• A Forest of Dreams

    Planting the seeds of Norfolk’s wildlife habitat By Carol Goodstein A moose and her calf spotted in a Colebrook backyard. Black bears lumbering across Route 44 to Norfolk’s City Meadow. A ruffed grouse who, this summer, took up residence in the Norfolk Country Club parking lot. “This is what my grandfather envisioned,” recalls Betsy Gill, […]

  • LCCU Sings America at 250

    By Patricia Platt In keeping with the 2026 Norfolk Chamber Music Festival’s theme of “Anniversaries,” the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a special multi-cultural performance entitled “From Roots to Promise: Singing America at 250” on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m., in the Battell Music Shed, conducted by Gabriel […]

  • From Botelle to the Big Stage: Norfolk Thespians Shine at Sharon Playhouse

    Norfolk is home to many talented young artists, and three local performers are proving that dedication and a love of theater can take you far beyond the school stage. Botelle Elementary School students Adilyn Keyes and Fiona Padua and Botelle Theatre alum Chloe Keyes are sharing their talents this summer with audiences at the renowned […]

  • Sadie and Shakespeare

    The Bard and a highschooler inspire young readers By Jude Mead While many teenagers spend their summer vacations relaxing or working seasonal jobs, rising high school senior Sadie Rotolo is sharing her passion for one of history’s greatest playwrights with the next generation. Rotolo recently led a weeklong Shakespeare program at the Norfolk Library, where […]

  • A Farm Stand For All at Oak Hill Farm

    A dream garden grows on Bruey Road By Andra Moss There is a new farm stand in town—and a pair of new farmers. Bonnie Simmons and Bart Wenrich moved to Norfolk in 2018 with no immediate thoughts of working the land. However, a visit to their Oak Hill Farm this summer reveals a significant vegetable-growing […]

  • GREENING OF NORFOLK

    Heroic Spotted Joe-Pye Weed By Jill Chase A key rule of thumb for gardening is “right plant in the right place,” meaning that properly matching up the needs of the plant with the existing conditions will go a long way toward low maintenance gardening. That being said, if you have a moist-to-wet place that is […]

  • Norfolk Crowds Return to New Farmers Market

    By Andra Moss The crowd was large, loud and loving it at July’s Northwest Farm to Fork farmers market, held under the pavilion at Norbrook Farm Brewery. “We were very pleased with the turnout, with approximately 230 customers coming through and 16 food and farm vendors,” says Lisa Auclair, a co-founder, with Devin Grosso and […]

  • Friday Night on the Green Celebrates America’s 250th

    July 3 was a picture-perfect night for the community-wide event cel-ebrating America’s Independence. Following a quick parade, picnickers enjoyed burgers and ice cream while judges dug into the entries in the pie baking contest. First Selectman Hen-ry Tirrell moved seamlessly from his welcome speech to the dunk tank, and a few folks, like Pete Sanders […]

  • NORFOLK REMEMBERS Laurene Mary Wallace

    Laurene Mary Wallace, 77, of Colebrook passed peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Friday, July 10, 2026. Laurene was born on April 28, 1949, in Bridgeport, the last of four children born to the late Lawrence and Irene (Misencik) Firmender of Stratford. A retired registered nurse, Laurene’s career in nursing and cardiac rehabilitation […]

  • Norfolk Remembers Sally Sterling Ellis Quale

    Sally Sterling Ellis Quale, of Norfolk and St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Bronxville, N.Y., died unexpectedly of heart failure on July 7 at the age of 87. Sally will be remembered for her deep commitment to her family and communities and for her warmth, kindness, intelligence, creativity … and, of course, for her beautiful smile […]

  • Norfolk Then…

    This charming house, still standing on the west side of Litchfield Rd., was built in 1905 for Richmond Paine, the newly appointed conductor of the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU). Carl and Ellen Battell Stoeckel engaged the architect Ehrick Rossiter to design the house for Paine as well as the Music Shed for performances by […]

  • Norfolk’s Newest Neighborhood Puts Down Roots

    Haystack Woods lauded as a “model for the state” By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s newest neighborhood, the Haystack Woods affordable housing development, has officially come to life. A year ago, the 39-acre location—a former gravel pit off Old Colony Road—was little more than a muddy building site. Now construction of the 10, two- and three-bedroom homes […]

