SAN ANTONIO – It’s the Monday before A Night in Old San Antonio opens, and that means it’s time to raise the "Rain Rock."
The decades-long tradition of raising the Rain Rock is to ward off undesirable weather for the Fiesta San Antonio event.
The rock was raised from the NIOSA headquarters, which is located on the NIOSA grounds in the 200 block of South Presa St.
The NIOSA Rain Rock tradition dates back to the late 1970s when a NIOSA volunteer, Sue Armitage, assured the NIOSA chairman good luck with the rock to fend off bad weather.
The chairman had been fretting about ominous clouds and he took her advice, with the result being perfect weather.
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NIOSA chairman Margie Arnold, the four NIOSA vice chairmen (Sharon Hearn, Dee Wright, Jana Foreman and Glenda Duffin), the NIOSA treasurer (Jackie Fellers), NIOSA staff and the NIOSA stagers will all be in attendance.
NIOSA kicks off on Tuesday and runs through Friday in La Villita. The gates open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 10:30 p.m.