• 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

Regional’s Robotics Club

Building their own destiny By Joel Howard Working under the mantra of “gracious professionalism,” the Northwest Robotics Gearheads at Northwestern Regional High School are well on their way to creating a competitive robot. Originally championed by Superintendent Dr. Judith Palmer and Principal Kenneth Chichester, the group came into being last October. Robotics teams at various […]

This ‘n’ That for Habitat

Out & About By Colleen Gundlach Anyone who has participated in fundraising for a non-profit organization knows what a challenge it can be to find the perfect method for raising money. Bake sales, wine tastings and house tours have all been tried. While no one method is perfect, Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut seems […]

Habits of the Beaver

Comeback Kids Great Mountain Forest’s 2012 Forest Lyceum series began on January 14 with, “The Life and Habits of the North American Beaver” lecture by Dr. Stephen DeStefano at the Norfolk Library. “The first wave of beaver trapping started a decade after the Pilgrims landed, and beavers were almost wiped out to make hats later,” […]

Curling Club’s Destruction Sends Shock Waves Through Norfolk and Beyond

The morning after the fire, stunned Norfolk residents stood mourning the still smoking wreckage of the curling club, some fighting back tears, others consumed with rage.             The fire touched many in a deeply personal way, and none more so than Jon Barbagallo, the club’s ice manager and veteran of Norfolk’s Volunteer Fire Department. “The […]

Holiday Trumpeters

By Bob Bumcrot Norfolk resident John Allyn has played trumpet for most of his life. On December 4, 2011 he realized a dream when, along with four other trumpet players and about fifteen enthusiastic hikers and bikers, he ascended Haystack Mountain Tower with instruments, sheet music and stands. As the Sunday bells of the Church […]

Dr. David Leffell Publishes Photography Book

By Sally Quale Since 1994, Dr. David Leffell, a world-renowned dermatologist and author of several dermatology publications, has been coming to Norfolk with his wife Cindy and their two children. Initially summer renters and subsequently homeowners, the Leffells spend as much time here as they can depending on their busy weekly schedules in New Haven. […]

Conservation Commission to Replace Shrubs at Town Hall In one of its first acts, the newly formed Conservation Commission will remove alien invasive species from the front of Town Hall and replace them with non-invasive natives. Their goal is to complete the transformation in one day, Saturday May 2. Slated for removal and disposal are […]

At the Library

Rare Book Room By Sally Quale “It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Co-Director Robin Yuran, describing the recently-completed Rare Book Room, another part of the Norfolk Library’s current capital improvements project. The new room is actually a refurbished meeting room on the second floor that now boasts walls of warm, wooden shelving, and is heat and humidity regulated. […]

Another Torch Passed

Norfolk’s Memorial Day ceremonies on May 26 will be marked by the annual parade of marching bands, school groups and servicemen and women. An 81-year- old Navy veteran will not be marching this year. Hobbled by arthritis, Colebrook resident Peter Giansiracusa will ride in a horse-drawn buggy as he has done for the past five […]

“Bella,” Based on “Our Town,” Comes to Life at the Library

The annual play performed by the women of the Isabella Eldridge Club at the library had the look of a costume party.  Jack O’Malley’s deftly written  script of “Bella” used Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town” as a template to reflect on life in Norfolk in the late 1800’s. Directed by Ann Havemeyer, the cast and extras […]

Zone 4: Spring Planting Choices

By Mark A. Tonan Spring is soon to be upon us, and plants are on a lot of people’s minds. Annuals, perennials, woody plants, ground covers, and edibles are all well suited to spring planting and will become widely available as the weather warms. These plants come in many forms and have certain signs to […]

Special Needs Program at Botelle Benefits All Students

By Timothy Lee Botelle School is home to the Intensive Education Program, or IEP, that serves the educational needs of severely disabled students who range in age from six to 16 and present a variety of challenges in the areas of mobility, communication and self-care. They are typically in wheelchairs and require adult support in […]