• Norfolk’s Newest Neighborhood Puts Down Roots

    Haystack Woods lauded as a “model for the state” By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s newest neighborhood, the Haystack Woods affordable housing development, has officially come to life. A year ago, the 39-acre location—a former gravel pit off Old Colony Road—was little more than a muddy building site. Now construction of the 10, two- and three-bedroom homes […]

  • Winsted Church Auctions Tiffany Window for $1.25 Million

    Sale highlights women’s role in Tiffany designs By Joe Kelly When medieval architects found ways to build taller cathedrals, the techniques they developed also made possible the enormous stained-glass windows that we so enjoy today, such as at Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle in France and Canterbury Cathedral in England. American-made stained glass is more recent, dating […]

  • A Revolutionary Year

    1776 Norfolk explored in summer exhibition By Andra Moss Communities across the country are looking back with wonder at 1776, the year that 13 British colonies initiated a revolution that, against astonishing odds, led to the birth of an independent republic. In Norfolk, two curators have combed the Norfolk Historical Society’s (NHS) collection for colonial-era […]

  • SUMMER MUSIC: Familiar Quartets, New Composers at Yale Chamber Festival

    By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 3 until Aug. 22, will present an exciting season of classical, innovative and international music. This summer, the Brentano Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Ying Quartet and the Horszowski Trio are among those who will perform during weekend concerts and serve as artist-in-residence mentors to the […]

  • Botelle Students Move Up

    By Avice Meehan Four sixth graders bid farewell to Botelle Elementary School at a laughter-filled, but occasionally serious, ceremony on June 16 that was attended by family, friends and town officials. First Selectmen Henry Tirrell, a Botelle graduate whose mother and aunt taught at the school for many years, reminded the students that they would […]

  • Norfolk Rail-Trail Project Pedals Forward

    By Jude Mead After more than a decade of planning, permiting and redesign work, Norfolk’s long-await-ed Rails-to-Trails initiative has reached a major milestone, bringing the community closer to the creation of a new multi-use recreational trail along a historic railroad corridor. The project is the North Brook Trail, a planned three-quarter-mile ADA-accessi-ble pathway that will […]

  • LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Budgets, Beetles, Nips and More

    By Avice Meehan State Rep. Maria Horn came prepared to share details about the Connecticut budget (she is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee) and the progress that has been made toward paying down the state’s unfunded pension liability, increasing the rainy day fund (now up to $18 billion) and allocating more state funds […]

  • Noteworthy Natives: Coral Honeysuckle

    By Jill Chase Do you go to other people’s gardens and envy all the hummingbirds they have? I did. But then I realized I had completely overlooked one of their favorite plants: The native coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens. It was practically designed for humming-birds. Their long beaks and extra-long tongues are a perfect fit for […]

  • CELESTIAL SPHERE: Honoring an Astronomer and Patriot

    By Matthew Johnson As America celebrates its semi-quincentennial and the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this writer also celebrates the life of David Rittenhouse, an astronomer and political thinker who helped build the nation’s scientific infrastructure and informed its founding documents. The customary astronomical notes will follow at the end […]

  • Norfolk Then

    As we prepare for the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence on July 4, let’s look back 50 years to June 12, 1976, and the American Revolution Bicentennial parade in Norfolk. The parade was the largest parade ever held in Norfolk with almost everyone participating, many dressed in colonial garb. The Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department […]

  • GoodWorks Shares Plans for Infinity Hall

    Restaurant, more concerts coming to historic venue By Avice Meehan When Dave Rosenfeld walked onto the starlit stage at Infinity Hall, many of the more than 200 people gathered to hear what he had to say, were unsure about what to expect. The co-founder of GoodWorks Entertainment, which acquired the green Victorian gem of a […]

  • A New Tradition Begins for Litchfield County Choral Union

    Generations come together to refresh a century-long legacy By Jude Mead Music from singers young and old filled Battell Chapel on May 22 as the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) joined the Torrington High School choir for a collaborative concert aimed at connecting generations of choral musicians. Organizers hope the successful event will become an […]

