• 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 […]

Articles

Coston Recognized at “20 Over 50” Honoree

Editor-in-chief of the Lakeville Journal and Millerton News is honored By Carol Kneeland  John Coston, editor-in-chief of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, is one of 20 journalists over the age of 50 to be recognized in the Sept. 1 edition of the trade publication Editor & Publisher (E&P). E&P Editor Robin Blinder wrote […]

Director Brings Film of Overlooked Champion for the Environment to Norfolk

By Andra Moss A documentary highlighting the life and legacy of environmentalist and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m., at the Norfolk Library. Director John de Graaf will introduce his film, “Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty,” and will participate in a discussion and Q&A […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers: Spotlight on the Norfolk Community Association

Barry Webber & Doreen Kelly Barry Webber Giving back and supporting one’s community has always been a strong calling for me. I’d lived in Norfolk for only two weeks when Sue Dooley hooked me in to help with the Mandy Patinkin concert to benefit Prime Time House—an organization I spent more than 10 years working […]

Up Up and Away

Leaf-Peeping From the Sky By Jude Mead One way to see the fall foliage is hot air ballooning, and Spirit Ballooning LLC is ready to guide you above the colorful display of leaves in Norfolk. The locally owned and operated hot air balloon adventure company (spiritballooning.com) is based in North Canaan. Darrel Long, owner and […]

This Old Norfolk House

The Grant Homestead By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo When we were looking at houses in Norfolk about 20 years ago, there were three homes on the market for under one million dollars: two charming but overpriced Victorians in the center of town and a 244-year-old colonial on the Winchester Center town line that looked like it […]

Out and About: New Yoga Studio in Winsted Welcomes All Levels of Experience

By David Beers It is Friday evening and I am unfolding my tense body on the floor of a storefront in downtown Winsted, which is not the typical thing to be doing on Main Street. At the corner of Elm and Main, two doors down from Rooted Market, is Earthbound Yogi, a new yoga studio […]

Prime Time House Holds Fundraiser In Norfolk

Helping Adults with Mental Illness By Michael Cobb  A lively crowd gathered at Michael Selleck’s house on Greenwoods Road East on Sept. 16 to raise money for Prime Time House, a mental health organization based in Torrington that helps adults with mental illness find employment, education, housing and support. Guests were greeted by volunteers from […]

Sentencing Scheduled In Norfolk Assault Case

By Avice Meehan The young Winchester resident accused of sexually assaulting a Norfolk woman in 2022 accepted a plea agreement and could be formally sentenced as early as Oct. 13 in Litchfield County Court in Torrington. Jason Tyrone Heath, 21, entered a guilty plea on Aug. 4 to two felony charges, attempted sexual assault and […]

Owl Sculpture to Be Unveiled on Robertson Plaza

First installation in a planned sculpture trail By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Community Association (NCA) will unveil Jon Riedeman’s sculpture, the Owl of Good Fortune, at Robertson Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. The public is invited to the event, which will include an introduction by the NCA, comments by Jon Riedeman, and […]

View From The Green

Do We Need A Land Ethic? By Kathy Robb The people of Norfolk have long known the importance of good land stewardship, as evidenced by the environmental work of Great Mountain Forest, Aton Forest, the Conservation Commission, the Norfolk Land Trust and many other organizations in town. The demands of global human justice—and humanity’s health—require […]

The Old Newgate Coon Club

A Long History of Preserving Tradition, Community and Nature By Jude Mead Sitting atop a hill on Colebrook Road (Route 182) in Norfolk, the Old Newgate Coon Club stands as a testament to the preservation of tradition, community, and nature and is among one of the oldest sporting clubs in Connecticut. It was first established […]

Setting History in Stone

Norfolk Sculptor Participates in Project Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg By Andra Moss In late May, stone carver Adam Paul Heller of Norfolk received an unexpected phone call from the chief architect responsible for the New York State Capitol building. Would he be interested in joining a project underway at the capitol? It was extremely short […]