San Antonio Conservation Society to Bring the City’s Culture Alive with the 71st Presentation of “A Night In Old San Antonio”

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Sep 27, 2018, 11:00 ET


SAN ANTONIO (PRWEB) September 27, 2018 -- “A Night In Old San Antonio®” (NIOSA®) is a four-night festival, Tuesday through Friday, April 23-26, 2019 from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the heart of downtown San Antonio that celebrates the city’s diverse cultural legacy for more than 85,000 revelers annually during the city’s Fiesta San Antonio® celebration.

Through the magic of 200-plus food and drink booths; 14 continuous live musical acts; children’s games; decorations; souvenirs; and more than 10,000 volunteers, NIOSA brings the city’s heritage alive in 15 areas. Celebrating its 71st anniversary in 2019, NIOSA is the top fundraiser for historic preservation in the United States—living up to its motto as a “Celebration for Preservation.” It is solely produced by and benefits the San Antonio Conservation Society(one of the nation’s oldest and most active historic preservation organizations).

NIOSA occurs downtown on the grounds of La Villita National Historic District bounded by the San Antonio River and Alamo, Nueva and Presa streets (approximately five acres).

Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Discount advance tickets are available at http://www.niosa.org and at locations around San Antonio as of March 1, 2019. Discount e-tickets will also be available on NIOSA website.

MORE: “A Night In Old San Antonio” celebrates the city’s diverse cultural legacy through its 15 cultural areas: Mission Trail (early years of the San Antonio Missions); Arneson Theatre (amphitheater built in 1941 into the natural curve of the city’s river bank); China Town; Clown Alley; French Quarter; Froggy Bottom (cultural contributions of African-Americans); Frontier Town; Haymarket (produce and livestock markets near San Fernando Cathedral during the city’s Spanish Colonial period); International Walkway (showcases different ethnic groups that developed San Antonio’s unique heritage); Irish Flats; Main Street USA; Mexican Market; Sauerkraut Bend; South of the Border (Northern Mexico influences); and Villa España (Spanish and Canary Islanders heritage).

In the past ten years alone, more than $12 million has been netted at NIOSA to enable the Conservation Society to continue its 95-year mission of preserving historic buildings, objects, places and customs relating to the history of Texas and all that is admirably distinctive to the state. Beginning with efforts to prevent historic structures from being razed and to preserve such unique sites as the city’s Spanish Colonial missions, the society has been responsible for saving most of the historic attractions that now make San Antonio one of the top tourist destinations in Texas. Out of the roughly $1.5 million netted annually at NIOSA, proceeds support restoration and preservation of historic properties, parks, waterways and tangible cultural heritage of the city and neighboring counties, as well as education and advocacy programs such as the Heritage Education tours, seminars, grants, scholarships, a resource library and its two house museums.

A stellar example of the Conservation Society’s significance and diligence is its decades-long campaign to conserve the San Antonio’s five Franciscan Missions Society members purchased everything from aqueducts and farmland to the bronze-medallioned door of the San José Granary. The Society brokered the establishment of a state park at San José Mission with the Catholic Church in 1941. In 1978 the Society was critical in the creation of the National Historical Park, and in 2006 launched the UNESCO World Heritage nomination that led to the Missions’ inscription in 2015—the only World Heritage Site in Texas.

What makes NIOSA unique from festivals around the world?

  • Food items are created, perfected, and prepared by NIOSA volunteers on-site and truly reflect the areas where they can be found. Many dishes can only be enjoyed at NIOSA.
  • All booths are run by Conservation Society volunteers; many are second or third generations of a family. Volunteers come from all over the country to work at NIOSA.
  • On the average, NIOSA revelers annually consume over 17,000 lbs. of beef; 11,000 lbs. of chicken; 5,000 lbs. of sausage; 3,000 turkey legs; 25,000 buns, rolls and bolillos; 30,000 tortillas; 2,000 lbs. of masa; 6,000 tamales; 15,000 lbs. of fruits and vegetables; and 1,000 lbs. of guacamole.
  • All musical acts play all night, every night, of NIOSA

NIOSA chairman Margie Arnold—re-elected by the Conservation Society in July 2018 for the second year as its Fourth Vice President/NIOSA Chairman—volunteers her time all year to plan and coordinate the event, assisted by four NIOSA vice chairmen Sharon Hearn, Dee Wright, Jana Foreman and Julie Terrill, and NIOSA treasurer Jackie Fellers. They oversee the other 10,000 volunteers who contribute more than 74,000 volunteer hours to make NIOSA happen.

Visit http://www.niosa.org, contact (210) 226-5188, email niosa(at)niosa(dot)org or follow NIOSA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/niosa.niosa.

Jeanne Albrecht, +1 2103929047, [email protected]