• 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

Missing Funds Investigated At Botelle PTO

No money in PTO account for children’s programs By Shelley Harms Members of the Botelle Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization were shocked to discover in September that nearly all the money was missing from the PTO bank account. Only about $1,000 remained of what should have been at least a $12,000 balance, with bills of […]

November 5 Is Election Day

Register, Get Your Absentee Ballot This Month The candidates have been chosen for this year’s municipal elections on November 5. Norfolk is fortunate to have so many citizens willing to take on these important public service roles. Coming out to vote is one way to show your support for them. Registering to vote is quick […]

It’s Time To Think About Your Health (Coverage)

A new health exchange wants to help the uninsured By Veronica Burns It is estimated that there are 344,000 individuals in the state of Connecticut who either do not have any health insurance or are underinsured. That should start to change on October 1, when open enrollment begins as part of the implementation of the […]

Northwestern Regional Robotics Team Gears Up For 3rd Season

By Megan Llewellyn Each member of the Northwestern Robotics Gearheads, NRG, started 2013 with one goal in mind: to build a robot capable of shooting Frisbees and climbing pyramids. To accomplish their goal, NRG spent six intense weeks designing, building, wiring, and programming a robot. The result was an eighty pound robot capable of shooting […]

Church of Christ Celebrates Erick Olsen’s Tenth Anniversary as Pastor

By Sally Quale The Church of Christ Congregational in Norfolk held its regular 10 a.m. service on Sunday, September 15 in the Battell Chapel, as opposed to the usual Church chancel, to mark the opening day of Sunday School classes for the year. Unbeknownst to Pastor Erick Olsen, however, this arrangement also facilitated a surprise […]

The Joint Chiefs to Play Ambulance Benefit at Infinity Hall

By Grant Mudge The Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance (NLCA) is pleased to have The Joint Chiefs of Salisbury, CT, play a benefit concert at Infinity Hall on Wednesday October 9 at 8 p.m. Known for their “tight harmonies and loose attitude,” The Joint Chiefs play a delightful mix of homespun music and country folk. The […]

Agricultural Fair a Success

By Sally Quale Norfolk’s first Agricultural Fair, which took place on August 24 at the weekly farmer’s market on Maple Avenue, was “a huge success and will be repeated next year on Saturday, August 14, 2014,” reports market manager Lisa Auclair. It ran an hour longer than the usual market – 4 rather than 3 […]

Plans For New Firehouse Go To Finance Board

Town Would Borrow Money Through a Bond Issue/ By Wiley Wood Plans for a new firehouse were presented to the Board of Finance on August 13. The design, which incorporates and expands the existing building on Shepard Rd., was described by architect Michael Fortuna as “pretty bare bones.” Total costs are budgeted at $2.7 million. […]

Record Number Of Norfolk Homes On Market

Local Realtors Guardedly Optimistic By Sally Quale Reports show that 56 single-family residences in Norfolk are currently on the market, over 6 percent of its housing stock. “It’s by far the largest number of single-family houses for sale that I’ve known in my twenty-two years in Norfolk,” reports Betsy Little of Betsy Little Real Estate. […]

Norfolk’s Pension Fund $1 Million In Debt

By Wiley Wood At a gathering of the Coalition for Sound Growth on August 25 Michael Sconyers, chairman of Norfolk’s board of finance, reported that the town’s pension fund is $1 million in debt. “We had been underfunding the pension plan,” said Sconyers, “and then the market went down and didn’t rebound enough. This is […]

Heavy Rainfall Breaks Beaver Dam

A Road Is Damaged And A Pond Ecosystem Lost: by John Anderson Early on the stormy night of August 10th a catastrophic event occurred: after nearly six inches of rainfall, a beaver dam impounding 20 acres of water in Aton Forest broke. One person living nearby heard what she thought was a falling tree during […]

Norfolk Land Trust Completes Purchase of Camp Iwakta Property

Public Trails Planned For Newly Renamed “Pine Mountain” Parcel The Norfolk Land Trust (NLT) has finalized the purchase of a 311-acre parcel of forestland from the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. The property, located off Grantville and Winchester roads, has long been considered a preservation priority by federal and state officials because of its headwater stream […]