• 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

Tiffany Sunrise Off for Repairs

Community Foundation Helps With Costs   By Shelley Harms The first phase of Battell Chapel’s stained glass windows project took a surprising turn in early October. Original plans called for the large center altar window, by Maitland Armstrong, to be restored first. David Maitland Armstrong was one of the foremost stained glass artists of the gilded […]

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, […]