Kids in Peachtree City's Challenger League have been looking forward

to Saturday morning for quite some time.

Shortly after the first pitch at 11:25 a.m., they will get to play their

first game at their new home: the Fayette Field of Hope, which is located

at the city's Hwy. 74 South Baseball and Soccer complex.

The public is invited to attend, according to Field of Hope organizer Nick

Harris.

Under the Challenger format, players get assistance from other able-bodied

individuals and Saturday members of the McIntosh baseball team will play

side-by-side with Challenger leaguers.

The field features a rubberized surface and other design elements so players

who use wheelchairs and walkers will be able to get around easier than they

would on a normal dirt-and-grass field.

"I think they're excited," Harris said of the 56 kids in

the Challenger League. "It's theirs."

Harris said his son, Ethan, who is a Challenger League participant, already

has his eye on hitting one out of the park, as the fences are a little closer

than the fields the league has played on.

"They realize they can be real ballplayers now," Harris said.

Adjacent to the Field of Hope is a normal baseball field for Little Leaguers

so they can play alongside the Challenger League action. That was by design

to allow Challenger League participants and their cohorts to be exposed to

each other. The rules and format of the game are almost exactly the same

in both leagues.

Harris lauded the community for chipping in on the fund-raising for the

$750,000 complex. Many individuals and companies chipped in funds while others

donated products and services in kind.

"It's truly unbelievable what a community can do when they put

their hearts and minds to it," Harris said. "The community did

this for us."

That includes the unnamed contributor who stepped up and provided the last

bit of money needed to finish the project, to the tune of about $75,000.

The four-and-a-half-year process has been arduous but will be well worth

it, Harris said.

"There will be a lot of tears of joy from a lot of people," Harris

said.