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TIPS FOR HANGING BANNERS
Bob & Anna Gross recently went out to hang a
Christian-peace-message banner on an overpass near their family
homestead in northern Indiana. Here is how they went about doing it.
BOB'S REPORT:
Paint, Pipes and Peace Witness Where? Message Size Materials Construction Mounting Posts Mounting Overpass Transporting Since September, it seems it's not possible to drive through any town or city without seeing the slogan, "GOD BLESS AMERICA" on signs and billboards everywhere. My favorites are the mixed messages: "GOD BLESS AMERICA / WAITRESS WANTED" or "SPRING BULBS ARE HERE / GOD BLESS AMERICA". One thing I am learning is that when people put up the flag, or a "GOD BLESS AMERICA" sign, their intent may not be as pro-military as I initially assumed. In some cases it is really a way to say, "This is a time for us all to support each other." All these signs got me wondering: What message would I like to hang out on a sign or banner? As I talked with friends and family, the idea of hanging peace messages where motorists would see them became stronger in my mind and spirit. The first attempt was made with a bed sheet proclaiming "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES – Matthew 5:44." The banner looked pretty large on the kitchen floor when we painted it, but pretty small when Anna Lisa and I hung it on an overpass over the road. Still, the biblical peace witness felt right. So I made a larger banner, using "house wrap" (like Tyvek) with plastic pipe to keep it straight in the wind. This one was 18' X 4' and said (in letters almost two feet high) "SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT – Psalm 34:14." When Heidi and I mounted it on the overpass, it was hard to miss. Encouraged by these initial efforts, we had a banner-making party at Manchester College, and created five more banners. Two said "SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT...", two said, "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES..." and two said, "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD – Romans 12:21." The banners have been displayed four times now over the interstate, as well as in front of our church along the state highway and at the Organizing for Peace conference. People often ask if it is legal to hang a banner on an overpass. We have had the opportunity to talk with two or three police officers in the course of our efforts, and none of them has told us that the banner was illegal or could not be placed there. Their concern was for safety. Basically, they do not want pedestrians on overpasses, since there is danger of falling or of knocking something off that might fall onto a passing vehicle. We told them that we also were very concerned for safety, and we learned to mount the banner securely and then move away, off the overpass. Lately, we are thinking of other locations beside busy highways instead of over them, but overpasses are still an option if safety is considered above all. We often receive positive signals from motorists who see the signs, and we plan to keep using the banners as a way to witness to the way of peace – a way that seems almost forgotten in this time and place. (If you are interested in making and displaying banners, please read "Paint, Pipes and Peace Witness" for some important instructions and advice.) Paint, Pipes and Peace Witness Putting up a large banner where many people will see it is a creative and effective way to bring a peace message where it is so much needed. The following guidelines should be helpful to those who would like to witness in this way. Where? Decide first where you want to display the banner so that you know how large it should be. For people traveling at highway speed to read it without being unduly distracted, letters at least 20" high are best. If people will be walking by, or if their speed will be slower, then smaller letters would do. Message Keep the message short and simple. We chose scriptures because we wanted a Christian message and because a scriptural message is harder for people to reject than a political message. We included the scriptural cite, as in, "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES – Matthew 5:44" so that the biblical source would be unmistakable. Size The message your choose, and the letter size you need for visibility, will determine the banner size. If you are putting it on an overpass, four or five feet in vertical height will be the maximum, so that it does not hang below the ceiling of the overpass. A four-foot high banner can be mounted on standard steel fence posts in a field or church yard. The length of the banner is more flexible, depending on the length of the message. Materials We used Tyvek, which is a brand of house wrap. House wrap is used in new construction as an air barrier under the siding of a house. It comes on a roll nine feet wide and long enough to make A LOT of banners. Other materials may also work well, but house wrap is tough, durable, inexpensive and holds paint fairly well. The banner needs a frame, or at least a top