• 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 […]

  • great blue heron rookeries

    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 […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    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 […]

  • Looking Back Over the Years

    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 […]

Articles

Bakery Pop-Up a Sweet New Addition to Downtown

By Andra MossNorfolk will soon have a new destination for those in search of homemade cookies, pastries and other fresh baked goods. Dawn Muzzulin is the baker behind Dawnie’s Delights, soon to open as a pop-up bakery in downtown Norfolk’s Royal Arcanum Building, in the former space of the Healing Nest. “I’ve been baking basically […]

EDC Sponsors New Forum for Norfolk Businesses

Seeking common solutions to common problems By Ruth Melville At the invitation of the Economic Development Commission, over 25 Norfolk business owners gathered at the Hub on June 27 to explore new ways of supporting town stores and businesses. Interviews with some of the attendees indicate that the general response to the meeting has been […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers: Spotlight on Botelle School

Lisa Bazzano When I was growing up in Norfolk, I had a Norman Rockwell childhood, and I wanted the same for my five children. That’s why I chose to raise them in Norfolk, and it’s why I want to give back as much as I can through volunteering. My first child to enter Botelle School […]

WIN Weekend Has Something for Everyone, Kids Included

By Janet Serra Weekend in Norfolk, Aug. 4, 5 and 6, is a three-day, town-wide art, music and nature festival. This year, WIN has a large selection of things that kids and their families will especially enjoy. The fun starts Friday with bocce at the court behind 10 Station Place. The court, complete with equipment, will […]

Lady Bird Johnson’s Beauty Strip Still Shielding Unsightly Views

By David Beers In 1965, First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson worked the halls of Congress to help pass the Federal Highway Beautification Act (HBA). This act created regulations for the size and location of billboards along federal and interstate highways. It also created annual federal funding for projects that enhance the beauty and enjoyability […]

Festive Party to Lead Off Annual Book Sale

By Ruth Melville The Norfolk Library’s annual book sale will be held the weekend of Aug. 26 and 27, under a large tent set up next to the library. The sale will have slightly longer hours this year, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. With 16,000 books in 30 categories—including art, gardening, history, music, film, […]

Upcoming Musical Events on Robertson Plaza

The completion this spring of the expansion of Robertson Plaza in downtown Norfolk has created a unique new space to draw visitors to the town’s commercial center. Sited above and offering easy access to City Meadow, the plaza now has substantial space for events, as well as seating, tables and an unobstructed view of Haystack […]

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Ushers in New Musical Programs in a Renovated Facility 

2023 Season Begins By Patricia Platt The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, running from July 7 until Aug. 19, offers exciting changes to its facility and programming this season. Nearing completion is a $10 million renovation of the Music Shed, which includes air-conditioning, a remodeled entry, new restrooms, a small store and a new green room. […]

Norfolk Salutes its Volunteers

Spotlight on Weekend in Norfolk Ruth Melville I’ll always be glad to have had a part in putting together the first Weekend in Norfolk in 2016, along with Sue Frisch and Holly Gill. The original idea came from Sue, and she was—and still is—the driving force behind the now biannual all-town festival. A crucial part […]

Weekend in Norfolk Is Back for Its Eighth Summer

Celebrating Art, Culture and Nature in Norfolk By Ruth Melville On Aug. 4, 5 and 6, Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) is back in town for its eighth annual summer, with a mixture of old and new events. Some of the old favorites coming back this year are a tour of the stained class windows at […]

Gas Spill Cleanup: Final Phase with Silver Lining?

Remediation and monitoring could end in 2024 By Joe Kelly The arrival of spring and a successful completion of legal negotiations with nearby property owners havecleared the way for what may be the final phase of the cleanup of last November’s gas spill.As the ground thawed in April and May, and agreements were reached to […]

It Must Be Summer – The Farmers Market is OpenI

By MaryJo Tomaselli The Norfolk Farmers Market will kick off its 17 th season on Saturday, June 3, on thetown hall lawn at 19 Maple Avenue. The market’s focus remains the same: To supportlocal farmers and artisans and to provide them with an outlet to sell their goods to thecommunity.This year the market committee has […]