Posted: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:31 AM - 15,224 Readers

By: Denise Gamino

In the beginning, there were rain dances to the gods. Then, airplanes were used to seed clouds with chemicals.

A few months ago, Gov. Rick Perry even proclaimed three Days of Prayer for Rain.

But it didn't rain in Austin until Jerry Van Hook, a local delivery truck driver, figured out the 21st-century method of prompting the clouds to weep.

He took to the Internet and placed a want ad for rain on Craigslist.

Last Saturday, under the wanted section of the online classified ads, Van Hook wrote that he needed "Rain (Central Texas).

"Grass is brown," he explained, "and I just finished putting in a rain collection on my garage. Would like to get some rain on the grass and I want to see how this collection system works. So some rain is what I'm looking for."

For emphasis, he added a black-and-white photo of Gene Kelly dancing in "Singin' in the Rain."

Just four days after Van Hook placed his ad, Central Texas received between 1 and 4 inches of rain, the most recorded since January. Van Hook got 2.45 inches at his house in Manchaca, where half his garage roof serves as a rain catchment area.

"I was really happy to see it rain," Van Hook said.

He and his wife, Cristy , were up before dawn with flashlights to check their 12 new rain barrels, which Van Hook finished installing just hours before he wrote his online rain ad.

The dozen 55-gallon drums lined up in a row were more than three-quarters full.

"We were just like, 'Wow!'\u2009" Van Hook said.

He'd like to credit his ad on Craigslist. "I really didn't think it would hurt, and I hoped it would help," he said. "My wife has taught me to believe in the universe. If you want something, you gotta ask for it."

For good measure, the Van Hooks also took turns shaking their Native American rain stick purchased in the New Age town of Sedona, Ariz., known for its vortexes of spiritual energy.