• 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

Eye on Town Government

Marginally Higher Budget and Mill Rate Approved at Annual Town Meeting By Wiley Wood The citizens of Norfolk approved a budget at the annual town meeting on May 13. Total spending on education and general government is to rise by 1.2 percent. The mill rate is rising four hundredths of a mill to 20.22, adding […]

Brother and Sister Innkeeper Team

Norfolk’s Romantic Hideaway under New Management By Colleen Gundlach Connecticut’s “most romantic hideaway,” according to The Discerning Traveler newsletter, is under new management. Oversight of the Manor House on Maple Avenue has returned to the hands of Norfolk natives, the brother and sister team of Holly Kelsey and Michael Sinclair. Sinclair recently retired from 25 […]

Town War Monuments Illuminated

Lighting funded by Norfolk Community Association By Doreen Kelly At dusk this past Memorial Day, the Norfolk Village Green became a little brighter. The two war memorials located there are now dramatically lit as a constant reminder of the brave Norfolk men and women who have served this country. The first monument is a 24-foot […]

It’s Only Natural

Connecticut Biologists Create Habitat for the Endangered New England Cottontail By Wiley Wood “You can’t miss it. It’s a 57-acre hole in the forest,” says Paul Rothbart, a project manager with the Connecticut State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  He is giving directions to a tract of state land in Goshen that, with the […]

From Child Care to Family Care

Deanne Towle Joins Northwest Corner’s State Farm Team By Colleen Gundlach There are many different ways to help people.  For 17 years, Norfolk’s Deanne Towle cared for the town’s youngest residents while owning and operating the Norfolk Child Care Center. Today, she is caring for the children in a different way, by helping their families […]

EDC Weighs Plan for Fiber Optic Network

Local technologist sees many potential benefits to town By Kurt Steele With a strong nod to the future, Kim Maxwell briefed the town’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) at its May meeting about the benefits he foresees if Norfolk installed a community-owned fiber optic network. Maxwell is a relatively new resident of Norfolk who has degrees […]

Gourmet Meets Homestyle in Goshen

Not Just Another Roadhouse By Rosanna Trestman Lucky for us, Norfolk now has a choice of four local dining establishments. But it may come as a surprise that a fifth restaurant has been quietly tucked behind the scene all along. Located in Goshen, just a quarter of a mile west of the rotary, A.J.’s Steak […]

Norfolk’s Silent Sentinels

Everything You Need to Know About Utility Poles By John G. Funchion There are 2,153 utility poles in Norfolk. These poles, standing as silent sentinels for years on our roadsides, provide us with all the amenities of modern living: electricity, cable television and internet access. Utility poles were first used above ground in the 19th century […]

ZONE 4

Mounting a Counter Offensive on Invasive Species By Susannah Wood Like most of us living in the Icebox of Connecticut, I greet the first signs of spring with a surge of relief and delight at the first sight of the branch tips of the red maples beginning to color, that first phoebe singing outside our […]

Norfolk Conservation Commission to Offer Ornamental Plant Exchange

Once again, the Conservation Commission is offering a free native plant to residents who take out an invasive ornamental. Bring proof of removal to the Farmers Market on June 15, and pick out a lovely native shrub to replace it. The invasive species we are looking to replace are winged euonymus (burning bush), autumn olive, […]

Regionalization Study Committee Chooses Consultant

Town Involvement Expected in Study Process By Wiley Wood On Wednesday, May 29, the Norfolk-Colebrook Study Committee met to choose a consultant. After hearing two presentations, the committee decided to hire Education Connection to shepherd them through the process. Based in Litchfield, Conn., the organization is the Regional Education Service Center for western Connecticut and […]

Norfolk’s Proposed Budget Up 1 Percent

By Wiley Wood On April 29, the Norfolk Board of Finance presented its budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 to a smattering of Norfolk residents at the Botelle School. The board’s chairman, Michael Sconyers, announced a total increase over last year’s budget of less than 1 percent, translating to a mill rate of 20.22, a bump […]