• 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

Connecticut Public Radio Host to Moderate Norfolk 2023!

By Rosanna Trestman John Dankosky, host of the NPR morning radio show Where We Live, happens to live just next door in Winsted. From 9 to 10 a.m. each weekday morning he takes his listeners through the ins and outs of Connecticut’s communities, ranging from New Haven to Norfolk and beyond. Dankosky will bring this […]

Lions Club Honors Barbara Tracey

Barbara Tracey recently stepped down as the long-time treasurer of the Norfolk Lions Club. For her many years of service safeguarding the club’s financial health and for her exemplary help with countless other projects, Tracey was presented the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, a nation-wide award named after the founder of Lions Club International, and one […]

Community Talent Provides After-School Program for Botelle Students

By Janet Gokay Life in Norfolk is greatly enriched by the work of volunteers—and the Norfolk After School Program (NASP) is no exception. Coordinated by two parent volunteers, Kim Crone and Kathy Yelsits, the program offers a potpourri of classes to any grade-school-aged child in Norfolk, not just those attending Botelle. Many of those classes […]

Norfolk Fire Department Awards Memorial Day Race Scholarships

The traditional kick-off to Norfolk’s summer season, the five-mile Memorial Day Road Race is won by the fleet of foot. But the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, which organizes the race, also dedicates all proceeds from entrance fees, advertising and donations to its NVFD Scholarship Fund. This year, the fund distributed $3,500 to five Norfolk students. […]

Norfolk Lions Club Scholarships Announced

The Norfolk Lions Club recently awarded scholarships to four Norfolk students who will be attending college this fall. The recipients include: Taylor Allyn, daughter of John and Lisa Allyn, enrolled at New College of Sarasota, Florida with a major in English; Shannon Bollard, daughter of Alfred and Angela Bollard and also an English major, attending […]

Fiber Optics Would Improve Cell Phone Service in Norfolk

EDC welcomes call for strong community involvement By Kurt Steele Following Kim Maxwell’s May briefing of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) about the benefits of installing a fiber optic network in Norfolk, Maxwell now believes that a significant dividend would be a vast improvement in the town’s cell phone coverage. Maxwell, who has a distinguished […]

Bears Invade North Norfolk Homes

One even drained a pitcher of Sangria By Bob Bumcrot Between Memorial Day and mid-July bears have invaded at least seven homes on or near North Street, Doolittle Drive, Lovers Lane and adjacent areas. As usual, the bears came in search of food, often with considerable success. In some cases their gustatory visits were discovered […]

A Passionate Swan Song

A packed hall enthralled by the Tokyo’s last-ever Norfolk concert By Lloyd Garrison Over 700 Tokyo String Quartet loyalists paid over $350 a ticket at the Yale Music Shed on July 6 for one last chance to hear the quartet in Norfolk. Before they played a note, the four were greeted with a standing ovation. […]

Analysis of Norfolk’s Population Changes Reveals Surprises

Periodic increases and decreases evident By Joshua DeCerbo Much of the talk leading up to “Norfolk 2023!,” when, on October 12, the town takes stock of the future, presumes that the town is losing population, along with much of Litchfield County and the rest of the state. But an analysis of several population databases from […]

Glen Chalder to Join Line Up For Norfolk 2023! Event

Helped shape Norfolk’s town plan By Lloyd Garrison Glen Chalder, an authority on the challenges facing small town America, will join National Public Radio’s John Dankosky in leading Norfolk 2013! in Infinity Hall on October 5. Chalder was previously retained by Norfolk to help shape its 2009 Town Plan. He went on to do same […]

Bringing Townspeople Together

Community meal socials to begin in September By David Beers A new committee has been formed in town to provide opportunities for fellowship, conversation and a diverse culinary experience. The Norfolk Community Meal Committee had its first meeting on June 10 and voted to offer monthly potluck community meals to bring the townspeople closer together. […]

Woodlands Creatures Visit Norfolk Library

Karen Rossi’s ethereal work inspires children’s workshop By Matthew Papanek The fun did not stop after the classic car show in Norfolk on July 14. Later that day, up at the Norfolk Library, a parade of woodland creatures made their way through the art reception for Karen Rossi’s show “Woodlands Magic!” Rossi’s art works in […]