These vintage photos of Cornyation show why it’s always been Fiesta’s wildest party

Fiesta is upon us, as is Cornyation, the long-running sendup of the high-falutin’ Coronation of the Queen of the Order of the Alamo, which has now evolved into bawdy tradition in its own right.

This year, six performances are scheduled at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, and good luck getting tickets. As per usual, they moved fast.

Though a California native, Alamo City transplant Amy Stone became enraptured with Cornyation after first attending in 2009. This led to years of intensive research that involved both digging into local archives and even becoming a Cornyation stage hand and duchess. That work culminated in the 2017 book Cornyation: San Antonio’s Outrageous Fiesta Tradition.

For this trip down memory lane, Stone provided the Current with a bevy of photos showcasing Cornyation’s madcap majesty across the years, some of which didn’t make it into the book.

Photos courtesy of Amy Stone