Rain Day history
WAYNESBURG – John Owen says all it takes is a little sprinkle or a drizzle to give the crowds something to cheer about in Waynesburg on July 29. Although most southwestern Pennsylvania residents are tired of the rain this summer, Owen said Waynesburg’s 129th annual Rain Day celebration wouldn’t be complete without at least a drop.
Owen, a member of the Waynesburg Special Events Committee, recounted a past Rain Day success story during a recent telephone interview. It wasn’t until around 7 p.m., when the awards for various contests were being presented, that the crowd in Waynesburg got what it really wanted.
“I was standing behind the curtain before the presentation, and I heard a commotion,” Owen said. “There was yelling and clapping for just a few drops.”
Who would have known that talking about the weather would lead an entire town to devote a day to rain? On July 29 in the late 1800s, Owen said a local farmer entered the drugstore across the street from Waynesburg’s courthouse and declared, “Well, it’s going to rain today.” When the pharmacist asked him why, Owen said the farmer replied, “It’s my birthday.”
Apparently, the farmer had kept a journal, and it always seemed to rain on his birthday. The pharmacist, William Allison, kept a record of the rainfall on July 29 from then on, and the tradition continues to this day.
Rain has fallen 108 of the last 128 Rain Days, as of last year, according to Owen. So if the forecast went by past Rain Day statistics, it would call for an 84 percent chance of showers this July 29.
For many years, the hat bet, one of the Rain Day traditions, was the holiday’s only custom. “The pharmacist (Allison) would bet hats with salesmen that it would rain on July 29, and he would win their hats when it did,” Owen said.
Now a local or national celebrity wagers against the mayor of Waynesburg that rain will not fall on Rain Day. Chubby Checker could become the next “celebrity sucker” if he loses his hat to Waynesburg Mayor Darwin “Dar” Fitch this year. Many stars such as Muhammad Ali, Jay Leno, Arnold Palmer, Bing Crosby and Mario Lemieux have lost previous hat bets.
Owen said that in the latter years of the tradition most hats lost are ball caps, but at times celebrities send something a little more interesting.
“Terry Bradshaw (former Pittsburgh Steeler) sent a helmet,” he said. “Willard Scott was absolutely wonderful,” he said of the NBC weatherman. “It didn’t rain, but he sent us a big cowboy hat anyway.”
Since that fateful day in Allison’s drugstore, July 29 has evolved into a full-blown holiday. Thanks to the late John O’Hara, a former Waynesburg newspaperman, the unusual celebration has become an international phenomenon. During the 1930s, O’Hara attracted curiosity to the event by sending Rain Day stories to different newspapers.
“(Rain Day) draws attention to Waynesburg literally from around the world,” Owen said.
Today people from countries such as France, Ethiopia, Sweden, Korea, and all over the world want to know whether it has rained in Waynesburg, Pa., on Rain Day, according to Owen.
“A teacher from England even asks students what time they think it will rain,” Owen said.
Within the nation’s borders, publications such as Reader’s Digest and the New York Times have covered Rain Day stories. Owen remembers the Reader’s Digest story designating Rain Day as “the only celebration in the world not marred by rain.” In fact, the people look forward to putting their umbrellas to use and seem to be proud of this distinction.
Does Owen hope it rains? “Of course,” he asserts.
Owen proclaims that Rain Day “means a good time” for the community of Waynesburg and those who come to the event, regardless of the weather. There is a variety of free, continuous entertainment in front of the Greene County courthouse the entire day.
“We always expect a big crowd,” Owen said. “By 7 or 7:30 p.m., there will be shoulder to shoulder people for the main event.”
This year the Marcels will take the stage as the main attraction. The 1960s doo-wop group, best known for “Blue Moon,” appeared in the film “Twist Around the Clock” with Chubby Checker.
The events kick off at noon with the Umbrella Decorating Contest. Live bands, a mime, dancers, and performers are scheduled to entertain on the main stage from then until 9 p.m. A second stage on Washington Street, which is located behind the courthouse, will be playing folk and acoustic music throughout the day.
From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., local country station, WANB will hold a country showdown. “It is like a battle of the bands, and the winners go on to a state-wide competition,” Owen said.
At 7 p.m., Baby Rain Day, Rain Day King & Queen and the Prince & Princess will be crowned at the awards ceremony. The 5K-race winners will be announced, and the “Coveted Gold Watering Can” will be awarded to the business with the best Rain Day window decorations, Owen said. The prize is like the Stanley Cup of Rain Day. The very unique trophy goes home with the winner for a year with their name engraved on the side.
After the presentation of awards, a moment of silence will be held for the men of Company K. During World War I, almost half of 250 Waynesburg and Greene County men in the unit were either killed or wounded in France on Rain Day in 1918.
This year’s Rain Day T-shirt is dedicated to the men of Company C from Waynesburg who have been deployed for the National Guard to Kosovo. “We have a different T-shirt every year,” Owen said. “This year’s has a red, white, and blue umbrella. It looks like it is made out of an American flag.” The T-shirt is royal blue with a large insignia of the umbrella on the back and a smaller one on the front.
No one really knows why it always seems to rain on July 29 in Waynesburg. Different people have their own theories, but Owen said, “We’re just lucky I guess.”
Luck or not, the people of Waynesburg are confident that it will rain on Rain Day regardless of the weather the rest of the year.
Owen hasn’t looked at any extended forecasts for the region on July 29. “We just know it is going to rain,” he proclaimed.