Help! Need plans for a BRIDGE

[SouthPoleScout]

Hello fellow Scouters!!

 

I am in need of a design - preferably a full plan - for a crossover bridge ....

but I have some specific issues that are hindering me finding something easily on the internet

 

1. The bridge has to fold up or disassemble easily for compact storage.  We are really limited on storage space.  Our group wants a big bridge for ceremonies (small ones are "lame")  -  so being able to break down for storage is key.

 

2. It needs to be wheelchair accessible - yes, we could "carry" the member over, but trying to promote independence like they prefer - so something that can be wheeled over is needed.  So sloped ends and wide enough for a standard wheelchair.  Mid height rails?

 

3. I'm no master wood worker.... while it does not have to be super simple, it also can't have a ton of specialized joints or super fancy stuff

 

 

 

Can anyone help?

 

Wife is browsing pintrest and I've been web searching - but so far nothing quite fits the bill

Hoping someone out there can help!!

 

Thanks in advance

[5yearscouter]

check your local OA chapter and see if they have a bridge you can use for this purpose.  That's what all of our district packs do except one that has a huge storage room and have their own bridge.  The order of the Arrow ceremony team performs the ceremony for the crossover and brings the bridge with them.

[qwazse]

Sounds like you want some out-of-the-box thinking, so here's a Confucian, Wile E. Coyote mashup:

If you can't build a bridge, paint a valley.

Get a large white canvas tarp and blue, green, red and yellow paints.

Half the canvas hangs from the ceiling as is painted with a two hillsides in the background, one with a Cub Scout symbol, the other with a Boy Scout symbol (or cub camp, and boy scout camp), with the "sunset" portion of the AoL shining between the two valleys. The inside half of a bridge is in the foreground near floor level, with the "arrow" portion of the AoL on the bridge as part of the "railing".

The other canvas spreads across the floor, and is painted with a stream down the middle, and painted wooden planks crossing the stream. If your gathering place has a stage, the canvas could fold over, and you could paint a waterfall!

 

You would want props (campfire ring,  wood pile, etc ...) in the foreground to hide weights that keep the floor portion spread flat.

Your wheel-chair scout could then cross on his own, just like the other boys.

 

This should fold and store easier than any wooden bridge. Some parents have experience at stage management, so they could give you an estimate on the materials, or you could talk to a high school if some of the students in theater would want a service project.

 

You could also use large pieces of colored tarp for different parts of the background, but you'll want the part on the floor to be one painted piece so things won't get ruffled with lots of foot traffic.

 

Whatever you do, try and post a picture of the final product!

Edited February 24, 2017 by qwazse

[blw2]

honestly.... I would start thinking about skipping the bridge.

the rope bridge carries a certain sense of risk that the kids enjoy or fear, depending on the kid.... but it's memorable either way

but once you start going to wheelchair accessible, all of that is sorta lost.

 

I think an important question is.... "is this a ceremony for the scouts or is it for mom?"

 

none of it is necessary or required.... the whole crossing over thing I mean.

 

 

I'll throw this out for brainstorming though..... one of our council camps is set up with the campfire theater stage on one side of a small creek with a bridge going over to the seating side.  We have a pack using it as their crossover bridge....doing a whole B&G camping weekend, inviting the troops, etc....  really seems like a good idea to me.  Find someplace with a bridge and do it as a campout.

[frankpalazzi]

How about a "Human Bridge?"  Half made up of Webelos on each side, and half made up of Scouts on each side.  Cubs make the Cub Sign, Scouts make the Scout Sign as the graduate(s) cross(es).

 

Best of all, Cost: $0.00.  No materials needed!

[Stosh]

4 rolls of colored tape.  Make a narrow rectangle of blue/yellow on one end, red/green on the other end.  Pull up and toss away when done, store the tape in a drawer.

[TAHAWK]

 

If the first and last pieces are beveled, it should be wheelchair accessible.