Rock Hill’s long-awaited Miracle Park will open this Saturday. Here’s how to go
Rock Hill’s newest park, which has drawn numerous visits from South Carolina lawmakers and significant donations from the Carolina Panthers, will open to the public this weekend.
Miracle Park, between Cherry Road and Eden Terrace, will have its grand opening Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. York County residents will be able to experience the park’s inclusive playground, sensory wall and the Miracle Field.
Visitors are encouraged to bring a baseball glove to play on the field with Winthrop University athletes. Leitner Construction is giving away free hot dogs to the first 1,000 people at the park. There will be ice cream, Kona Ice and free cotton candy. Visitors also can enter a raffle with a chance to win a signed football from Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
The park, similar to the All Play Together effort in Fort Mill and Tega Cay, is a 15-acre site near Winthrop, designed for people of all physical and mental ability levels. Future phases of the park, which was a key selling point in Rock Hill’s presentation to earn its 2019 All-America City status, will include additional baseball fields, multipurpose fields and a retail store, city officials said.
Construction began on the park in 2019. Since then, the roughly $8 million project has had donors large and small, along with various services from companies to clear, plan and build the park.
Earlier this year, the Carolina Panthers and the (David) Tepper family, donated a combined total of $700,000 to help finish the city’s new park. The Carolina Panthers Charities and the NFL Foundation donated $200,000, and David and Nicole Tepper, with their foundation, followed with another $500,000 donation.
Want to go to Miracle Park?
The public is invited to visit Miracle Park, at 1005 Eden Terrace, Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Park officials will hold a brief program at 4:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Parking will be at the Winthrop University Coliseum and shuttles will be available.
The park’s first program, Miracle League of Rock Hill, also will debut this weekend. The program, one of more than 240 Miracle Leagues across the country, will provide children and adults with mental and physical disabilities the opportunity to play baseball with volunteer “Buddies.” Registration for the league for ages 5 through adult is open online through Sept. 17.
The Miracle League of Rock Hill also looking for game-day volunteers, which will be required to participate in a training session. Upcoming sessions will be at the Boyd Hill Recreation Center on Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. and on Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. The league will officially open on Oct. 9 at 10 a.m.
This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 8:17 AM.
