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Crystal Wise
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Crystal Wise
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Crystal Wise
Kevin Lombard is a character. The best kind of character. A guy you can let loose with because he is so authentically himself that it makes you feel comfortable doing the same — someone you take off the existential mask with to hang out unencumbered for a while.
It's a disposition that is not only contagious, but it makes him great at his jobs.
Yes, “jobs.” He has two of them. Lombard is a counselor, recently licensed, who previously ministered to young couples before they entered into marriage for his home church: Burleson Church of Christ.
But most people know Lombard as the guy in a bright red wig who bangs on a Home Depot bucket during the Cleburne Railroaders games as an unofficial mascot but confirmed hype man.
For him, the motivation to participate in these two differing occupations comes from the same place inside.
"It's about supporting people," says Lombard, 57, earnestly with hands clasped together."I oversee the fan experience. We engage them through games on the field, being out in the crowd, getting them excited, leading cheers, and ensuring they are having a good time."
Lombard's involvement with the team began with him and his wife, Sudona, hosting Railroaders players who lived outside of town.
Then, in 2021, the Railroaders were playing a weekend series, needing one victory to clinch a berth in the playoffs. Lombard was sitting in the stands with Sudona when he realized the crowd was merely lukewarm during a heated inning. With owner John Junker's approval, Lombard decided to get on top of the dugout and lead the crowd in a chant.
Let’s get this thing going.
“That's who I am," he laughs. "I love sports and getting a crowd going.”
The team lost that game, but Lombard, an Ohio native, roused the crowd with his performance, so much so that Junker asked him to repeat the routine every Wednesday night.
“I'll be there,” was Lombard's response.
He gets what he gives. "The ballpark is my therapy," the counselor says, laughing. "I'm outside, I have peanuts in my hand, and it's like I'm a kid again."
The Cleburne Railroaders is a relatively new team, getting its start in 2017 as a member of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent pro league. It plays at The Depot at Cleburne Station, a nifty ballpark at the intersection of U.S. 67 and the Chisholm Trail Parkway.
The team is gaining popularity.
Being centrally located in Johnson County makes the team not only the Cleburne Railroaders but all of DFW's Railroaders, made truer by the loss of the Fort Worth Cats, who played in an iteration of the independent league in 2014 — and, more recently, the folding of the Texas Airhogs of Grand Prairie.
“It's about the community,” says Lombard about the team's success. "The access that fans get to our players and the fun people have at our games are really what separates us from other teams in the league and keep people coming back."
And that's where Lombard is at his best: finding out what people need.
"It won't be as fun, maybe, with counseling," laughs Lombard, comparing the two.
"But it's building relationships and helping people. I want people to know that it's going to be OK. And really that's what got me into all of this at the ballpark. Whether I'm supporting the players or sitting down to counsel a family, I want everyone to know that it's going to be OK."
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My Top Nine Foods at the Depot:
1. Fajita Fries
2. Quesadillas
3. Hot Dogs
4. Peanuts
5. Cheeseburger
6. Sausage on a Stick
7. Sno Cones
8. French Fries
9. Corn Dogs
