• 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

Rains Delay Spill Cleanup as More Gas Is Found

Cleanup shifts to Maple Avenue Words and photo by Joseph Kelly This summer’s rainy weather, including the severe storms in July that wiped out several bridges in town, has also delayed the ongoing cleanup of last year’s gas spill. As a result, through traffic on Maple Avenue is likely to remain disrupted well into September. […]

Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers Spotlight on the Library

Galene Kessin My involvement with the Norfolk Library was almost accidental.  I went into the library one day because Comcast had interrupted our phone and internet service and I urgently needed to call my husband Rich, who was in New York.  While I was seated in a comfortable chair in what I now know is […]

Proposed Firehouse Plan Comes Before Wetlands Agency

By Susan MacEachron A full contingent of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) attended the Inland Wetlands Agency (Wetlands) meeting on Aug. 7.  NVFD members came to hear the proposed application for the construction of a new firehouse.  Emily Bousaada, a civil engineer from Benesch, outlined the proposal.  Benesch, a professional services firm, was hired […]

EDC and Board of Education Discuss Ways to Support Botelle

By Ruth Melville The Economic Development Commission (EDC) invited members of the Board of Education (BoE), along with Superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli and Principal Lauren Valentino, to attend an in-person meeting on Aug. 10 meeting to have a conversation about ways the EDC might be able to assist Botelle School. EDC co-chair Libby Borden started […]

A Haystack Book Festival Discussion of One Poet’s Insights into Music and Poetry

By Leila Javitch In early July, the Haystack Book Festival hosted a talk on the musical interests of the distinguished American poet John Ashbery. Karin Roffman, author of “The Songs We Know Best: John Ashbery’s Early Life” and currently completing a full biography of Ashbery, was accompanied by Melvin Chen, director of the Norfolk Chamber […]

Training Shelter Dogs to Become Stage Stars

By Patricia Platt If your idea of a celebrity sighting is petting Toto (The Wiz), Sandy (Annie) or Bruiser (Legally Blonde)—or if you’re simply interested in how dogs are trained to act in Broadway shows—head to the Norfolk Music Festival’s open house at the Art Barn on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m., for “Broadway […]

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, […]