SAN ANTONIO — When you think about Fiesta San Antonio, the sights and sounds usually focus around food, drinks and music.
What you don’t think about come Fiesta time are chairs — white plastic chairs.
This time of year, they’re everywhere — along the river, above the river, stacked up. But thanks to groups like the Texas Cavaliers, they’re ready for people to use for one of the many parades that happen during Fiesta.
The Cavaliers handle roughly 3,500 of the more than 30,000 chairs that will line the River Walk during the week, and every organization has its own way of doing it.
Some rent the chairs, some have their own, while many of the revelers bring chairs from home and just find a good spot with a good view.
The process is more complicated than just opening the seat and placing them. There’s got to be an exact count, plus each chair has to have a sticker with a seat assignment. People pay these organizations for a seat to see these parades, and the groups that provide them take it seriously because the money they take in goes right back out to the community.
“This is a great charity for the kids, and we take all the proceeds and do it for children’s charities all over San Antonio and Central Texas,” said one Texas Cavalier.
If you’re wondering what happens when the parade ends, the chairs stay right where they are with not much concern for vandalism or theft. That’s because there just has been none.
“In five years of being here, we’ve only had two instances of chairs going missing,” said Bret Peters of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission.
A great cause, a great event and great people helping to get it done.