SAN ANTONIO – An annual Fiesta tradition made its return on the first Monday of Fiesta.
Officials hung the Rain Rock on the porch at the Night In Old San Antonio (NIOSA) headquarters in downtown San Antonio.
The ceremony, which was located on the corner of Presa and Nueva streets (227 Presa St.), began at 10 a.m.
Watch the full Monday morning ceremony in the above video player.
Background
The Rain Rock made its debut in 1970 when organizers were concerned that at least parts of NIOSA could be a washout because of storms in the forecast. Naturally, officials were worried that the wet weather would throw a wet blanket on their partying plans.
But there wasn’t a lot anyone could do to stop the weather if it decided to be a factor. Enter the Rain Rock, though that wasn’t necessarily what it was called then.
With stormy clouds looming, organizers hung a rock with a hole in it to ward off bad weather. The weather that followed was beautiful, with no rain in sight. The tradition of the Rain Rock was born.
The tradition was born from the legend that trail drivers in early Texas would hang a limestone rock with a naturally occurring hole that would keep the rain away. NIOSA’s Rain Rock has been hung up every year since.
NIOSA begins on Tuesday, April 21 and runs through Friday, April 24.
Previous Rain Rock coverage on KSAT: