THE PARENTING BIZ FUN & GAMES
It’s A Home Run For Farrow Riverside Miracle Park By Karen Hall
Photos by Rod Denis
M
ay 14 turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in Olde Riverside, and after the official grand opening of the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park, members of the inaugural Miracle League were more than ready to play their first game on the new ball field. But not before observing one of their teammate’s time-honoured warm-up traditions. As 400 spectators stood watching, the song YMCA filled the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park. Players began to sing, dance and clap — their signal that it was time to get out there and have a blast. There was no question they did, as kids and their baseball buddies began to travel the bases while their fans looked on. Some players used wheelchairs or walkers to reach their destination, and no two people were happier to see City of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens throw out the first pitch than Rick Farrow and
Many of the major donors to the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park were on hand to celebrate the grand opening, and to watch kids take their turn at bat at the inaugural Miracle League game in Riverside. Among them, from left: Don Warner of Shriners Windsor, which funded the workout stations; Adam and Dane Quinn, whose family provided the Quinn Pavilion; Alex Toldo of the Toldo Foundation, which funded the Toldo Wellness Track; Rick and Donna Farrow, whose $500,000 contribution launched the project, and Harry Bell, of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. More than 400 people came out to cheer on the players.
Several generations of the Solcz Family joined spectators and other donors at the grand opening of the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park. Mike Solcz Sr. (third from left) was an early and generous supporter of the project, and the Miracle Field is named for the Solcz Family Foundation. The state-of-the-art rubberized field is designed to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers, allowing kids and young adults to join in and play ball, regardless of their abilities.
Bill Kell, who co-chaired the committee that turned a dream for a state-of-the-art, all-inclusive park into a Riverside reality. The Miracle Diamond is the last of a phased concept that took five years to build. Weather and pandemic restrictions and setbacks caused a two year delay, but the park now includes a 13,000-squarefoot accessible playground, a wellness track, workout stations and, with the City of Windsor, a renovated pool, change rooms and washrooms. “Farrow Riverside Miracle Park represents the best of what a community can achieve when we all work together in partnership to improve neighbourhoods and raise the quality of life for all residents,” says City of Windsor Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac, who dedicated $100,000 in ward funds to the project. The goal has always been to make sure that any child or young adult who wants to play baseball can do so, regardless of their ability or where they live in Windsor and Essex County. Players must register to play in the league, but the park itself is open to all. For those who wonder, the day wasn’t as much about keeping score as scoring new friends. Organizers did however, provide some numbers, and they go like this: Number of hotdogs barbecued: 450. Bottles of water served: 500. Cookies gobbled up: also 500. Number of smiling faces: Every single one! Farrow Riverside Miracle Park is located at 6755 Wyandotte Street East and online at: FarrowRiversideMiraclePark.com.
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