The Field of Dreams is a baseball field

Baseball field

A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...

 and pop-culture tourist

Pop-culture tourism

Pop-culture tourism is the act of traveling to locations featured in literature, film, music, or any other form of popular entertainment.Popular destinations have included:* Los Angeles, California area film studios....

 attraction

Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....

 built originally for the movie of the same name

Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...

. It is in Dubuque County, Iowa

Dubuque County, Iowa

Dubuque County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 93,653 in the 2010 census, an increase from 89,143 in the 2000 census. The county seat is the city of Dubuque. Dubuque County is coterminous with the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the seventh...

, near Dyersville

Dyersville, Iowa

Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware and western Dubuque Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,035 at the 2000 census and was estimated to be 4,167 in 2006....

.

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 was 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. Unfortunately, the Lansings failed to support the Ghost Players and prohibited them from using their half of the field for their, "Greatest Show on Dirt." 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 is now entirely owned by the Lansing family. In 2009, the Lansings canceled the 20 year Field of Dreams celebration because of the economy. They donated $5,000 to the local food pantry instead.

On May 13, 2010, the Lansings announced they were putting the farm used for the movie up for sale. On October 30, 2011, it was reported that a sale had been agreed upon.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/10/field-of-dreams-sold/1

Dimensions and capacity

The stadium is 281 feet to left field, 314 to center and 262 to right field. It holds 84 people. The Upper Deck events drew 2,500 fans each year with temporary bleachers set up to accommodate the fans.

Rolling Roadshow

On August 11, 2006, Austin, Texas' Alamo Drafthouse

Alamo Drafthouse

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, United States. It has screens in nine locations across Texas and one in Winchester, Virginia...

 "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, concessions, 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

Kevin Costner

Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

 and his band (unnamed at the time, now known as Kevin Costner and Modern West

Kevin Costner and Modern West

Kevin Costner & Modern West is a rock/country band which Kevin Costner founded with the encouragement of his wife Christine. He began a worldwide tour with the band in October 2007, which included shows in Istanbul and Rome...

) 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 hosted by Lisa Loeb

Lisa Loeb

Lisa Anne Loeb is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She launched her career in 1994 with the song, "Stay ". She was the first artist to have a number one single in the United States while not signed to a recording contract.Loeb's efforts now include music, film, television, voice-over...

.

External links

• The website from the Lansing family, who owns the field
• Kevin Costner returns to Field of Dreams. Netflix will sponsor an outdoor showing of "Field of Dreams" at the namesake Iowa ballfield on August 11, 2006. Kevin Costner, star of the movie, will also appear in person.
• Field of Dreams Movie Site at Google Maps