Elevator let her down on birthday No. 61

Sunday’s Huckleberries:

Coeur d’Alene violinist Cathyanne Nonini will remember her 61st birthday on Monday, May 23, because it didn’t go well. It started out OK, however. Cathyanne, wife of state Sen. Bob Nonini, and her sister, Paulette, were enjoying time together at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, when they entered an elevator. They were the only two in it. Between floors, the sisters heard a “kerthunk,” and the elevator stopped. Cathyanne rang the elevator buzzer. Nothing. Then she used the phone to contact security. The voice on the other end said help was on the way. When it didn’t arrive in 10 minutes, Cathyanne called again. Thirty minutes after the initial call, the women heard clanging above them. Forty-five minutes into the ordeal, a fireman removed a panel in the elevator ceiling and peeked in, using a flashlight to see into the darkened interior. At that point, the rescuers were working against nature, or at least the call thereof. The women were advised to use a corner of the elevator if they really needed to. They decided they could wait. Finally, a ladder was lowered and the two were helped out. Cathyanne’s sister suffered a leg injury exiting and landed in an ER. Before Paulette’s release, a concerned nurse asked if she, with her injured leg, would have to climb many stairs at her hotel. Paulette said no. The hotel had elevators. Responded the nurse, “Oh dear, you are not going to get into another elevator are you?” At least not with a full bladder/ DFO , Sunday Huckleberries. More here.