Enloe Memorial Bridge dedication is Oct. 10 in Kingsland
A sign naming the RM 2900 bridge in Kingsland the David and Pat Enloe bridge will be unveiled during a dedication ceremony at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the bridge. File photo
The new RM 2900 bridge, which spans the Llano River arm of Lake LBJ in Kingsland, will be dedicated as the Enloe Memorial Bridge in honor of Pat and David Enloe during a ceremony at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Wendy Sue Enloe-Smith will be joined by residents and former members of the Enloe’s Outlaws ski team at the unveiling of the sign naming the bridge in her late parents’ honor.
“It’s overwhelming,” Enloe-Smith said. “I’m blown away. I can’t believe it’s happening.”
Pat and David Enloe started the Enloe’s Outlaws ski team in the early 1980s. The team taught many Highland Lakes youths water skiing as well as important life lessons such as hard work and making good decisions.
Many team members worked alongside David in his welding shop next to the Enloes’ home, Enloe-Smith said. When she spread word of the dedication, a former Enloe’s Outlaw who is now a commercial pilot sent her a message about how important those years on the team were for his personal and professional growth.
“The lessons I have learned while working for your dad have made the difference in many of the promotions in my jobs,” the former trick skier wrote. “I will never forget the memories made with your mom because they still make me smile.”
David Enloe died in 2005; Pat Enloe in June 2019. The team last performed in the early ’90s.
The previous RM 2900 bridge, which was built in 1968, washed away in a major flood in October 2018. The state had a new bridge in place by May 2019.
Even before the bridge was completed, supporters began the process of naming it in honor of the Enloes. It was from that bridge that so many watched Enloe’s Outlaws perform during AquaBoom celebrations on July 4 each year. Joining Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham and county commissioners in the naming effort were former Enloe’s Outlaws Cindy and Darryl Miller.
Enloe-Smith sees the bridge as a connection between the past and the present.
“I’m humbled that this is actually going to happen,” she added.
The public is invited to the dedication. Face coverings and social distancing are required. Enloe-Smith said she expects a number of former Enloe’s Outlaws members to attend the event.