• 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

«»

Articles

Helping the Enviorment

Two Town Buildings Install Heat Pumps to Reduce Oil Consumption By Bina Thomson Norfolk has worked hard to establish itself as a champion of the environment, and two key town non-profits are continuing that work. The Norfolk Library and the Church of Christ on the green have installed heat pumps as a way to reduce […]

NorfolkNET’s Focus Expanding

Group is looking for more ways to support the community By Bina Thomson Of the many monthly meetings held at the Norfolk Hub, perhaps some of the most needed are the meetings for NorfolkNET (Networking Everyone Together). NorfolkNET is a grassroots organization with the goal of alleviating poverty and strengthening community relationships. NET was born […]

Food Pantry Reports Surge In Visits as Grocery Prices Remain High

Goal remains dignified client experience By Elizabeth Bailey Food price inflation has slowed from this time last year, down from an annual rate of 8.5 percent to 4.3 percent, but families continue to experience the shock waves. “We have undoubtedly seen a drastic increase in the number of people utilizing the food pantry, including many […]

View From the Green

A Look To the North By David Beers Many Norfolkians reading this are probably Connecticut-centric in their geographic thinking. This means we tend to favor and gravitate to in-state locations for work and play. Traveling south, east and west along the well-worn routes to Winsted, Torrington, Salisbury, Goshen and North Canaan is much more common […]

The Gas Spill One Year Later

Pollution, lawsuits and complaints remain By Joe Kelly  It’s been a full year since a tanker truck crashed on Route 44, spilling thousands of gallons of gasoline into the middle of Norfolk. While the initial cleanup is largely complete, residents in the direct path of the spill are still wrestling with the consequences. Several have […]

Puppets Take Norfolk Village Green

By Andra Moss The magic was swirling as the Greenwoods Puppet Festival returned to Norfolk Library on Oct. 13-14 with local and international puppet artists, live music and the Big Puppet Parade, led by Mark Alexander’s 10-foot-tall “Flock of Doves.” Sponsored by the Norfolk Library and the Battell Arts Foundation, festival events featured hand-crafted marionettes […]

From the Bookshelf

Joan Crawford’s Lifetime of Reinvention Explored in New Book by Robert Dance By Leila Javitch Longtime Norfolk resident Robert Dance has written a new book which, even before its publication release, has sold out its first printing. “Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom” provides not only a biography of the professional life of the […]

Proposed Firehouse Advances to Planning and Zoning Commission

Public hearing set for Nov. 14 By Joe Kelly Plans for a new Norfolk firehouse have received financial backing from the State of Connecticut and approval from the town’s Inland Wetlands Agency—two milestones for a project that could reshape Norfolk’s emergency response capabilities for years to come. Attention now shifts to Norfolk’s Planning and Zoning […]

Two Wheels Bicycles Gears Up in Sheffield

Route 7 shop offers repair and rentals By Andra Moss Norfolk residents will be able to take on the town’s notorious hills with greater ease thanks to a new electric bicycle rental and repair shop just over the Massachusetts border in Sheffield. Those still clinging to the dream of analog, zero-assist bicycles can also rent […]

Future of Norfolk Farmers Market Uncertain, For Now

Long-time head steps down, replacement sought By Michael Cobb Norfolk Farmers Market Manager Lisa Auclair and Market Master Angie Bollard have resigned, leaving both positions open and plans up in the air for next season’s market. Doug McDevitt, Norfolk Farmers Market co-chair, commends their years of commitment, saying, “These individuals have put their hearts and […]

Norfolk Literary Event Hits Its Stride

Haystack Book Festival explores far-ranging topics By Joe Kelly From a small conversation six years ago with a biographer of the poet John Ashberry, Norfolk’s Haystack Book Festival has evolved into a multi-day exploration that remains true to its roots in literature but now ranges into criticism, religion, history, foreign affairs, journalism, domestic politics and […]

Community in Action

Haystack Woods Development Moves Forward By Avice Meehan Sixteen years after the idea first surfaced, the affordable housing development off Old Colony Road is approaching a major milestone: completion of site prep work and road construction. A first coat of asphalt should be laid down before winter if all goes according to plan. The project […]