Articles

Botelle Beat

Botelle Young Authors Take a Magic Tree House Adventure By Lauren Valentino This fall, Botelle’s third- and fourth-grade students completed an extraordinary writing project that brought the magic of literature to life. As part of their first English Language Arts unit, students studied Mary Pope Osborne’s beloved “Magic Tree House” series—with close attention to the […]

Swap Shop Success

By Andra Moss A year and a half has sped by since volunteers Susan Sloan and Kathy Connolly opened the Norfolk Swap Shop in a shipping container on the grounds of the Norfolk Transfer Station. Their constant thoughtful attention has made it a pleasant stop for dropping off gently used items and browsing for lucky […]

Heard Around Town

Personal Connections to an Icon, an Iconic EventWhen John X. Fernandez steps to the microphone to introduce the documentary film “Dolores” at 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the Norfolk Library, his words will carry special power. That’s because the iconic labor leader and activist, Dolores Fernandez Huerta, is also the 95-year-old matriarch of his […]

Food Pantry Shifts Focus

Demand brings a limit to hours, communities served By Elizabeth Bailey The Norfolk Food Pantry began as just that – a room stocked with cans of vegetables and jars of peanut butter donated by residents for anyone in need of help. Canned goods were there for the taking and no one tallied up the cost […]

Backyard Bird Chronicles

Sandhill Cranes Have a Tough Summer By Susannah Wood For more than 10 years, North Norfolk residents Marie and Stan Civco have recorded the coming and going of the Sandhill cranes that nest in nearby wetlands and spend much of each day feeding and hanging out in their yard or across the road at Drew […]

Norfolk Election Preview

Most Candidates Running without Opposition By Avice Meehan Candidates for roles that will influence Norfolk’s future are running for election this year: Board of Selectman, Planning & Zoning Commission, and the boards of education and finance. Only the Board of Education has a contest because there are five people running for four seats. Norfolk Now […]

Matt Riiska Takes a Bow

First Selectman Matt Riiska was recognized for eight years of service with a Sept. 6 program on the Village Green and a commendation from state Rep. Maria Horn (D) (left) and state Sen. Paul Honig (D) (at rear). The evening, organized by the Democratic Town Committee, included hot dogs, chips and homemade desserts, in addition […]

New Firehouse Vote Set for Oct. 6

The Board of Selectmen have called a special town meeting for Monday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Botelle School Hall of Flags to increase the appropriation and borrowing limits for the town’s proposed new firehouse. Voters will be asked to approve a $10.4 million appropriation—up from the $9.3 million approved earlier in the […]

Conservation Commission and Public Works Team Up Against Invasives

Knotweed, mugwort are priorities By Avice Meehan As a member of Norfolk’s Conservation Commission, Becky Eaton finds herself thinking a great deal about 21st-century road and property maintenance and building relationships with folks like Troy LaMere, the town’s public works supervisor. The motivation is clear: invasive plants like bittersweet kill trees and create roadside hazards […]

Community in Action

Scoville Piece to Join Norfolk Sculpture Trail By Andra Moss Norfolk’s public art collection—made possible through donations from local art supporters to the Norfolk Community Association—is growing. According to Doreen Kelly and Barry Webber, co-presidents of the Norfolk Community Association (NCA), the latest addition to the town’s outdoor sculpture trail, planned to connect Norfolk’s monuments […]

High or Low Tech?

New Strategies Considered for Speed Control in Norfolk By Avice Meehan First Selectman Matt Riiska often ends his monthly Norfolk Now column by asking people to slow down and observe the speed limit. But what exactly is the speed limit on town roads?“It is 25 miles an hour all through the town, on all town […]

Ten Years of Weekend in Norfolk

This year is the 10th annual Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) and it’s bigger and better than ever. From Friday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 3, Norfolk opens its doors all over town to host a great variety of activities such as live music, art shows, open houses, hiking trails, bocce, fly-fishing lessons and the best […]