Players, parents, volunteers and representatives of the Atlanta Braves turned out at Field 2 at Carl Harrison Park Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sandy Plains Baseball Association.
The youth baseball organization was founded in March 1969 and originally played games not far away, at Sandy Plains Park. That also is the venue for Sandy Plains Softball.
But as the number of youths playing both sports grew, so did the need for new fields and separate organizations. Sandy Plains Softball still plays at Sandy Plains Park.
The baseball venues moved to Harrison Park, next to Lassiter High School, and Sweat Mountain Park, in the late 1980s.
Ginny Garner, chairwoman of the board of Sandy Plains Baseball, said the organization wouldn’t be what it is without the parent volunteers and families.
“We’ve been so blessed to have amazing families and amazing volunteers,” she said.
While the parks are operated by the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Sandy Plains Baseball helps with maintenance and upkeep of the grounds. Garner said most recently, the organization raised money for new bunting along the outfield fences.
Two years ago, Field 2 was completely refurbished with funding from the Atlanta Braves Foundation, which has undertaken similar projects around metro Atlanta in the name of Chipper Jones.
Garner said Sandy Plains Baseball enrolls around 700 players for the fall season, and around 900 for the spring season, ages 4-18.
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