Celebrate Winter Weekend in Norfolk A Virtual Getaway Starts February 20, 2021

 

For the past five years, the lovely village of Norfolk, Conn., has welcomed visitors every summer and winter to a free town-wide festival, Weekend in Norfolk, affectionately known as WIN. This year something is different: Norfolk’s winter festival is coming to you. Rather than totally canceling Winter Weekend in Norfolk because of the pandemic, about 25 businesses, organizations, and individuals have come together to welcome folks from near and far to a Virtual Winter Weekend in Norfolk beginning Saturday, February 20, 2021. The videos run the gamut from visiting a puppet makers’ studio, architectural tours, and learning about the winter night sky, to a music lesson for the kids, visits to local farms, and even a Spanish cooking class that will help you warm up to winter.

Virtual Winter Weekend in Norfolk celebrates the music, art, and nature that this small village is known for far and wide. Everyone is invited to view live-streamed and on-demand events free of charge from the comfort and warmth of their home. A special Virtual Winter Weekend in Norfolk website lists video events by category, making it easy to choose from all the delights of Norfolk’s winter wonderland. The length of each video and a short description is also included on the website. For complete information visit https://weekendinnorfolk.org. For a printable list of events https://weekendinnorfolk.org/printable-list-events 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC If you are a music lover, Winter WIN has an impressive line-up of musical performances. There will be a performance by guitarist Michael Cobb, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has performed all over the world including the USA, Spain and Vietnam. Cobb specializes in Americana—country, bluegrass, blues, folk, and rock and roll. The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival will rebroadcast a Brentano String Quartet concert for Winter WIN featuring music by Beethoven and Hayden. There will also be a riveting performance by Dale Savage on drums and a session with John and Tobin DeShazo, a father and son team who love to sing together. Musical Winter WIN is rounded out by a performance by the students from Botelle Elementary School.

THE ARTS To get your creative juices flowing, you are invited to take a studio tour of professional puppet-maker and costume designer Susan Aziz, who has worked with the Nutmeg Ballet Company and the Hartford Stage Company. If photography is of interest to you, don’t miss the workshop on winter photography with professional photographers Doug McDevitt and Christopher Keyes. Their tips on lighting and framing among other techniques are sure to make your photos pop! Another highlight of Winter WIN is a visit with potter Laura Nichols, who makes and fires all her pottery at her studio, Pig Pen Pottery. She explains how she decorates her stoneware pieces for the kitchen and table. A guided tour of Battell Chapel’s beautiful stained glass windows designed by D. Maitland Armstrong and Louis Comfort Tiffany is sure to brighten up a gray winter day! Finally, the Norfolk Historical Society is offering an illustrated talk by author Valerie Balint on noted artists’ homes and studios preserved throughout New England.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS There is nothing as intriguing as the winter night sky. Norfolk is one of the best dark sky areas in the state, making a look at the night sky with astronomer Matthew Moore Johnson a must for lovers of the stars and the winter moon that will be full on the 27th. If you want to get out and experience all the unspoiled beauty of Norfolk on your own, be sure to go along on the wildlife walk with John Anderson and the guided tour of Norfolk’s cross-country ski trails with Star Childs. Their tips and knowledge will give you the lay of the land for all Norfolk’s great outdoors has to offer. And don’t miss the talk on northern forests, sponsored by the Norfolk Land Trust.

FUN FOR KIDS Kids are an integral part of Winter WIN, which offers them programs designed to entertain and educate. Professional musician Michael Cobb is teaching a music lesson and the Norfolk Library is hosting a puppet show. Norfolk’s Botelle Elementary School has organized an art workshop, as well as a Lego challenge that is sure to keep your children occupied for hours.

ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES & FARMS Norfolk is famous for its beautiful buildings and homes. There is no one better than the eminent Connecticut historian William Hosley to take you on a guided architectural tour of the town. Then tour a Gilded Age mansion: the Alders, built as a summer home for railroad magnate Charles Spoffard in 1898. If you like to spend winter afternoons in your kitchen, don’t miss a Spanish cooking class with Martiña Gago and Michael Cobb. And remember to check in with Lost Ruby, Husky Meadows, and Broad Field Farms to find out how the animals are doing and what farming is like in the winter. You may even get a sneak peek of what to expect on the farm this spring! 

About Weekend in Norfolk Now in its sixth year, the all-volunteer WIN Committee organizes two town-wide events annually: the Summer WIN and the Winter WIN. These two town-wide festivals are supported by Norfolk’s town officials, its Economic Development Commission, and a multitude of local organizations, institutions and individuals. More information is available at https://weekendinnorfolk.org.