Janine Stange sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the start of a donkey basketball game Monday night at Musselman High School. Stange is touring the nation on a mission to perform the national anthem in all 50 states by Sept. 14, 2014, to honor the anthem’s 200th anniversary and raise support for the nation’s heroes.
INWOOD, W.Va. – By performing the national anthem before a fundraising event at Musselman High School on Monday evening, Janine Stange began the second half of her quest – to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in every state before Sept. 14.
“As an aspiring singer, I sang the national anthem for sporting events and I watched kids standing up, but they don’t understand why they’re standing,” she said. “I saw veterans explaining what patriotism is and they would come up to me to thank me. It was inspiring to me.”
Calling herself the National Anthem Girl, Stange’s performance at Musselman High School was her stop in West Virginia – her 26th state. Sunday, she sang at a University of Delaware lacrosse game and today, she sings at a Charleston, S.C., RiverDogs minor league game.
She began her quest July 3, 2012, singing the national anthem before a Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees game. She has opened several big league games. She has performed at bull riding competitions, boxing matches, golf tournaments and several other venues.
Stange pays for her appearances herself, but she does accept donations. She hopes to start a crowdsourcing fundraiser soon.
Her full-time job is a partner in Print Girls, a printing and graphic design company in Los Angeles, where she makes her home. She is originally from Long Island, N.Y.
Stange also has recorded several albums.
She was scheduled to sing before the Musselman High School baseball game, but it was rained out, so she sang for the opening of a donkey basketball fundraiser for the girls’ softball team. The gymnasium was brimming with fans and spirit…
