CROWN POINT — As the severed ribbon fluttered down to officially open the new Champlain Bridge, 11-year-old Harrison Rich ran and ran and ran.
The Moriah Elementary School sixth-grader had decided to be the first person to cross the bridge after its official opening, said his mother, Staley Rich.
Now classmates are calling Harrison "the Champlain Bridge Kid," and local legislators showed up recently in his sixth-grade classroom at Moriah Central School to honor his feat.
"They (classmates) decorated the classroom. They had a red carpet for him."
'GO FOR IT'
Coming to the school were New York State Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward (R-Willsboro) and Vermont State Rep. Diane Lanpher (D-Addison).
Lanpher said she was taking her seat at the bridge opening ceremony on Nov. 7, 2011, when Harrison approached and told her he wanted to be the first person across the bridge.
"I told him, 'You go for it. When you see your chance, go for it.'"
At the school ceremony, Lanpher gave Harrison a photograph showing him running across the bridge and a piece of the opening ribbon, while Sayward presented a State Assembly resolution recognizing his accomplishment.
"Harrison certainly had a dream, and he made it come true," Sayward said.
TOLD MOM THAT MORNING
It was a dream he didn't share with his family until the morning of the event, Mrs. Rich said.
"I went in to wake him up. He said, 'I'll be the first person across the bridge. I've planned it for four months.'"
She was astonished.
"I said, 'Thanks for letting us know.'"
An hour before the ceremony, Mrs. Rich loaded Harrison in the family car and headed for the Champlain Bridge, which connects Crown Point and Addison, Vt.
Built at an over-budget cost of $75 million, the 2,000-foot-long span replaced a 1929 bridge that was deemed too structurally unsound to repair. The original bridge was demolished by controlled explosives in December 2009, and work on the new one began the next spring.
FRONT OF THE CROWD
As the opening gala began, folding chairs were set up in rows on the New York side of the two-lane bridge, and a speaker's podium was put in place for Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, New York Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy and other speakers.
More than 1,000 people gathered for the event, and Mrs. Rich and Harrison joined the throng.
The boy worked his way to the edge of the crowd and to the section where dignitaries were seated, Mrs. Rich said.
"He said, 'I'm going to be the first person. I'll see you on the other side.'"
Mrs. Rich kept her eye on him as speaker after speaker praised everyone who had a hand in building the new bridge.
Finally, a ribbon was stretched across the bridge roadway, and Shumlin and Duffy were given scissors to cut it to make the opening official.
As the ribbon fluttered down, Mrs. Rich had her eyes on Harrison.
"I saw that kid shoot out," she said. "Nobody told him no. He gave a little wave. That was it."
PICTURE TAKEN
As Harrison ran ahead of the surging crowd, his photo was taken by an Associated Press photographer, who asked him his name.
The picture later appeared in newspapers all over the country, Mrs. Rich said, because people started sending her clippings.
Afterward, Harrison told his mother: "'I was with the governor dudes,'" she remembered. "'I told that nice lady, Betty, I was going to be the first one across.'"
Harrison was, of course, referring to State Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury), Mrs. Rich said.
"I thought it would be pretty cool to have a place in history," Harrison said. "My mom took me and told me to go ahead. I thought someone would try to stop me, but no one did."
The school ceremony came about because Harrison's sixth-grade teacher, Samantha Meachem, had a chance encounter with Lanpher at the King's Inn in Port Henry.
Lanpher mentioned a student from Moriah whom she'd encouraged to be the first to cross.
"Sam said, 'That's my student,'" Mrs. Rich said. "They decided to do something for him. It was a nice presentation. Diane gave him a piece of ribbon from the ceremony.
"Harrison was happy." &boldtext;Email Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
Romney, Santorum Assail Each Other in GOP Debate
New Radar Confirms Tornadoes Faster
Police: Wash. School Shooting Accidental
Fitness Program Improves Lives of Mentally Ill
NJ Officials Blast NYPD Over Spying Report
2nd Degree Murder Verdict in Lacrosse Slaying
GOP Rivals Pass Contraception Debate, Hit Obama
Romney, Santorum Swap Charges in 20th Debate
Raw Video: Guilty Verdict in UVa Lacrosse Death
$5 Gas Coming to Pumps Near You?
Raw Video: French Police Release Strauss-Kahn
Ga. Spa Shooting Leaves 5 Dead, Victims Related
2 More Western Journalists Die in Syria
7 Killed As Afghan Quran Protests Turn Violent
Santorum Goes After Obama on Energy
Judge Says Lindsay Lohan in the "Home Stretch"
Father Accused of Using Leash on 11 Year Old
Obama Helps Break Ground on Black History Museum
Raw Video: Dozens Dead in Argentina Train Crash
Wounded Vets Regain Some Camaraderie in Kitchen
