetland below Station Place were dropped with a thud last April when time ran out to complete the project before the funding deadline. But on October 4, First Selectman Sue Dyer announced that the entire original grant of $500,000 from […]

Advice for Voters From the Norfolk Town Clerk

By Wiley Wood   In this lively election season, no one is likely to forget that Election Day falls on November 8, the second Tuesday of November. The Norfolk polling station, on the second floor of Town Hall at 19 Maple Avenue, will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. “Be sure you’re registered,” […]

New Head Chef at Infinity Bistro

By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo If Infinity Bistro has fallen out of your lineup for weekend dining options, it’s time to bring it back. The hot, freshly baked bread and garlic butter are good indicators of what flavorsome items are to come. The pulled chicken tacos, one of the best-selling items on the menu, are worth […]

Town Meeting Planned for November 14

Refinancing old debt and taking on a new loan   At the selectmen’s meeting on October 4, First Selectman Sue Dyer announced plans to call a town meeting in November. Resolutions will be presented to refinance the town’s existing debt and to borrow additional money to purchase trucks. The town is carrying somewhat less than […]

Alfredo Taylor’s 1905 Decorative Railing Lamps Again Illuminate Village

  by Michael Kelly Long before Route 44 became the speedway it is for cars and trucks whizzing through the heart of the village, most people entered and departed Norfolk deliberately, by way of the railroad. Passengers sharing comfortable parlor cars could hop on and off at 23 stations as the train meandered along steel […]