Articles

A Forest of Dreams

Planting the seeds of Norfolk’s wildlife habitat By Carol Goodstein A moose and her calf spotted in a Colebrook backyard. Black bears lumbering across Route 44 to Norfolk’s City Meadow. A ruffed grouse who, this summer, took up residence in the Norfolk Country Club parking lot. “This is what my grandfather envisioned,” recalls Betsy Gill, […]

Main Street by Another Name

By Avice Meehan Is Norfolk a “bend in the road in [Route] 44 where people go 40, 50, 60 miles per hour?” Or is it more like a college campus with nodes of activity clustered near the historic Village Green and former train station? Does Norfolk even have something that might be described as a […]

LCCU Sings America at 250

By Patricia Platt In keeping with the 2026 Norfolk Chamber Music Festival’s theme of “Anniversaries,” the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a special multi-cultural performance entitled “From Roots to Promise: Singing America at 250” on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m., in the Battell Music Shed, conducted by Gabriel […]

Bridging Fashion and Music

By Avice Meehan Designer and entrepreneur Emily Adams Bode Aujla is known for her ability to transform archival research and images into wearable and compelling garments that are in demand from New York to Tokyo. At this year’s Met Gala, for example, she wore an ethereal tulle gown bedecked with antique paper scrapbook cutouts sourced […]

Community Garden Helps Gardeners of All Ages to Grow

By Jude Mead A local community garden is growing more than vegetables this season—it’s cultivating curiosity, responsibility and a lifelong appreciation for nature among local children and adults. The Norfolk Community Garden, located at Botelle School, was started by Lisa Auclair after the community’s farmers market ended during the Covid-19 pandemic. Auclair then handed it […]

Sadie and Shakespeare

The Bard and a highschooler inspire young readers By Jude Mead While many teenagers spend their summer vacations relaxing or working seasonal jobs, rising high school senior Sadie Rotolo is sharing her passion for one of history’s greatest playwrights with the next generation. Rotolo recently led a weeklong Shakespeare program at the Norfolk Library, where […]

IT’S ONLY NATURAL: Conservation Commission and Public Works Team Up on Invasives

By Susannah Wood Some residents have been wondering about the pink and blue flagging and strange patterns of mowing along Westside Road and elsewhere in town. It’s all part of an effort to combine regular roadside maintenance and invasive species control. Norfolk Conservation Commission (NCC) member Becky Eaton began this effort last year, organizing a […]

GREENING OF NORFOLK

Heroic Spotted Joe-Pye Weed By Jill Chase A key rule of thumb for gardening is “right plant in the right place,” meaning that properly matching up the needs of the plant with the existing conditions will go a long way toward low maintenance gardening. That being said, if you have a moist-to-wet place that is […]

Aquarion Sale in Norfolk Now Official

New owner, new regulation, higher rates? By Joe Kelly Norfolk’s public water supply is officially under new ownership, is subject to new regulation and may well undergo significant rate increases in the coming years. The Aquarion Water Company—which provides Norfolk with water via Wangum Lake—is no longer owned by Eversource Energy. Instead, as of July […]

Community News

WIN Weekend is Here Weekend in Norfolk, held July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 has free garden walks, a gravelbike ride, tag sales, live music on Robertson Plaza, tours, art shows and SidewalkSunday from noon to 4 p.m., on Station Place. Come out and celebrate your town!Check weekendinnorfolk.org for the full list of events. […]

SELECTMAN’S CORNER: Celebrating Summer and Community

By Henry Tirrell Summer is flying by! I hope you have all had a chance to slow down and enjoy it. Wehave been lucky to have had a really great one so far. Unfortunately, some of ourneighboring towns were devastated by the July 4th storm. Trees down, roads blockedand power and utilities out seem like […]

EYE ON TOWN GOVERNMENT

Northbrook Trail, Speed Cameras at Board of Selectmen By Avice Meehan The Board of Selectmen (BoS) has scheduled a special town meeting for Monday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m., at Town Hall, to appropriate $399,750 for construction of the long-delayed Northbrook Trail being developed by the town’s Rails to Trails Committee. All funds will be […]