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We want to give the pack a pack banner as our bridging out present when we cross over next spring. You know- the ones a lot of packs, and marching bands, and fire depts., ect have leading thier group at a parade, just in front of the American flag. But I have NO idea where to start looking, how much they would even cost, ect.

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction, with maybe a website, or even ballpark prices?

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Check your yellow pages for "Advertising specialties" and "Printing and Graphic services".

Staples and Kinkoes and Minuteman Press are some places to check. Sometimes schools have printshops and can help.

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You could go a few ways with this. There are blank cloth banners that you could decorate on S& S World Wide. (www.ssww.com ?) . You could go to a sign company and have a plastic one printed or if you have soemone in that pack that sews they can help make one.

here's an internet I found where you could purchase one:

http://redrivertrophy.com/bsapg01.htm

I don't know anything about them but they sell pinewood trophies too.

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Do you mean the kind on a pole that two people carry when you are marching in a parade? That announces the name and town of your group?

 

If so, ours is home made. I believe its a light weight wooden curtain rod maybe 3 inches in diameter. There are decorative finials on either end (the round kind)permanently attached.

The banner itself is felt and the letters with our pack number and town were also cut from felt and attached with fabric glue.

The banner hangs off the pole with one simple straight seam to form a pocket like a curtain.

 

It's decorated with patches from all the events we've attended over the years as well as extras that were purchased as awards.

 

This past year it was windy on parade day so we sewed another simple pocket across the bottom and inserted dowels. This way when the boys walk, the banner will hang down straighter and not blow in the wind.

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Ours was much like deerfieldmom's. A big piece of felt from a fabric store with felt number attached and the various oversized cub scout patches from the Scout Shop also attached. It also doubled as a table cover at pack meetings and other functions.

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Banners can range from the kind you make yourself, to printed ones. You can buy lengths of banner material and place vinyl stickers on them, or you can have a sign shop make them. Prices vary, but if purchasing one I'd expect between $60 & $100. They can also be color printed. A local sign shop donated 3 to our Pack, one of which was full color. We simply provided the prepared artwork for it and he loaded it up and printed it our. It came out great. I'd find a sign shop...especially a smaller local one and see if they might even donate. If it is donated and your packs artwork, I don't think that there would be any BSA image copyright problems. (It's not making them money and the Pack has the rights to use the images).

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thank you for all the ideas! I had no idea it was something we could actually make, lol. hm... that certainly sounds like a cheaper option, although I will also take the suggestion to check out local sign shops.

 

you guys are great, lol!

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BTW...my father-in-law owns a sign shop, so I have some experience in it. If you do buy or make a banner with vinyl adheared to it, make sure that the pack knows to roll the banner with the vinyl to the outside; this will help keep it from bubbling or seperating.

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It doesn't have to be fancy. I have one in my garage the belonged to a defunct pack, and it's just a piece of blue cloth connected to a wooden rod and the pack number and slogan painted on it with yellow paint. It was probably made as a den or pack meeting project.

 

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ok... curtain rod with fancy finnials for the boys to hold. Add a pocket for a dowel in the bottom to keep it from flapping. We have sewers that can 'make' the banner. And I really like the idea of adding patches from different events we attend- do you add them on the back so they don't clutter up the front?

 

So what are all of yours made out of?

 

Plastic- we can hose down, but can we sew it, or what would we need to keep it together/ keep the pack lettering on, glue gun, cauk, any ideas?

 

canvas- we can wash it, we can stencil the lettering on.

 

Felt/ fabric- we can sew on it, but how durable would it be?

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Felt, I would not recommend. It wears poorly, especially if used outdoors. It also soaks up water and will become heavy and off color.

 

Canvas, I'd go with a lighter material. It can get heavy if young Scouts carry it. This is probably the best material for painting and sewing to. Be aware that paint will run and you should use paint that is more of an ink than paint, so that it does not dry and crack in storage.

 

Plastic, I wouldn't use. Vinyl is what you want to look for here. It does not retain water and can be sewn on a limited basis, especially with large items. Don't use caulk or hot glue. Adhesive Vinyl letters and stickers stay on well, but wipe down the surface with alcohol first to remove any contaminants. Vinyl is pretty much the sign industry standard for banners, as it is easy to use and wears well. Permanant marker usually works reasonably well on it. If your attaching patches, etc, I would use one of the high strength bond double sided tapes.

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If you want to use fabric, look for outdoor upholstery fabric. One brand name is Sunbrella. This is fabric designed to cover cushions on deck/patio furniture. It is designed to be outdoors and can stand up to rain, resists fading in sunlight, is resistent to mold and mildew. I see it often at our local fabric outlet, where you can buy supplies like this for less than at a typical retail fabric store.

 

This would also be my prefered venue for purchasing vinyl.

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Oops - a couple more thoughts. The upholstery fabric is going to be heavier - advantage is that it will flap around less, and might negate the need for a dowel in the bottom pocket. An alternative to the dowel would be drapery weights. They are used in high-end window treatments to keep the curtains hanging straight.

 

Another fabric option would be heavier weight rip-stop nylon. Again, this is an outdoor fabric, which will stand up to rain, sun, etc. It will require weighting since even a heavier thickness will flap more. This may need to be purchased from an online fabric supplier specializing in outdoor/adventure fabrics.

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