KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
—
Whether Monday was your first or 57th opening day, the Kansas City metro area is ready for this Royals season.
Town Village of Leawood, an assisted living facility in Johnson County, hosted a Royals opening day watch party for its 200 residents.
It's not opening day without the smell of nachos, hot dogs and barbeque.
"Of course, you got to have that beer," Royals fan Elaine Kniepfel said.
Kniepfel remembers her first Royals game when the team still played at Municipal Stadium near East 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue.
"It was so much fun, the atmosphere was something else," Kniepfel said. "Finding a place to park was something else. You had to find a place sometimes in someone's driveway."
Years later, Kniepfel would step onto the field at Kauffman Stadium.
"Presidents and all kinds of famous people, and here I, little old me, got to throw the first pitch," Kniepfel said. "I threw that ball, and it landed straight in the secretary's glove. We just lived in that excitement for hours, maybe the next day, too. I still think about that."
Town Village of Leawood traded the Kauffman Stadium seats for the dining hall seats to make opening day accessible for some of the fans who've rooted for the Royals the longest.
"A lot of these people can't really travel like that and watch the game," Bunni Glasberg, a Royals fan said. "This is very wonderful that they're having it."
Glasberg got tickets for nearly every Royal's game in the team's early days, and became close with some of the player's families. Going to games has changed quite a bit since the first pitch in 1969, but the excitement has only grown over time.
"I think it was a closeness you felt, close to the people on the field," Glasberg said. "It was good, some good memories."
Despite bigger stadiums and more expensive hot dogs, the heart of the game has remained the same.
"You belong," Kniepfel said. "We are a team. Makes us feel like we're a team, too."
The Royal's stadium location won't change how lifelong fans root for the boys playing ball, as long as there's hot dogs and cold beer.
"I think it's the sense of belonging," Kniepfel said. "We're all together. That's the most important thing."
—
