Visiting the Field of Dreams

Okay, I have to confess. When we visited the Field of Dreams, I hadn’t seen the movie. I only put it on our list because we have been collecting validations in our Ballpark Pass-Port. The Field of Dreams movie site is one of the locations included in the book. It meant a detour from a more direct route between Minneapolis and Chicago. But I figured it would be a quick stop and we’d be on our way.

In the end, the stop was just what we needed: a break, fresh air and sunshine, and some pick-up baseball!

What is the Field of Dreams?

Kevin Costner starred in the movie, The Field of Dreams. It came out in 1989 and was nominated for several Oscars. The fantasy is based on a book by W.P. Kinsella called Shoeless Joe. In the movie, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice as he works in his corn field. The voice says tells him “if you build it, he will come.”

I don’t want to be a spoiler if you haven’t seen the movie, but it is pretty hard to talk about this without knowing a few things. So, if you haven’t seen the movie and plan to do so, stop reading now and come back later to finish this post!

If you are still reading, here are the things you should know. First, Ray Kinsella eventually plows under some of his corn fields to build a baseball field. Second, the baseball field attracts a number of famous (and infamous) baseball players, all of whom are deceased, to play ball. They come and go from “the beyond” through Kinsella’s remaining corn fields. Third, Ray and his father played catch when he was young. Finally, this field is in the middle of nowhere, Iowa. The families who own the homes and fields where the Field of Dreams movie set was constructed maintain the site as a tourist facility, and they charge the same price that was charged to visitors in the movie: $20 per car.

Our Visit to the Field of Dreams

One of Ryan’s former coaches had advised Brad that he needed to get a picture of Ryan disappearing into the corn. As it turned out, Brad hadn’t seen the movie either. Ryan was shocked (mostly at Brad, I think!)! He had seen the movie, so he knew what to do as we took the requisite pictures. After that, the two of them played catch in the outfield.

I was sitting on the bleachers when a fellow in an old Cubs uniform walked out on the field and began pitching balls to any kid who wanted to hit one. Pretty soon, there was a full-blown game of baseball underway, with the players ranging from as young as five to as old as, well, however old the costumed Cubbie player is!

The Cub doubled as the umpire, and was generous with practice hits, calling balls, and calling young players safe on base! Pretty soon, he announced that his bus had arrived and he needed to go. It turned out that he was a tour guide.

At that point, Ryan stepped up to the mound to help keep the game going. It wasn’t real pitching, of course, since most of the players were either too young or too inexperienced to hit a fast ball. However, it was a lot of fun to watch him interact with the young players – and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

On to Chicago

We drove from the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa to our next “campsite,” the RV and Bus lot at McCormick Place in Chicago. This is, quite literally, a parking lot next to the convention center. However, for just $38 per night, we were close to both stadiums, and just one block away from the Chicago waterfront.

After we hooked up our generator, Brad, Ryan and I settled in to watch The Field of Dreams. I’m not a fantasy fan, but I really enjoyed the movie. I can see why it has such enduring fandom.

Up Next:

Tomorrow, we’ll be at Wrigley Field to watch the real Cubs play!