‘National Anthem Girl’ to perform Aug. 25 in Kennewick during Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo

Janine Stange remembers the first time she sang the national anthem — for a homecoming basketball game when she was in high school.

The Long Island, N.Y., native was nervous, and she said clutched the microphone so tightly that afterward she had trouble opening her hand.

Stange doesn’t get nervous anymore.

Nicknamed the “National Anthem Girl,” she’s sung the song countless times since that first performance.

In 2014, she completed a two-year quest to sing the anthem in all 50 states.

On Aug. 25, she will be in Kennewick, performing the Star-Spangled Banner at the Wrangler Champions Challenge during the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo.

Stange is looking forward to the event, she said. She’s performed in the Tri-Cities before, and “I’m excited to be part of the fair and rodeo.”

Stange is based in Los Angeles. She embarked on her nationwide national anthem mission July 3, 2012, with a performance at a Tampa Yankees-Dunedin Blue Jays game, and she wrapped it up on Aug. 28, 2014, at a Tennessee Titans-Minnesota Vikings game.

In between, Stange sang for crowds big and small.

And she met some unforgettable people, from World War II veterans who stormed the beach at Normandy to Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, lone survivor of Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush in 2005.

Stange did more than sing. She used the national anthem journey to promote patriotism and gratitude for those who protect and serve the country.

The experience was life-changing, she said.

And, even after singing the song so many times, the Star-Spangled Banner still is deeply meaningful to her, she said.

“The national anthem is the only song that, for 90 seconds, no matter who you voted for, what team you want to win, we’re one. That’s a powerful thing,” said Stange, who also recently performed the anthem 24 times in 24 hours to raise money for wounded service members.

The Wrangler Champions Challenge is at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at HomeStreet Bank Arena. It will feature several of the world’s top rodeo competitors, from Trevor Brazile to members of the famed Wright family.

Tickets are available at www.bentonfranklinfair.com, at the Kennewick Ranch & Home, by phone at 509-222-3749 and at the fair office.

To learn more about Stange, go to www.nationalanthemgirl.org or connect with her on Facebook under “National Anthem Girl.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "‘National Anthem Girl’ to perform Aug. 25 in Kennewick during Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo."