Bring on the rain

In the weeks prior though, I had heard a lot of somewhat comical comments of things we might attempt to get some rain to fall.

In planning for our church’s vacation Bible school, we were trying to create a sign to go with our Food Truck Party theme. We wanted to include a menu and other signage but wanted it to be somewhat waterproof in case of a miracle rain (I think we had a couple days with a 10 or 15 percent chance that week).

My husband quickly chimed in that if ruining the VBS sign was what it took to get a rain, it would be just fine.

I heard several others comment on different tactics that might bring rainfall to fruition – if risking damage to car interiors by leaving windows down or washing a car only to have it rain the next day would bring on some much-needed rainfall – so be it.

The most interesting commentary regarding rainmaking though came in the form of an email from Danny Honnoll with newspaper clippings from 1963 regarding a time when Paragould residents took things into their own hands and hired an actual rainmaker.

An Aug. 14, 1963, Commercial Appeal stated “Paragould merchants and planters hired rainmaker Homer Berry of North Little Rock to bring moisture to parched cotton and soybeans. Berry was paid $1,000 down and will get $1,000 if he produces. He said he will bring one to two inches of rain but gave no time limit.”

That was no small fee in 1963, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Another article goes on to explain the “science” behind Berry’s operation.

“Berry says he sends silver iodide particles into the clouds by heating coke soaked in silver iodide in a barrel on the back of his pickup truck,” the article states.

An Aug. 27 article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette showed that the effort was futile as Berry was taking credit for a sprinkle that had fallen in Paragould, but had changed his promise to Paragould residents to one of a white Christmas.

“The rain still hasn’t come, but Berry said he is still trying and that he will bring ‘a real gully-washer’ if it takes him until Christmas and if he goes broke in the attempt,” the article states.

Berry was apparently also paid $1,000 to bring three inches of rain to the Manila area, but never received the second $1,000 as Manila only got one inch of rain.

Even though hiring a rainmaker sounds comical, who knows, we might have been desperate enough to hire Berry again today. Maybe he can even take credit for this week’s rain. After all, he didn’t set a time limit.

Contact Gretchen Hunt at ghunt@paragoulddailypress.com.