Make-A-Wish came to Duluth on Friday, June 12th, 2009. Eliot Kramer, below left, got his wish; he was at the controls as the Paul R. Tregurtha came to town. Ryan Beamer, chief Lift Bridge operator for the City of Duluth presented his new operator with a genuine bridge operator certificate, signed by Mayor Don Ness.
Eliot’s mother, Sara, is holding his little sister Naomi, as Ryan explains the inner workings of the bridge.
Make-A-Wish’s local helpers are at left, daughter Nicole and her mother Sue (right)
Eliot was not the only one to learn how to operate the bridge. But he was the only one that was authorized to push the buttons. His father Aron paid close attention.
With the new operator up to speed, it was time to test his mettle. That would be done by Captain Tim Dayton, who was, just coincidently, bringing his Paul R. Tregurtha to Duluth and needed the bridge lifted.
The Vista King came under the bridge as she was going out to meet the Tregurtha coming in. Below, the King’s sister ship, the Vista Queens coming in while the King is getting close to the Tregurtha.
Let’s see. What did he say this button did?
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Sorry for offtopic
Excellent story and wonderfull Photo's. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for these wonderful fotos of Eliot and his family – both sets of grandparents congratulate you on a job well done. Eliot – you make us SO proud!!
What a great story, Ken, and wonderful pictures, too! Congratulations, Eliot, on a job well done. Ken, you do the best job on your stories. I always enjoy reading them. Y'all stay warm up there. Greetings from Alabama! Jill
We were stood at the bottom of the bridge. He certainly loved to blow that horn!
It looks like he had a wonderful time
I watched this on KSTP news this morning. What a great story!