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Island Pond (Brighton), Vermont - Organizations and Events

courtesy of the Center For Rural Studies
Fire and Police Departments
The headquarters of the fire department are on Pherrin Street. The telephone number is: (802)723-4444. The police department is on Main Street. They can be reached at: (802)723-4322.

Community Buildings
Beyond the one official municipal building, Brighton relies on its churches, restaurants, and outdoor areas for community events. The town's youth center has been closed but residents are seeking funding for a new site.

Events
Brighton holds a Winter Carnival on the first complete weekend in February. For the year of 1997, it will be February 7 - 9. The event is made up of cross-country ski races, outdoor broomball, volleyball in the gym, and a ‘50's and ‘60's performance. For more information, call 723-6507.
On March 1 and 2, the annual Snow Cross be held in Island Pond. It's a snow machine circuit designed for snowmobiles. The event could draw as many as 1,000 to 2,000 people each day. Residents and committee members are currently designing this year's course.
The town also sponsors a Fall Festival. The event is put on by fifteen to twenty people in the Town Hall. Residents call it the Grand Ol' Opry.

Personalities

Rudy Vallee
Island Pond is the birthplace of Rudy Vallee, popular "crooner" and band leader born on July 28, 1901. His family house, on a hill overlooking the village is still there. (Chesny, 1986). Vallee, was called the "Vagabond Lover" and is considered as first of a string of star singers like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. In 1932, he returned to Island Pond with his band and threw the biggest dance party Essex County had ever seen. (Kaufman) He died on July 3, 1986.

Bradley Crowe
Bradley Crowe of Island Pond was among 83 members of the intelligence ship USS Pueblo, which was captured by North Korea in January, 1968. Eleven months later, Crowe was reunited with his parents in San Diego on Christmas Day.

Note: This series is available courtesy of the Center For Rural Studies, a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. We would like to thank them for the use of this information and would like to refer you to crs@uvm.edu for additional info or comments.