Woodbury’s Own Field Of Dreams

The shovels went down and a cheer went up Monday as the groundbreaking for a new Miracle League field was held at the .

The field—set to be ready for play next spring—is specially designed for children with mental or physical handicaps. It’s the ninth Miracle Field in Minnesota and the first in the east metro area. It’s named after late Woodbury resident Jeff Hanson.

For Cork Wicker, a member of the Woodbury Rotary Club, which helped spearhead efforts to get the field built, seeing the hard work of the past four years pay off was nice—especially for the young people in attendance.

“This can’t happen soon enough for them. It’s one of those deals that really touches your heartstrings,” he said. "We’re glad to see it come to fruition.”

The city actually constructed the Bielenberg Sports Center with a Miracle Field in mind, said Bob Klatt, Woodbury Parks and Recreation director.

“We felt having a Miracle Field would be a perfect fit,” he said.

The total construction cost is estimated at more than $250,000. The Woodbury Rotary Club, along with Miracle League of Minnesota, coordinated the majority of the fundraising efforts through numerous events and private donations.

Another $35,000 has yet to be raised.

Wade Hanson, Tony Huot, Bil Dougherty, Bryan Nelson, DJ Troje, Ryan Warner and Mark Hargis have formed a networking group aimed at securing the remaining funds. The group is planning an event from 1-4 p.m. on Sept. 11 at Bielenberg.

Woodbury Councilman Christopher Burns was on hand for the groundbreaking and lauded the Rotary Club for its efforts.

“This is going to be a great compliment to the rest of Bielenberg,” he said. “It’s a good example of a public-private partnership.”

The field will have multi-use capabilities and be available for the city and school district to use, Klatt said. As word of the Miracle Field spread, he said, the city fielded plenty of phone calls from people interested in the concept.

The Miracle League has already begun playing on a softball field next to the Miracle League field site at Bielenberg and a game was held following the ceremony.

On his way to the game, Kevin Thoresen, founder of Minnesota’s Miracle League, said he grew up playing baseball.

“I wanted to provide the same thing for these guys,” he said.

“It’s so exciting that we’re here,” Thoresen said. “The community has no idea how many kids with special needs there are.”

If you’re interested in donating to the Jeff Hanson Miracle Field in Woodbury, visit facebook.com/MiracleFieldWoodbury or call 651-735-2100.

Visit the Minnesota Miracle League at www.miracleleaguemn.com

Check out photos from Monday's ceremony.