Jul 23, 2022 2 min read

Rick Sebak has every intention of driving to Waynesburg on Rain Day with the roof down on the Mini Cooper convertible that he purchased almost exactly one year ago with the sun in the sky and the wind in his hair.

The odds are actually not in favor of the WQED-TV program host and Pittsburgh media personality. In the 147 years that Waynesburg has been on the lookout for raindrops on July 29, it has rained in 115 of those years, even if it has only sometimes been a barely perceptible trace in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, Sebak is the luminary who is making the annual “hat bet” this year with Waynesburg’s mayor Greg Leathers over whether it will rain or not. If it does rain, Sebak will have to hand over one of his hats. If not, Sebak will get a hat.

He is considering a straw hat that he received as a student in France years ago.

“I’ve always been a hat aficionado,” Sebak joked.

Sebak joins a long list of celebrities, both national and local, who have made hat bets through the years. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, the two stars of the “Road” movies, made back-to-back bets in 1947 and 1948. Two “Tonight Show” hosts have made bets, with Johnny Carson doing the honors in 1977 and Jay Leno following in 1998. There have been sports figures, including Franco Harris (1984), Arnold Palmer (1964) and Brett Keisel (2012). There have also been some decidedly offbeat choices, with the Three Stooges placing the bet in 1960, and Punxsutawney Phil doing so in 1966.

The host of programs that have looked at hot dogs, pies, diners, cemeteries and Kennywood, Sebak has long had an eye out for the region’s idiosyncrasies, but this will be the first time he has ventured to Waynesburg for Rain Day festivities.

“It’s totally fun and there’s no responsibility,” Sebak said.