Miracle League of Cumming-Forsyth County marks 20 years at Lanierland Park

At Lanierland Park, the field named for Col. Carroll and Judy Edge stood at the center of a 20-year milestone for the Miracle League of Cumming-Forsyth County, a program that has given more than 500 players a place to compete and belong. The celebration drew local officials, coaches, players and families to a park that now serves as the league’s home after years at Coal Mountain Park.

The league began in 2005 and was built for physically and mentally challenged children and adults who might not fit traditional recreational sports settings. Its mission has stayed the same: give players a safe and spirited chance to hit, run and catch, while families and volunteers build the support system that keeps each season moving. That model has lasted long enough to become part of the county’s civic identity.

The numbers show why the anniversary mattered. Forsyth County said the league has had more than 500 players, ranging in age from 4 to the mid-60s. In spring 2022, the league set a record with 141 participants, a sign that demand for adaptive recreation has grown along with the county itself. The program’s reach extends beyond game days, giving families a regular place to gather, cheer and build relationships around a shared routine.

County leaders formally recognized that impact in August 2022, when commissioners named the new Miracle League field the Col. Carroll & Judy Edge Field. The county said Col. Carroll Edge had supported the league since its start in 2005 and was known for opening the gates at 7 a.m. on game days and staying until the last families left the ballpark. That kind of steady presence helped turn the league from an idea into a long-running institution.

Lanierland Park’s role in that story grew after the county held a ribbon-cutting for the expanded complex on Aug. 19, 2023. The project added the Miracle League field along with tennis and pickleball courts, baseball and softball fields, an all-inclusive playground, hard- and soft-surface trails, a football and lacrosse fieldhouse and additional parking. The league said it was no longer playing at Coal Mountain Park by fall 2023.

The anniversary underscored a larger reality in Forsyth County: programs like this only endure when families, volunteers, donors and county leaders keep showing up. The Miracle League has lasted 20 years because the county made room for it, and because the community treated inclusion as something worth building, maintaining and funding year after year.