DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa’s first Major League baseball game is happening this week at the iconic “Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville, a favorite stop for fans of the movie.
”Well, of course, we all could not wait to watch the movie and we did that and we were enthralled with the movie and so we could not wait to get our son up here,” Marcia Winter said while visiting the Field of Dreams movie site.
That visit with her son, however, was 30 years ago. Now Winter’s son is grown up and has two kids of his own, her grandchildren.
”We could not wait to bring them up and they are both ballplayers,” Winter said.
And there was some preparation involved for this very special field trip.
“Grandsons’ first time here and they watched the movie last night, so we quizzed them on the way up,” Winter said. “I found a trivia thing on the phone.”
Winter said she and her family are already looking forward to the next time they bring their grandkids to the Field of Dreams movie site, but next time, the place might feel a little different.
Roman Weinberg, director of operations of the business who owns the movie site, said they will begin constructing 21 youth baseball fields in the fall.
”That is All-Star Ball Park Heaven and that is a youth baseball and softball tournament complex that we plan in constructing around the Field of Dreams movie site and developing that and providing opportunities for the nation’s youth both nationally and internationally,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg said the goal is to teach children lessons on and off the field to help them be successful in the sport and in their personal lives. He said, though, those who visit the movie site might not even notice the difference.
“The key is to preserve the Field of Dreams and the simplicity and the tranquility of the site, so we will be expanding and starting first in the northeast corner of the property and you will not even tell that the fields are there,” Weinberg said. “It will all be cornfields in the outfield of the Field of Dreams and we will leave it preserved because as we all know this is holy grounds.”
In the future, site owners have even more plans for the site, which include a hotel and an indoor training facility with state of the art equipment for athletes.
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