• 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

Arrest Imminent in Norfolk Copper Theft

Police say the perpetrators have been identified By Bob Bumcrot On the night of January 29, two men were recorded on videotape stealing copper gutters and downspouts in Norfolk. The metal was removed from the Church of Christ and other nearby sites, and loaded into a small truck. The short videotape of the theft can […]

Nemo Dumped a Pile of Snow But Never Matched the Hype

Norfolk’s roads cleared within 38 hours By Lloyd Garrison Like Hurricane Sandy, the winter storm named Nemo was tracked several days in advance and prompted some forecasters to predict a “storm of the century.” Unlike Sandy, its full impact was limited to coastal areas and eastern Connecticut. A record 40 inches of snow fell in […]

Supporting Young Artists’ Passions

The Battell Arts Foundation accepting scholarship application By Tom Hodgkin Amelia Benedict loved art from the beginning.  In her first years, it was finger painting and play dough.  Then, after art classes in grade school, her interest turned to oil painting, sculpture, and ceramic hand building.  But when she first tried throwing clay on the […]

Rising From the Ashes

Rising from the ashes of December 2011, the Norfolk Curling Club is well on its way in erecting a new building where the previous facilities stood. The Golf Drive project is the result of a major fund-raising effort spearheaded by Mary Fanette, president of the group. The old building was razed after a late night […]

Forest Lyceum at Norfolk Library

By Lloyd Garrison Norfolk Library last month served as host for the first of several free lectures produced by Great Mountain Forest. The lectures, which continue through early June, are collectively known as The Forest Lyceum.  While some of the events are slated for libraries in neighboring towns, Norfolk Library will host the majority of […]

Curling Club Arsonists Imprisoned for 10 Years

State’s Attorney Unveils  Story of Nocturnal Rampage By Wiley Wood The two young men arrested on Mountain Road in the small hours of December 18, 2011, while a fire smoldered on Wheeler Road and another roared at the Norfolk Curling Club on Golf Drive, were sentenced to 10  years in prison for arson and other […]

Local Band Plays Infinity Hall

Matt Papanek of the band Ibis is shown on stage at Infinity Hall during the group’s concert last month. Not shown are the band’s other members, Brock Wehry – vocals, rhythm guitar; Rob Sanzone – lead guitar; Van Daalhuyzen – bass; Alex Hotchkiss – drums. Ibis has a return engagement scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 7, […]

State Trooper Naylor Honored for Investigative Skills

Medal cites his exceptionally high rate of crimes solved By Sally Quale Norfolk’s Resident State Trooper Greg Naylor is not only a first responder but also a crime solver, and such a good one that late last year the Connecticut State Police awarded him the Medal for Outstanding Service. The medal is given to a […]

Walk on the Wild Side

Land Trust buys 311 acre Girl Scouts Camp By Janet Gokay The Norfolk Land Trust is looking forward to June, when they expect to finalize their acquisition of 311 acres of pristine wilderness, formerly part of the Girl Scouts’ Camp Iwakta. The purchase will significantly enlarge the corridor of conservation lands stretching from Aton Forest […]

Referendums in Norfolk and Colebrook Approve Regional School Study

Local Members of Study Committee Named Byline: By Wiley Wood In separate but identical referendums on December 18, residents of Norfolk and Colebrook voted overwhelmingly in favor of studying regionalization, the first step towards bringing their primary schools under one roof. The yes vote to establish a regional study committee was 76 percent in Norfolk […]

Local Home Sales Still Depressed

Historic number of listings but few sales in 2012 By Kurt Steele Despite historic low interest rates and a glut of homes on the market in Norfolk, there are few buyers.  Those shopping definitely want bargains. Last year saw only 13 mutiple-listed homes sold here, 12 of which were at or below $365,000. With the […]

Memory Impaired Unit Opens

Geer Offering Assistance in Newly Formed Facility Geer Village, the Canaan retirement complex that is home to many Norfolk seniors, has opened a new unit providing assisted living for the memory impaired. It is only the second such unit in Connecticut especially devoted to residents with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The secure third-floor unit opened […]