• 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

How Times Have Changed

Becoming an EMT ain’t what it used to be By Joel Howard When Bill Brodnitzki started his first stint as an ambulance volunteer, he once answered a call when his neighbor yelled out, “Hey, Bill. You free to make a run?” Otherwise, like other volunteers, he answered his calls on a rotary dial phone. That […]

Local Business Mostly Flat in 2012

No sign of major changes ahead By Kurt Steele A review of area businesses found them mostly cautious about the future following a year in which the economy mainly held steady with a few notable bright spots. With continuing depressed house values and a large inventory of houses for sale in Norfolk, it is not surprising […]

Meadowbrook Receives Grant

The Norfolk Senior Housing Corporation (aka Meadowbrook) is very pleased to announce the receipt of a grant from The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut. The amount of $500.00 has been received from the Local Area Fund and will be used in support of general operations. On behalf of all the residents and directors at Meadowbrook, […]

A Concerted Effort of Giving

By Joel Howard In a generous act befitting the season, Infinity Hall and Yale Summer School of Music are joining forces to stage a December 9 holiday matinee concert to benefit The Norfolk Library. Headlining the event will be The Whiffenpoofs, the storied male a cappella group from Yale University, who will be joined on […]

Tokyo String Quartet members (clockwise from left) include Clive Greensmith, Kazuhide Isomura, Martin Beaver, and Kikuei Ikeda.

Popular Musical Group to Retire

String Quartet heads into final year By: John G. Funchion             The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival plays host to the venerable Tokyo String Quartet’s final full season here in Norfolk following thirty five years as its in-residence, distinguished chamber music ensemble.             Consisting of Martin Beaver, first violin; Kikuei Ikedi, second violin; Kazuhide Isomura, viola; […]

Bringing the World to Norfolk

Large attendance expected at Family Festival By Colleen Gundlach The Economic Development Commission’s (EDC) charge is, according to the town’s Web site, to “conduct research into economic trends of the town and make recommendations to improve the (economic) conditions.”  One of the conditions that needs improvement, according to commission member Bella Erder, is the knowledge […]

Super Hikers and Liaison Readjust to Norfolk Life

By Bob Bumcrot Filled with a variety of experiences, some harrowing but many uplifting, Cindy and Kirk Sinclair returned to Norfolk on May 24 from their year-long hike across America.  “It started out as a mission,” said Kirk, who calls himself The Hiking Humanitarian, “but it ended as a pilgrimage. We learned a lot about […]

Norfolk’s Own Amazing Race

By Joel Howard “Family fun day” is how veterans of Norfolk’s Annual Amazing Race describe the event. Known as AARK, the first race was held in 2007 and has since grown to a size that involves many volunteers and concentrated planning.  This year’s race is scheduled for Saturday, July 14, and will benefit the Norfolk […]

Engineering With a Social Conscience

Lior Trestman Wins UConn Research Grant at End of Freshman Year By Wiley Wood In certain regions of the world, women spend a large part of the day fetching water. Worldwide, water-borne pathogens are the leading cause of infant death. So why not create an efficient means of transporting water that would at the same […]

Ian Robinson: An Educational Safari

By Joel Howard Maru-a-Pula, a name which translates to “promise of blessings”, is an apt name for the innovative African school where Norfolk resident and recent high school graduate Ian Robinson is spending time as a volunteer teaching assistant. The educational facility, established in 1972, has grown from a student enrollment of 25 to 660, […]

Local Scholarships Await Graduates

By Joel Howard Litchfield County University Club (LCUC) awarded its first scholarship over 100 years ago, soon after a handful of philanthropic locals banded together to achieve a goal of aiding deserving students in furthering their education. Having been the idea of Norfolk patrons Carl and Ellen Battell Stoeckel, the group held its first meeting […]

Time is Running Out For Norfolk’s Aging Sewer System

Residents could see a big hike in user fees By Kurt Steele Norfolk faces a major challenge in planning a complex project to rehabilitate its 100-plus-year-old sewer system that could cost $3 million according to a preliminary estimate. While the sewer system has certainly stood the test of time, time is running out. Built in […]