by Guy Page

So, you’ve never been to Island Pond? Well, now you can visit the Essex County village (population 750) that is the urban core of the Town of Brighton (population 1170). Virtually, at least. Thanks to a livestream webcam mounted at a major intersection.

Google “Vermont” on YouTube. Mighty quick, up pop live stream videos from every corner of Vermont.

Brighton, by the way, was named “Gilead” in its original grant in 1780. The town was sold to a group consisting primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named “Random”. The town’s name was finally changed by the legislature to “Brighton” in 1832. The Brighton village of Island Pond gets its name from the Abenaki word Menanbawk, which literally means island pond. According to the village website, Island Pond is famous internationally for being one of the first international railroad junctions in the United States.

Who knew?

FYI the Kingdom Grille in Island Pond only has one car in the parking lot as of 11:49 PM. No long wait for a table the next time you want to stop in during the day!

On the other end of the population spectrum, SkyWatch 3, operated by WCAX, keeps an eye on the Church Street Marketplace.

For better or worse, the webcam gives an eagle-eye view of graffiti painted just below the roofline of a major commercial building.

The “bridgecam” of the historic Waitsfield Covered Bridge in Vermont’s scenic Mad River Valley is operated by MRVTV, the public access station for the Mad River Valley. The bridge on Bridge St crosses the Mad River at what’s known as the Great Eddy, over the Great Eddy Bridge.

Mad River Valley TV cleverly has found a sponsor for the popular webcam (13,800 followers). It “is happy to welcome this month’s sponsor, West Hill House B&B. Experience the serenity of the Vermont countryside at this Warren, Vermont Bed and Breakfast. Located in the Green Mountains of Central Vermont, it is 100% solar-powered and is set beside Sugarbush Golf & Skiing and close to Mad River Glen.”

And if you’ve never ridden the gondolas or skied/boarded the slopes at Stratton Mountain in Bennington County, the webcam mounted behind Grizzly’s Bar and Grill gives you a good idea of the crowds, conditions and amenities.