Field of Dreams (Dubuque County, Iowa)

Home Plate

The Field of Dreams is a baseball field and pop-culture tourist attraction built originally for the movie of the same name. It is in Dubuque County, Iowa, near Dyersville.

The studio built the baseball diamond on two farms, a few miles outside Dyersville. When production completed, the baseball diamond created for the movie was left behind. Most of the baseball field, including the diamond and the adjacent house, was on one farm owned by the Lansing family, but the left and center field were on an adjacent property owned by the Ameskamp family. The field was built on the two properties because the producers wanted the field in a location where sunset shots would be uninhibited.

After filming completed, the Lansing family kept their portion of the field intact, and added a small hut where visitors could buy souvenirs. The Ameskamp family returned their land to farming for a year, but then restored the remainder of the field and opened up their own souvenir stand. The two owners had operated separate tourist facilities, and had also been at odds regarding commercialization of the site.

Keith Rahe, a neighboring farmer, put together a baseball team dubbed the "Ghost Players" to entertain the visitors at the field. The team's presence at the field on Sunday afternoons once a month attracted thousands of additional fans to the field. In 1991 and 1992 the Upper Deck Company sponsored a celebrity game at the Field. Executive Producer Tony Loiacono, who later received the key to the city, brought Hall of Famers like Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Bob Feller to take on Hollywood Stars like Kelsey Grammer and Meatloaf in a charity game. The two games raised over $100,000 for local charities.

In August 2007, Rita Ameskamp sold the land containing her portion of the baseball field to Don and Becky Lansing - the owners of the remainder of the field. As a result the movie site was, for the first time, entirely owned by the Lansing family.[1] On May 13, 2010, the Lansings announced they were putting the farm used for the movie up for sale.[2] On October 30, 2011, it was reported that a sale had been agreed upon with the now new owners, a private partnership called Go the Distance Baseball.[3] Go the Distance has owned and preserved the Movie Site since December 28, 2012.

Under new ownership, the Movie Site has enjoyed a resurgence of events and activity to share the Field with more visitors than ever. The Ghost Players have returned since 2013 to play on the entire Field. In 2014, Kevin Costner returned to the movie set that helped launch his acting career for the 25th anniversary of the film to the welcome of more than 12,000 fans Father's Day Weekend, as documented by Bob Costas and MLB Network.

Dimensions and capacity

The ballpark is 281 feet to left field, 314 to center and 262 to right field. With additional temporary bleachers, the ballpark has held up to nearly 6,000 for the 2013 Team of Dreams celebrity ball game.

Rolling Roadshow

The Kevin Costner Band

On August 11, 2006, Austin, Texas' Alamo Drafthouse "Rolling Roadshow" (which screens films in locations unique to each film) showed Field of Dreams at the Field of Dreams Site in Dyersville. A giant, outdoor screen was set up adjacent to the field with seating, concession, and parking along left and center field. Only the property owned by the Ameskamp family was allowed to be used for this event; the Lansing property was closed to the public. Before the screening of the film, Kevin Costner and his band (unnamed at the time, now known as Kevin Costner and Modern West) performed for two hours for the attending crowd of close to 1,000 people. Costner and his band played a selection of original songs and popular covers, including a song about Iowa that he wrote during the filming of Field of Dreams 17 years earlier. The event was sponsored by Netflix and hosted by Lisa Loeb.

References

  1. ↑ Hogstrom, Erik (2007-08-18). "Left & Center Field of Dreams sold". Telegraph Herald. Woodward Communications, Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  2. ↑ "For sale: 'Field of Dreams' farm". Associated Press. May 13, 2010.
  3. ↑ Dodd, Mike (October 30, 2011). "Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa is sold". USA Today.
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Coordinates: 42°29′52″N 91°03′18″W / 42.49778°N 91.05500°W / 42.49778; -91.05500

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