NORFOLK — Norfolk residents were stunned by a crime spree Sunday, Dec. 18, that resulted in the burning of the Norfolk Curling Club and the arrests of two area men.Kyle Majewski, 19, of 8 Prock Hill Road, Sandisfield, Mass., and Matthew Carey, 20, of 87 Briarwood Trail, Torrington, were charged with multiple counts of arson, burglary, trespassing and larceny in connection with the series of events, which included at least one home invasion and attempted arson at a local residence.According to a report by state police, at 11:25 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, State Police Troop B in Canaan received a call reporting a fire at a residence at 292 Wheeler Road, which is listed as being owned by Paul Provost.Troopers found the residence was unoccupied at the time of the fire, which was brought under control by several area fire departments.At 1:45 a.m., Troop B received a phone call from a homeowner at 206 Westside Road, indicating that she had heard intruders in her basement.She said the intruders left after she yelled at them.A trooper from the state police’s fire marshal’s office responded to the homeowner’s call. On the way, he discovered the Norfolk Curling Club building, located at 70 Golf Drive, and behind the Westside Road residence, had been set ablaze.At 1:26 a.m., Troop B received a 911 call from a male who said he had been involved in a car crash on Mountain Road, less than a mile from the Westside Road residence.The trooper who responded to the crash found both Majewski and Carey, along with evidence linking them to both fires.In the car, police found a number of Norfolk street signs and mailboxes which had been located near the Curling Club building.After further investigation, both men were arrested on multiple charges, including first and second degree arson, first and second degree criminal mischief, first degree burglary, second degree criminal trespassing and third degree larceny.Both men were initially held on $250,000 bonds for the combined charges.Jonathan Barbagallo, a member of the Norfolk Fire Department and the Curling Club, was one of the first firefighters to arrive at the scene of the blaze.“The shed was fully involved in fire by the time I got here,” Barbagallo said. “The whole building was a total loss. As a member of the club, in the winter time, I spent as much time in this place as I did at my house. It was like watching my own house burn down. It was such a unique part of Norfolk. The people who are part of this club are family.”Mary Fanette, president of the club, said she was devastated by the fire.“It’s a tragedy,” Fanette said. Fanette confirmed that the Curling Club was insured but did not immediately know how much of the damages would be covered.Starling Childs, whose family was one of the founders of the club, said, “What can I say? This is so devastating. The club has been part of us for over 50 years. We lost so many things that are not replaceable including many commemorative plaques made by our late member Daryl Russ along with countless trophies.”Childs said all of the club’s curling stones were lost and cannot be replaced because they were made from a rare granite that is no longer available. “Today it costs about $2,000 to replace a set of two stones,” she said. Jeff Knudsen, vice-president of the club, echoed the feelings of Childs, Fanette and Barbagallo. “The club is operated by members who put a lot of time and energy into it, and it’s all gone overnight,” Knudsen said. “It was a cozy little curling club.”Knudsen said members of the club, originally built in 1956, would plan a fundraiser in the future to help rebuild. “We will try to get the club going again,” he said.According to his Facebook page, Majewski was employed at Infinity Music Hall and graduated from Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, Mass., this year.“Time for new friends,” Majewski wrote on his page at 7:11 p.m. on the night of the fires.Carey deleted his Facebook profile, which had noted that he graduated from Northwestern Regional High School in 2010 and was working in the U.S. Army.Before the fire, on Friday afternoon, Carey quoted the song “Forgive Them Father” written by musician Lauryn Hill.“Beware the false motives of others, be careful of those who pretend to be brothers. And you never suppose it’s those who are closest to you. They say all the right things to gain their position. Then use your kindness as their ammunition, to shoot you down in the name of ambition.”Majewski and Carey were arraigned in Bantam and sent to New Haven Correctional Facility, according to a clerk at the court. No pleas were entered.The case is now being transferred to Litchfield Superior Court. Their first hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4. Bond was set in court at $205,000 for Carey and at $230,000 for Majewski. Additional reporting by Lakeville Journal reporter Asher Pavel.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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