Good afternoon, Swinging Bridge Supporters! With the winding down of our Virtual 5K it’s been a bit of a spell since last we wrote, and there have been some not insignificant developments since our event wrapped up. So, let’s get right into it and get you all up to speed.

In fact, he suggested that we turn our annual event into a Virtual 5K, having experience running them himself! With his friends Yuen Chun and Zeke Zucker in tow, he completed his run this year with a time of 49:28.

That’s right, registration closes at midnight on September 13, and the virtual walk/run finishes at midnight September 15! That’s right, registration closes at midnight on September 13, and the virtual walk/run finishes at midnight September 15!

So once you’ve completed your run, what do you do?

1. Take a selfie or take a picture of where you finished!
2. Open up your social media platform of choice; Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
3. Post the picture with the tag #SOSB2020! You can post your finish time and route if you’d like, and while these are optional, we'd love to see where you were located for your run!
4. We'll send your t-shirt in about 3 - 4 weeks.​

It was, admittedly, not an easy decision to choose to hold our annual fundraiser as a virtual 5K & 2K this year. We considered a number of options, including postponing it until life resumes a sort of normalcy, but what it comes down to is that the gathering situation doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon, and the Swinging Bridge still needs our support, so our solution of holding the fundraiser in the safest way possible ended up being an effective compromise. And while doing it this way might seem limiting in some respects, this week, we’re going to be exploring the opportunities of doing a 5K in this new way. If you’re not familiar with what a virtual 5K is or how to participate this year, check out our previous blog post on how we’re handling the event this year!

Last week’s blog post was centered around the history of the Swinging Bridge and the formation of the group that preserves it to this day. This week, we’re focusing on the present- specifically, what goes into the upkeep of the bridge.

The Androscoggin Swinging Bridge is inspected for wear and damage every five years, and this year will be receiving another--one slightly overdue, in fact, but we’re a year or two behind. So we’re sharing with you a little peek behind the curtain, going into how the bridge is inspected, how it’s repaired, and how your donations make it happen.

After the towers, abutments, and cables are inspected, the engineer’s eye is turned to the span, where pins, bolts, and welds are checked for looseness or missing pieces. Coating damage is noted, cables are checked for deterioration, wood is checked for loose or rotting pieces, and supports, brackets, beams, and bracing are checked. The span itself is checked for alignment as well.

For this week’s blog, we’ve decided to shift focus a bit. Last week, we discussed the ins and outs of running a virtual 5k and how we’re handling ours this year. Today, we’d like to share the history behind why we do these runs in the first place--the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge itself.

It was in 1891 that the Topsham Land Company decided that a footbridge across the Androscoggin River would be a safer, more direct route for workers traveling to Brunswick’s Cabot cotton mill rather than the two existing vehicle bridges. Thinking that the bridge would add enough value to their lots for it to be a worthwhile investment, they contracted with the John A. Roebling Sons Co, who’d designed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, to build it. Once the Cabot Manufacturing Co. granted an easement that allowed the bridge to connect on the Brunswick side, construction began May 19, 1892.

In 1906, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge was given the designation, and Brunswick and Topsham became jointly responsible for bridge maintenance. Between 1913 and 1916, the bridge’s timber-framed towers were replaced with steel, possibly by South Portland steel fabrication company Mequier & Jones.

 This would be the last significant repair the bridge would receive until the turn of the century. In 2000, a study found the bridge in a distressing state of disrepair--concrete abutments cracked, wood planks rotted, and rust covering every metal component.

With pedestrian traffic limited to twenty people and the bridge not expected to survive into 2010, Brunswick and Topsham came together to appoint a committee of residents of both towns to attempt to accrue funds and restore the bridge to a usable state. Securing finances from the Department of Transportation as well as private funds, the group oversaw renovation and restoration of the swinging bridge, reopening it to the public 2006.

Though nearly every one of the bridge’s components had been replaced by this point, from the handrails to the boards to the beams, the original “ Roebling wire rope” cables built into the structure in 1892 still span the bridge to this day. The next year saw the opening of public parks on either end of the bridge. On September 8, 2007, a reopening and dedication ceremony saw the attendance of two of John A. Roebling’s great-great-great granddaughters.

In January of 2004, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In May 2011, the bridge was dedicated as a Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Last week, we announced that our annual 5K run and 2K walk would be done virtually this year, and would be held through September 5th through the 13th. But what does that mean? What the heck is a virtual 5K and how do you run it? And how are we keeping track of our runners’ times? In this blog post, we’ll be answering all those questions and more.

Q. What on earth is a ‘virtual 5K’?

A. Essentially, it’s a 5K run or walk, done remotely. Instead of a large group of people getting together on a singular date on the calendar and running together on a set course, each runner will select their own route to navigate, run their 5K, and post their time on a social media platform. This is, admittedly, not our first choice for handling our annual walk and run, but given the global pandemic, it’s our safest option right now.

As you know, we’re handling registration online this year, though if you’d like to request a registration form via mail or email, contact donate@saveourbridge.org or call 207-837-0558. Don’t forget that the first 100 registrants score a free T-shirt!

Q. That sounds neat, but how do I run it? Where do I go?

Of course, you’re free to navigate the usual routes used in our annual 5K and 2K, or you can choose a route more local, convenient, or scenic for you. Or you can run it on your treadmill at home. That’s up to you.

Make sure to post once you’ve finished and use that hashtag #SOSB2020 because we’ll be using it to look for your posts and keep track of who’s finished their run and when. If you’re on Facebook, you can go directly to the Save Our Swinging Bridge page and post there. We aren’t keeping track of times this year, so you only need to post your time if you wish.

Q. Then what?

A. After everyone’s completed their runs and we’ve collected the results, we’ll be giving away some prizes! As stated, we’re not tracking times this year, so there won’t be a prize for the fastest time. However, make sure to wear your best, weirdest, or most interesting running clothes, because there will be prizes for…

• First Finisher
• Final Finisher
• Youngest Participant
• Oldest Participant
• Funniest Running Outfit
• Most Unusual Running Outfit
• Farthest from the Swinging Bridge
• Second Prettiest Bridge

Of course, we all know that the Swinging Bridge is the prettiest of all the bridges, but if your route takes you across a bridge, take a picture of it and include that in your post, because if it’s particularly pretty, it might just net you a prize! Those prizes, by the by, include gift cards from the restaurants and other eateries who are contributing to our annual races, like Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick! It’s also entirely possible that we’ll be adding more prize categories before the start date, so keep an eye out for that.

Q. Okay, you’ve got my attention. What time does this whole thing start and end?

A. You’re free to start running on September 5, at 12:01 AM, and you’ve got until midnight September 15 to finish. So you early birds who’re looking to net that First Finisher prize better start pretty darn early!

Q. Is there anything else I should know?

A. Make sure to watch our social medias- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, this website- for more information, make sure you get your registration in nice and early to net yourself that T-shirt, and stay healthy and safe. We’re looking forward to seeing your posts and your routes!