Forsyth County hosts annual day care field day at Fowler Park

Fowler Park again served as a summer gathering place for Forsyth County’s youngest children as Parks & Recreation staged its annual Day Care Center Field Day, a two-hour program built around relays, sack races and running races. The event ran Wednesday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, with check-in starting at 9:45 a.m. at the county park at 4110 Carolene Way in Cumming.

The county set the fee at $50 per center, with registration due by Friday, June 17. Children ages 5 and up could take part, and the county said there was no limit to how many children a day care center could bring. That makes the field day a broad, low-cost outing for centers looking for a structured summer activity without having to build and staff their own sports day.

Weather was part of the planning. Forsyth County said bad weather would trigger cancellation and a full refund for registered centers, giving child-care operators a clear fallback if summer storms moved in.

Questions and registration help went through Charlie Sheffield, the recreation supervisor at Fowler Park. The county listed Sheffield’s phone number as (770) 886-4088 and his email as CWSheffield@forsythco.com.

The field day has become a fixture rather than a one-off. Forsyth County Parks & Recreation said it has offered the program for more than 10 years, folding it into a wider summer calendar that includes recreation day camps at Fowler Park for children ages 6 to 10. County park materials describe Fowler Park as an 85-acre site with paved trails and multiple restrooms, and the park map lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The county’s use of Fowler Park also reflects the pressure created by Forsyth’s continuing growth. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts put the county’s population at 280,096 on July 1, 2024 and 282,805 on July 1, 2025. Forsyth County says it is consistently ranked among the fastest growing counties in the United States, and small, recurring programs like this one give the parks system a practical role in meeting the needs of families during school break.

Forsyth County Parks & Recreation also says it is accredited through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies and the National Recreation and Park Association, a credentialing standard that underscores the county’s focus on organized recreation, safety and public service.