HICKORY — Sylvanna Fraga, music ministry director at St. Aloysius Church, and the parish choir has been invited to sing the National Anthem at the Crawdads vs. the Delmarva Shorebirds home game at the L.P. Frans Stadium on Sunday, April 29.
Her husband, Eric Meade, will also throw the first ball.
Fraga and the choir will sing the National Anthem a cappella.
Leading up to the performance, Fraga reflected on the history of the National Anthem. “The melody of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ was written by John
Stafford Smith dating back to the mid-1700s. It was a popular drinking song, ‘To Anacreontic in Heaven.’ Evidently, Francis Scott Key knew the tune and replaced the words using his famous historical poem, ‘Defence of Fort M’Henry’ as the lyrics. From what I have read, the National Anthem has been sung at baseball games for more than a hundred years.”
Fraga is right. During the 1918 World Series, Boston Red Sox vs. the Chicago Cubs, at the seventh inning everyone sang the National Anthem to give the soldiers fighting World War I their support. Since then, the National Anthem has been sung at baseball games. History and baseball buffs will contend, however, that the Star Spangled Banner was played at baseball games as early as the 1850s. The Star Spangled Banner was not officially given the title of the National Anthem until 1931.
Fraga is thrilled that the Crawdads invited her to sing. “This is truly an honor for me and my choir. I hope everyone will come to the game, hear the St. Aloysius choir of angels, and root for the Crawdads to win!”
— Bobby Speers | Catholic News Herald