• 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

A Stint in the Middle East

MacGregor Robinson takes a position at King’s Academy   By Christina Vanderlip When he headed admissions for Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling N.Y., Norfolk native MacGregor (Greg) Robinson traveled the globe recruiting and interviewing potential students and meeting their families. Clearly, he had not seen enough of the world in his estimation, as he recently accepted […]

Rosemary Gill Will Perform One-Woman Show

“When the Theatre Came to Town”   By Jude Mead “There is no business like show business,” according to Rosemary Gill, whose debut performance of “When the Theatre Came to Town” takes place on Sunday, May 29 in the Great Hall of the Norfolk Library with two showings, one at 6 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. This one-person, original […]

The Ultimate Farm-to-Table Experience

Babs Perkins’s new photography on view at the library   By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo Babs Perkins describes a Zen-like element to life in the Balkans, which is certainly reflected in her photographs from the region. Her upcoming show at the Norfolk Library, “Bosnia & Serbia through the Lens” includes a collection of 30 photographs from […]

Local Animal Shelter Offers Free Care

The Little Guild That Could   While Norfolk doesn’t have its own shelter for cats and dogs, The Little Guild of St. Francis in West Cornwall has long filled that void. The fastest-growing animal rescue effort in Connecticut, the Little Guild adopted out 515 animals last year, more than twice its previous record. The shelter […]

Norfolk Bids Farewell to Evan G. Hughes

Evan G. Hughes, who, with Peter Ermacora, his late partner and spouse of 42 years, was a long-time resident of Norfolk, died on March 9, 2016 at Kindred Hospital of the Palm Beaches, after a long illness, surrounded by his loving family and friends. Evan had moved to Jupiter, Florida two years ago. His spiritual […]

Norfolk’s February 2016 Weather

A One Month Winter Season?   By Russell Russ Winter finally arrived this month, bringing with it a near-average amount of snowfall and briefly some very cold temperatures. Unlike last year’s snowy deep freeze of a month, this year gave us just a taste of what normal February weather should be. Even with a brief […]

Save the Date

Weekend in Norfolk On August 5, 6, and 7, come celebrate Norfolk’s many natural and cultural offerings. Events will include a fire department open house, Battell Arts ice cream social and games, Land Trust six-peak climb fora free t-shirt, Artisans Guild demonstrations & discounts, U.S. Coast Guard concert at the Yale Music Shed, After School […]

Haystack Possible Site of Viking Burial Mound

What is believed to be an ancient Norse coin was discovered March 17 on the slopes of Haystack Mountain, reigniting longstanding debate about whether the Vikings ever reached Norfolk. Dr. Dagmar Holblad, of Malmo, Sweden, was examining the site of a charcoal pit in Haystack State Park when he uncovered the coin. A specialist in […]

Taconic Learning Center Spring Courses Taught by Expert Teachers

The Taconic Learning Center (TLC) is a non-profit membership organization providing the opportunity for lifelong learning to area residents. TLC’s courses cover a wide variety of academic subjects, taught by volunteers who are all experts in their fields, with courses such as The Civil War in Fiction and Creation of the Modern Middle East, just […]

Book and Exhibition to Showcase Work of Norfolk Photographers

By Ruth Melville Residents of Norfolk are well aware, thanks to the Norfolk Artists & Friends annual exhibition and shows at the Norfolk Library, Infinity Bistro and Aija, that their town is home to many excellent photographers. A new book featuring the work of 10 local photographers will be published later this year, and this […]

It’s Only Natural

The Legacy of Glacial Lake Norfolk By Hans M. Carlson A couple of months ago I wrote about the low water in Tobey Pond, and how it revealed interesting aspects of the pond’s human history. Today I’m thinking about high water at the pond, and that’s an entirely different story, one which unfolded even before […]

Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program Begins April 1

Your library card opens the world to you through books, audio books, music CDs and DVDs. Now let your library card open the doors of Connecticut libraries by participating in the Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program! To celebrate National Library Week during April, the Connecticut Library Association’s Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program invites you to […]