Dear Ro-Hawks,
Just when you thought it was safe to come out and play This is your old classmate “64“ Stan Sumner, known as “CAL“ now Well I didn‘t make it to Broadway like some of you thought I should. The closest I got was a try-out for the opening of “HAIR‘ 1969, San Francisco.. I‘ve been living in San Antonio on and off since returning from my Navy days. I moved to Austin, Texas to finish my Nursing degree and practice at the Austin State Hospital (MHMR) through March 1983. To accommodate my artistic endeavors I maintained a close relationship with an Avant Grade, Post Grad. Art Association called the “Thursday Night Bridge Club”. We won a Honorable Mention for our film “Poor White Deco Trash” at the 1976 Texas Film Festival. The Same year and event that the “TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACAR” won top honors and went on to become one of Americas top Horror Film Classics.
Returning to San Antonio the spring of 1983 I fell into an old group of friends. They had just the year previous resurrected an old stage production “CORNYATION”. The defunct Fiesta entertainment originally presented by the San Antonio Little Theater was their money maker for years.
I had received a Darby from a friend who used it during productions of “CABARET” on Broadway in New York. I began festooning the hat with every sort of Fiesta memorabilia found, and donated. After designing stages, costumes, and helping with ticket sells for years I needed a new venue to prop up my depleted artistic juices. The company needed a ticket/crowd control person as the show had become one of Fiestas best attended events and unruly. Cornyation remains “SOLD OUT” every year. In the late 80s as the “OFFICIAL GREETER”, I began greeting attendees with the phrase, ‘CORNYATION MENU? “GOOD TASTE NOT INCLUDED”! 1990 Cornyation became an official Fiesta event. Every year some memento found its way onto the hat. By 1991 the DARBY was buried under a mountain of Fiesta memorabilia and resembled a Battle of Flowers parade float.
Dennis my brother and I left Cornyation in 1992 after sheer exhaustion. In 1993 we organized the “FIESTA HAT SOCIAL CLUB” at the King William Fair. The club members elected me their Fiesta Hat King in 1995. We began handing out Fiesta medals at the Opening of Fiesta that year. By 1997 we had become an expected feature at the opening of Fiesta. We were invited to the Kings Party at NIOSA by the San Antonio Conservation Society and returned every year since. From there with a little help from the local TV media and the Express-News our legend was disseminated. In 1998 the Fiesta San Antonio Commission elevated three new royals to their list of nine, King Anchovy, the Fiesta Hat King and the Piñata Queen.
In case some of you never got the opportunity to participate in Fiesta: Fiesta is a ten day celebration, every spring, in San Antonio, Texas celebrating the Texas Revolution (1836 - 1845) and honoring the heroes of the ALAMO and SAN JANCINTO.
I will be saying ADIOS to all my FIESTA FRIENDS during the 2007 Fiesta. Carole McRae/Richards and Randy Woods will be joining me in Alamo Plaza at 9AM sharp April 20th 2007 to start the last festivities. Any one in the San Antonio area then is welcome to join us for a real “FUN TIME”! You may have to identify yourself as I will be 60 in September and things are slipping toward the abyss… STAN calsumner@sbcglobal.net
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