By Rich Brown

rbrown@joplinglobe.com

If the gentleman singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Kansas City Royals game tonight looks familiar, you may be right.

Especially if you happened to be a music student in the Joplin R-8 school system from 1969 to 2000.

Larry Sanborn, who served as both band and choir director before retiring eight years ago, will be the performer rather than the director just before the start of tonight’s 7 p.m. contest against the Texas Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.

“I will be standing at home plate, facing the scoreboard or flag and singing a cappella,” said Sanborn, 67, who won the honor by successfully auditioning at the Royals’ FanFest in Overland Park, Kan., last January.

He said he was among 10 or 12 Royals’ fans selected to sing this season at Kansas City home games out of more than 60 who tried out.

Although it was the first time for the Royals to hold FanFest and conduct auditions, other major league teams have held similar events to fill some of the singing slots in their home schedules.

The two-day FanFest, which drew over 10,000 people, provided a lot of interactive activities, including a time for fans to ask questions of players, coaches and managers. All proceeds went to Royals’ charities.

Anyone who wanted could try out for the singing part and entrants came from as far away as Junction City, Kan., and Bella Vista, Ark.

“We took a number and went into a room and we had to audition in front of two judges,” said Sanborn, who holds a master’s degree in music from Pittsburg State University and is entering his 45th year as music director of First United Methodist Church in Joplin.

All were asked to sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” However, some also chimed in with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” for the opportunity to perform during the seventh-inning stretch.

Sanborn estimated that he attends eight to 10 Royals’ games and 15 to 16 total baseball games each year.

He developed his love for the game through his grandfather, T.C. Senter, and aunt, Dorotha Senter.

“Grandpa ran the Golden Rule Store in Galena (Kan.) and was the kind of St. Louis Cardinal fan who would ride the train from Galena to St. Louis to purchase goods for his store but, also, to see Cardinal games,” said Sanborn, whose love for the game began when he was about 8 years old. “My aunt went to Baker University at Baldwin (Kan.) where she lettered in girls baseball.”