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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
working together to provide sustainable breeding habitats By Jude Mead Great Blue Herons are a familiar sight in Norfolk and are one of the largest of all North American herons, standing up to four feet tall with a wingspan of close to six feet. They are most noticeable in flight as they soar across the […]
Tennis at Town Hall? The building we know as Town Hall was originally the Eldridge Gymnasium, built in 1892. Located within easy walking distance of hotels and boarding houses in Norfolk at the turn of the last century, the Gymnasium was a popular gathering place for both residents and visitors. People played croquet on the lawn […]
The End of an Era for Norfolk Now By Colleen Gundlach After 10 years and over 30 issues, Ruth Melville has put on her Norfolk Now editor’s hat for the last time. In June, the paper marked the end of an era with the publication of Ruth’s final issue as one of the executive editors […]
Abandoned Charcoal Hearths Affect Today’s Forest Ecology Hans M. Carlson Recently, we got our first dusting of snow. When it’s not enough to cover the ground completely, the darker fallen leaves poke up through the veil of white, and small contours on the ground appear. The contrast highlights slight topographical variations, particularly with the […]
Local photographer premiers film at Norfolk Library By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo The prolific photographer and writer Christopher Little delighted hundreds of Norfolkians last month with his 40-minute documentary chronicling a year in the life of our town. Showings at the Norfolk Country Club and the Norfolk Library packed the respective houses. Over 400 people […]
Unaffiliated candidate takes on Democratic incumbent By Wiley Wood The first selectman position in Norfolk will be contested in this year’s election for the first time since 2009. Matt Riiska is running as an unaffiliated candidate against Sue Dyer, the Democratic incumbent. The Republican Party did not field a candidate. Riiska, 59, was born […]
Carving Stone: Adam Paul Heller By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo “I wish I was a slave to an age-old trade…” begins “Down in the Valley”, a song by the indie folk band The Head & the Heart. The song expresses a deep yearning to get back to your roots, and lead a more primitive existence. In […]
MI Integrated Media By Christina Vanderlip MI Integrated Media (MI) specializes in direct response advertising, meaning ads with a ‘call to action’. While they are known for creative small space sections in the back of national magazines, they also run full-page advertising campaigns for clients. MI partners advertisers with publications that best fit their […]
Photos of Renowned Indian Artist to Accompany Retrospective By Ruth Melville Bruce Frisch’s photographs are well known to readers of Norfolk Now. He is the paper’s staff photographer, and his pictures enliven every issue. He also exhibits his work at the annual Norfolk Artists and Friends show, always including some spectacular nature shots taken […]
By Ruth Melville In honor of Firefighters Day, held every year on September 6, the State of Connecticut chose this year to recognize the fine work of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). On the quiet, sunny late afternoon of September 4, the members of the NVFD, resplendent in their dress uniforms, gathered behind the […]
Colebrook votes strongly against By Wiley Wood Colebrook voters resoundingly opposed the regionalization plan that would have brought the Norfolk and Colebrook primary schools together under one roof and one regional board. The vote count was 369 no, 175 yes. In a simultaneous referendum held in Norfolk, the measure passed by a count of […]
Both towns to vote this month By Janet Gokay About 70 people turned up at Botelle School on August 10 to hear a final presentation of the proposed regionalization plan for the Norfolk and Colebrook elementary schools. A similar presentation occurred the following evening in Colebrook. The two towns will vote separately on the […]
Team of Volunteers Helps Land Trust Clear a New Trail By Susannah Wood The weather forecast was for hot and sticky all week, but the six lean and fit members of the Buffalo 5 Team came into town ready to do all the tasks the Norfolk Land Trust put in front of them: drainage […]
Cost Is Too High for Norfolk and Its Children By Kim Crone There are two arguments supporting the regionalization plan: that it’s good for the town or that it’s good for the children. I am convinced that it’s neither. This plan is not good for Norfolk: (1) The financial burden is higher for Norfolk. Colebrook […]
A Look into Norfolk’s Past By Ryan Bachman In December 1803 Norfolk resident Peter Freedom received a crushing verdict from the Litchfield County Court. Because of debts incurred by his recently deceased father, Dolphin, the son was ordered to sell the family farm in southwestern Norfolk. The 40-acre property had only been in the […]