JONESBORO -- Sharron Turman had envisioned a Field of Dreams-style opening for the Miracle League of Jonesboro's baseball field and playground, complete with help from Kevin Costner.
But Costner didn't respond to requests to help dedicate the park built for children with disabilities, so Turman, the softball coordinator for the city's Parks and Recreation Department, came up with a better plan.
It's how Turman and others dealt with all kinds of things during the development of the Miracle League of Jonesboro -- they took an idea and pushed it just a bit further.
For instance, plans called for a large trophy statue at the entrance of the park. So a Jonesboro welder contacted Guinness World Records to check on the size of the largest known trophy. When she found that the organization had designated a 34-foot-11-inch-tall trophy at Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis as the largest, she built the one in Jonesboro a few feet taller.
When Turman, who has a background in early childhood development, realized that autistic children may be overstimulated by the many activities at the park, she included a "quiet room" in a building where the children could go to seek calmness.
She also took into consideration that some children may have conditions that prevent them from playing in direct sunlight. Workers will soon install lights at the baseball field so youngsters can play at night. They will also install a camera and video board in the outfield so children can see themselves on the large screen while playing, she said.
Overall, the facility features 28 pieces of playground equipment accessible to those with disabilities; a large baseball park with bleachers, concession stands and a pavilion; and parking on about 50 acres.
The entrance is made of brick-and-metal fencing and resembles the entry to a large baseball stadium.
"It's still a work in progress," Jonesboro Parks Director Wixson Huffstetler said of the $3.1 million park. "There were times I didn't think we'd get something done, but people would step up."
Turman requested Costner, known for his roles in baseball movies Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game and Bull Durham, to attend the Oct. 25 grand opening of the park. Workers even planted corn behind the outfield of the baseball park in a nod to Field of Dreams, a movie in which an Iowa farmer played by Costner cuts a baseball diamond out of his cornfield as a way to "bring back" dead baseball players and reconcile differences he had with his father.
In the film, the players stroll out of the cornfield to play baseball games and disappear back into the stalks when the game is over.
Turman envisioned Costner stepping out of the cornfield at the Miracle League park during the grand opening last month. But he was not available.
Instead, Turman and others hid nine children who helped with the design of the park and served as "ambassadors" inside the corn. When music from the Field of Dreams movie played, the children moved out onto the field to play, many in wheelchairs and each accompanied by an Arkansas State University baseball player in uniform.
"It was very emotional," Turman said. "There were a lot of tears."
Turman first learned of the Miracle League -- an organization that builds park facilities around the world for children with disabilities -- while seeking grants for a softball complex in Trumann in 2006.
She typed "baseball grants" into an Internet search engine, and "Miracle League" was one of the first results.
"It was like God tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'This is something you need to look into,'" Turman said.
She presented the idea to Trumann city officials, but they didn't build a Miracle League park in the Poinsett County town. When Turman left her job there in 2011 to work with the Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Department, she took the idea with her.
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin told her to pursue the park, and construction began in January 2013.
Turman visited other Miracle League baseball parks and playgrounds across the country, including those in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas, to develop plans for Jonesboro's facility.
When completed, the 36,000-square-foot baseball park in Jonesboro became the largest in the country, and the playground is one of the top five in size.
Since the facility opened Oct. 25, some children have gone to play there. But rain and cold weather have kept many away so far.
"Every day, I run into people who say they can't wait to play there next spring," Turman said.
"Every child deserves a chance to play baseball," Turman added. "Here, they can do that."
The baseball field is made of 8-inch-thick rubber so if children fall, they won't be hurt. The playground equipment is connected with a walkway wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs; swings, seesaws and other toys are designed to safely hold disabled children.
Ten percent of Jonesboro's population has a child with special needs or is related to someone who has one, Huffstetler said.
"We realized we didn't service the disabled children's needs," he said. "We will offer any sport kids can play, and we give them a chance to play."
The playground also aims to remove barriers and prejudices that some children may encounter at other parks.
"Nobody judges," said Wendey Tyler, the mother of 11-year-old Cooper Liles, who has Down syndrome. "This allows them to play together. It's inclusive for all."
Camelia Ballard said her son, Brant Ballard, 10, calls the Miracle Park "his park."
"It's a blessing," Ballard said. "Brant loves baseball. When we took him to play at other games, my husband would have to be out there with him. Here, we can watch him [from the bleachers], and he can do his own thing."
Children are "buddied up" with another person to ensure safety, Turman said. But for the most part, the children are given free rein to play where they want.
"This is not just a playground," Turman said. "There are a lot more things going on. There is the social interaction -- the 'buddy system' will carry over to schools, and it may help cut down bullying -- [and] parents can have a place to take their children. Some of the children who get to play here have never been on a playground before."
Huffstetler said the park, on South Caraway on the western edge of the city's Southside Softball Complex, is open for anyone, regardless of disabilities. He expects families to drive from a five-state area to play there.
"There's not something like this within 250 miles," he said. "This puts Jonesboro on the map nationally."
Turman hopes to add awnings to the bleachers at the baseball park; install the lights; and develop baseball, softball and soccer leagues for children with disabilities by the spring. She also plans to show family movies there at night.
"There's always going to be things we can do to make it better for the kids," she said.
State Desk on 11/27/2014