• Work to Resume on Route 44 and New Firehouse

    Warmer temps ensure concrete quality By Avice Meehan Two significant Norfolk projects that were put on hold because of below-zero temperatures this winter are expected to resume by mid-March: Reconstruction of two retaining walls along Route 44 and the construction of a new firehouse for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Engineers for the state Department […]

  • Richard Byrne Retires as Active Firefighter

    After 58 years, veteran status By Joseph Kelly He was a young Navy veteran, about to be married and ready to start a family in his hometown when, in February 1968, his older brother convinced him to join the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). For Richard Byrne it was the start of an association that […]

  • Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus Will Benefit Local Food Banks

    Three Grammy nominees to perform at Infinity Hall By Colleen Gundlach On April 11, Infinity Hall will be the setting for Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus, a concert that will benefit Stock the Shelves, an outreach of United Way of Northwestern Connecticut. The Rock ‘n Roll House Party Circus will feature three Grammy nominees […]

  • Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics

    To get the ice just right, filmmakers tapped Norfolk expertise By Joseph Kelly The underdogs who battle the odds—the washed-up boxer, the outclassed football team, the aging baseball slugger with one last homerun in him—are all Hollywood standbys. Ronald Reagan may be remembered as much for “win one for the Gipper” as he is for […]

  • How Botelle (Carefully) Uses AI for Learning

    By Avice Meehan For more than three decades, children visited the fictional town of Frog Creek, Penn., home to two children named Jack and Annie. With the help of a magic tree house, the pair are whisked away to distant places where they have adventures, solve problems and, perhaps, learn a thing or two. Like […]

  • Choral Singing Meets Bluegrass

    LCCU welcomes all ages to sing new styles By Andra Moss The Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) is entering its 127th concert year with decidedly youthful energy. Under the direction of Music Director Dr. Gabriel Löfvall, the LCCU will convene a youth choral festival in Norfolk in late spring; offer a series of choral seminars […]

  • Winter Weekend In Norfolk

    It was a cold and blustery weekend, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out on Feb. 21 and 22 for Winter WIN, the weekend for enjoying all things Norfolk in the winter season. The photos below show a story of a town that came together to strut its stuff for the world to […]

  • From Freeze to Flow: Extreme Temps and the Maple Syrup Season

    Reaching that ideal mix of natural conditions By Jude Mead The extreme cold and heavy snowfall this season has raised some concern among maple syrup producers. Reports of loud, cracking noises in wooded areas have set the stage for a phenomenon called “frost cracking.” During these periods of intense cold, the water and sap inside […]

  • Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale

    With Jude Mead at the guitar and with great enthusiasm, members of the Isabella Eldridge Club defied a threatened winter storm and entered Battell Chapel on Feb. 10 for a memorable performance of an episode of “Gilligan’s Island,” a daft 1960s television comedy. Despite the best efforts of the Professor (played by Marinell Crippen, left) […]

  • Cook For Goodness Sake

    America The Melting Pot By Linda Garrettson In celebration of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it seems appropriate to dedicate my food column this year to America, who we are, and what we eat. Get ready for some history lessons, and perhaps surprises that might enlighten you to what we call American […]

  • Be Careful, Very Careful

    An expert team from the Glass Source Stained Glass Studio spent nearly six hours in cold mid-January weather care-fully removing a cathedral stained glass window from Battell Chapel at the United Church of Christ before transporting it to their studio in Seymour for restoration. In this photo, Michael Skrtic balances one section of the window […]

  • The Week that Was

    First, frigid temperatures forced the relocation of Norfolk’s valiant Post Office staff to Winsted because of scheduled asbestos remediation, leaving box holders temporarily puzzled. Then, the big snow arrived on Jan. 25 and 26. Estimates vary widely: Russell Russ reported the official tally at the Great Mountain Forest weather station as 15.2 inches, but others […]

Articles

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 […]

International Quartets to Perform in Norfolk This Summer

One of them will be the new in-resident artists By John Funchion The quest for a new recognizable group to replace the venerable Tokyo String Quartet as the in-resident artist/teachers for the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival continues in earnest this season. Glacial patience on the part of Director Paul Hawkshaw and Festival Manager, James Nelson […]

New Forum To Meet Needs of Older Area Residents

Northwest Corner Triad to address crime prevention and safety concerns By Kurt Steele Although it seems like there is little crime risk for older residents in Norfolk, the reality is that everyone is just a few steps away from a fraudulent banking transaction, identity theft or other type of scam. Although less common, older residents […]

Norfolk Artists & Friends to Stage Exhibit

Annual arts show is sponsored by the Chamber Music Festival By Karen Linden Twenty-three artists will show their work in the Norfolk Artists & Friends Art Show, sponsored by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, between August 9 and 11. The Battell Stoeckel Gallery, known locally as the Art Barn, will again host painters, sculptors, a […]

Farmers Market Plans First Agricultural Fair

By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo The ever evolving Norfolk Farmers Market has a new brainstorm. Their first agricultural fair will be held on Saturday, August 24 in conjunction with the regular farmers market. The event will take place on the lawn of Town Hall as usual, but with extended hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. […]

Funkware Pottery Opens Studio and Workshop in Canaan

An Arty Place with Classes and More By Bob Bumcrot Joey Sage Jablonski marked the twentieth anniversary of her career as a potter at a gala July 6 reception celebrating the opening of Funkware Pottery in Canaan. The large and entirely refreshed building across Route 44 from Stop & Shop in Canaan now contains studio […]

Local Family Starts Goat Cheese Production

The Guindons of Lost Ruby Farm By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo Adair Mali and Antonio Guindon bought their first goat shortly after returning from a year-long trip to Guindon’s homeland of Costa Rica in 2009. Goats were everywhere during Guindon’s youth, and he swore to never own the “loud, stinky animals”, but one of his daughters […]

Colebrook Store Nears Reopening

By Bob Bumcrot “Even if everything isn’t in place, we will open in July,” said Miriam Briggs, the new proprietor of the Colebrook Store. Some refreshments will certainly be available for the Independence Day long weekend. Briggs and her sons, Quentin,14, and Francis,12, frequently drove from their former home in Saint Johnsbury, Vt., to her […]

Colebrook Wind Farm in Legal Limbo

State Supreme Court decision may come in the fall By Veronica Burns BNE Energy, Inc.’s plans to build three 492-ft tall turbines on Flagg Hill Road and another three on nearby Rock Hall Road in Colebrook, Conn., are currently in an appeals holding pattern. Nicholas Harding, attorney for the plaintiffs, says he expects oral argument […]

Fundraising Underway for Restoration of the Music Shed

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival teams up with Norfolk Artists and Friends By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo Concert goers at Yale Summer School of Music and Art this summer will have the unique opportunity to purchase a chair in the music shed. A $250 donation ensures your name engraved on a metal plaque affixed to an actual […]

NORFOLK 2023! to Explore Town’s Future in Fall

Anniversary of Norfolk Now to focus on next decade  By Lloyd Garrison The editors of Norfolk Now will mark the paper’s tenth anniversary in October by inviting the town to attend NORFOLK 2023!, an event that will begin with entertaining presentations followed by a serious exploration  of  how residents would like the town to develop […]

Village Hall to Infinity

Community Landmark Celebrates 130 Years By Michael Kelly On Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m., New York’s renowned Blue Hill Troupe will present a concert version of their highly acclaimed rendering of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta, “The Mikado”, at Infinity Hall. The concert has two purposes. One is to benefit the Norfolk Historical Society. The […]