and bottom bar, and we found that 3/4" PVC plastic pipe served well. Also inexpensive, it has the advantage of being easy to cut to length (with a hacksaw) and can be joined together with a variety of types of connectors: couplings to join two pieces end-to-end, elbows to make a 90 degree corner, and T-joints to join three pieces together. To hold it all together we used package sealing tape. We all know the legendary versatility of duct tape, but if the banner will be out in the cold, duct tape can lose its adhesive power. (Remember, it was originally made for joining heating ducts.) When you look for package sealing tape, get the best quality. Cheaper types are weaker, and harder to handle. Construction Cut the banner material large enough that you can fold over all four edges and tape them down to make the edges stronger. On the top and bottom, fold over enough that you have a 3" to 4" slot into which you can slide the plastic pipe. The top pipe should extend about a foot beyond each end of the banner, so you can fasten the pipe to the overpass railing or fence post, or whatever you are mounting it on. If you are hanging it on an overpass, make the bottom pipe a few inches shorter than the banner, then tape the slot closed with the pipe inside so that it cannot slide out. If you are mounting on posts or anywhere you can also fasten the bottom of the banner, then leave the bottom pipe the same length as the top one. BE SURE to use extra tape on the top and bottom, and at all corners, to ensure that it will not come apart. Extra reinforcement is important because the banner will catch a lot of wind when you mount it outside. It's basically a sail, but you don't want it to sail away. Plastic pipe comes in 10' lengths, so if you are using more than one piece, you will want to use a coupling (available wherever pipe is sold) to join two pieces end-to-end. Before sliding them into the banner, wrap tape around the joint, also for reinforcement against wind. If you will be carrying the banner, or if you want it to be able stand up on its own (indoors), you can incorporate vertical supports by using pipe elbows at the corners and one or more T-joints somewhere in the middle. For the T's, just open up the top and bottom slots at the points where you want to put T's. Mounting – Posts Steel fence posts come in various lengths, but most are about 5' high after being driven in the ground. Wooden posts are of all types and lengths. For our 18' banners constructed on 3/4" PVC pipe, we needed four posts (one at each end and two at the one-third points) in order to hold the banner up reasonably straight. Placing the posts in a line perpendicular to the road, it was easy to put a banner on each side of the posts, so that passers-by in each direction would see it. We fastened the top and bottom pipes to the posts. Wire or twine work well for this. Mounting – Overpass If you are thinking about hanging the banner on an overpass, your PRIMARY concern should be safety. NOTHING should ever even come close to dropping down onto the highway. Be especially sure that you have everything taped tightly. Have at least three persons to hang it, so that two can hold it securely while the third fastens it. Be sure that you don't accidently dislodge a pebble or anything else that might fall onto vehicles below. And make sure that you fasten it very securely to the railings. (Note: not all overpasses have railings, so there may be no way to hang a banner on those.) Again, twine or wire would be suitable. On our 18' banner, we used four wires to hold it. Don't spend any more time on the overpass than necessary to fasten the banner safely and securely. Have the banner all assembled before approaching the overpass, and when you have it mounted, move off the overpass. Best to move to a spot where you won't be seen by traffic below. People on overpasses make drivers nervous. If you leave the banner there for long, be aware than someone may remove it. You may feel comfortable taking that chance, or you may want to check on it frequently. An idea which may be useful is to leave a note attached to the banner fastenings which says something like, "Please do not be concerned about this banner. We will return soon to remove it." Transporting Banners can be transported in two ways: inside the vehicle or on top of the vehicle. Because we used plastic pipe, we could remove the pipes and fold the banner, fit it all into the car, and then reassemble it (remembering to tape the joints) near where we were going to hang it. It also worked to keep the banner assembled, and wrap it around the pipes so that we had a 20' long, slim roll. After binding the roll, we just placed it on the roof of the car, and used rubber cords to fasten each end down to the bumper front and back. It must be mentioned that sometimes the middle of the long roll wanted to drift sideways. We used masking tape to fasten it to the roof when necessary. ANNA LISA'S REPORT: From Anna Lisa Gross (Richmond, IN): annalisa144@wildmail.com I thoroughly enjoyed spreading peaceful ideas with my father. We did it like this:
Updated: 04-02-02 |
