• 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

Holiday Happenings for a Festive December

Norfolk Now’s Patricia Platt has ranged far and wide to find a true cornucopia of holiday related happenings across Litchfield and Berkshire counties. Her discoveries range from performances of the “Nutcracker” by the Nutmeg Ballet in Torrington to Christmas fairs to strolls through the grounds of the Mount in Lenox, Mass. Enjoy! Litchfield CountyThe Colebrook […]

Botelle Beat

Student build on Strong Traditions By Lauren Valentino, Principal November is a month rich with tradition at Botelle School. For over two decades, Botelle students, staff and PTO have welcomed local veterans and their families to the annual Veterans Day Assembly, celebrated with song and ceremony. This tradition started in 2003 thanks to music teacher […]

Music in the Stacks

The Norfolk Library celebrates a 30-year legacy of Irish Music By Bina Thomson Norfolk residents can always rely on the library’s annual St. Patrick’s Day concert to meet their need for Irish music. They’ll be given another such chance when famed Irish fiddler Gerry O’Connor performs in the Great Hall at the end of November. […]

The haystack book festival at six: intimate and quirky

By Joe Kelly While Norfolk has long been a well-known destination for art and music, in recent years it’s also become a place to celebrate writing and literature—with much credit for that going to the annual Haystack Book Festival, which celebrated its sixth year this October. For the festival weekend, Haystack pairs writers with other […]

Behind the numbers

Botelle Test Scores slow to recover after the pandemic By Avice Meehan When the Norfolk Board of Education meets in mid-November, Botelle Elementary School Principal Lauren Valentino will provide an update about student progress and the start of the new academic year. One metric that will be discussed is something called the Smarter Balanced Assessment. […]

Town and Gown, Norfolk Style

By Avice Meehan It takes less than five minutes to travel the distance between Town Hall on Maple Avenue and Botelle Elementary School on Route 44, yet the gulf between these two pillars of Norfolk life is substantial. First Selectman Matt Riiska has become a vocal proponent of restarting conversations with the Town of Colebrook […]

SMooth transition at Town Clerk’s office

Nelson steps in as Perkins retires By Avice Meehan After serving as a quiet understudy to Linda Perkins, Norfolk’s long-time town clerk, Deborah Nelson officially stepped into the role on Oct. 8 when she was sworn in to succeed Perkins. It is yet another chapter in a life that has encompassed careers as a paralegal, […]

SHELTER Art Show

By Bina Thomson Shelter is a concept on which Jennifer Almquist meditates often. She asks questions like “What does true shelter look like?” and “What is it like to not have it?” Her attempts to answer these questions have led her to curate an art show in the Royal Arcanum Building in Norfolk, titled SHELTER.  […]

city meadow progress

Invasives removed as town considers a new planting plan By Avice Meehan Sometimes a “closed” sign can be good news. That is certainly the case for City Meadow, where staff from Native Habitat Restoration are now treating invasive plants like phragmites and non-native cattails with a selective herbicide. Their broad-brimmed hats are barely visible above […]

Wangum on the Market

Norfolk’s Water Supply to Get New Owner By Joe Kelly Wangum Lake, the pristine, 177-acre reservoir that sits atop Canaan Mountain and supplies Norfolk with thousands of gallons of water every day, will come under new ownership thanks to the pending sale of Aquarion Water Company. Eversource Energy, better known to most people in Norfolk […]

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Selectmen Seek Conversation About Collaboration By Avice Meehan Nearly a decade after Norfolk and Colebrook failed to reach agreement on creating a new regional school district that would combine their elementary schools, the issue is back on the front burner thanks to a column from Matt Riiska, Norfolk’s first selectman. Riiska, a veteran of a […]

Haystack is Back

sixth annual festival convenes in October By Patricia Platt The chance to see and experience the world around us more deeply—whether that means understanding the stories of the trees, how the horse shaped empires or insights from wartime poets—will all been on offer during this year’s Haystack Book Festival. “We bring together in unmoderated conversation […]