With the proper shift sideway, the gear retracted successfully!! Then, we realized that in shifting the nosegear ever so slightly sideways, it no longer locked into the captivator plate which formed some of the support for the landing gear!! Not to worry, Scott Swing worked some magic. Believe it or not, WITHOUT removing the canard, he was able to lead us through removing the plate!! For those familar with the landing gear system, this is QUITE a feat!!! Grinding the slot slightly wider allowed for the nosegear to work essentiall normally. We were ready to go!! The EAA 75 Chapter guys graciously allowed us to leave the plane in place here until our departure the next day. I cannot begin to thank the EAA 75 folks enough for supplying the expertise, materials and tools that enabled these repairs to be made. I even was able to sneak in a tweak to the pitch trim system to improve the nose up trim!