Only a few days remains before the return of the annual Summer Weekend in Norfolk, which will be ushered in Friday, July 31, with an early morning plant and bird walk at City Meadow, an evening concert on the Village Green, a chamber music concert at the Music Shed and live music at Infinity Music Hall’s Bistro.
Art and music will be dominant themes throughout the weekend, with the Norfolk Artists and Friends offering a sneak preview of its exhibition at an opening reception on Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Art Barn. The show will continue throughout the weekend.
Other art opportunities include an exhibition by multimedia artist JanaLee Cherniski at the Norfolk Library and an open studio by Hilary VanWright. The exquisite stained-glass windows at Battell Chapel and Immaculate Conception Church will be on view all three days, and the Church of the Transfiguration will be open Saturday and Sunday.
Music fills the weekend with many free performances. Infinity Music Hall’s Bistro will host music on all three days, and the weekend features several chamber concerts at the Music Shed. There will be live performances on Robertson Plaza Saturday and Sunday, and a children’s concert and ice cream social at the Music Shed on Sunday.
A weekend highlight is the expanded Sidewalk Sunday on Aug. 2, from noon to 4 p.m. on Station Place. With the street closed to traffic, it becomes a pedestrian space where visitors can shop handmade goods, meet local makers and enjoy the music.
Sunday’s garden tours open four exquisite private gardens and visitors can also explore Norfolk’s community garden, learn composting tricks from a master composter and pick up a free herb seedling.
Outdoor opportunities include yoga on the Green, a guided gravel bike ride with the Rails to Trails Committee, a bounce house and firefighter’s obstacle course for kids, a town-wide tag sale, bubble games, a bring-your-own picnic lunch at the Manor House Inn, hiking Norfolk’s scenic trails and free fly-fishing workshops at Wood Creek Pond.
The Norfolk Historical Society’s exhibit brings the Revolutionary War era to life, and visitors can tour Whitehouse, the elegant mansion built in 1799 by wealthy merchant Joseph Battell. For something truly global, head to the Connecticut-Asia Cultural Center, which offers exhibits, complimentary Asian lunch boxes, Dragon Boat racing, bonsai demonstrations and tea ceremonies.
Explore the full, updated schedule at Weekend in Norfolk.
