Until now, visiting the Field of Dreams baseball diamond in Iowa -- bucolic site of the 1989 Kevin Costner flick -- sometimes left visitors with the afterglow of a lumpy pillow. That's because the Field had been built on a property line between two neighbors. And, being independent farmer types, they didn't see eye-to-eye on how it should be run as a tourist attraction. So it was operated as TWO attractions, split down the middle: the infield and right field, owned by Don and Becky Lansing; and left and center field, owned by Al and Rita Ameskamp. Each attraction had its own mirror-image access road and gift shop, and each kept different hours.

After nearly 20 years of this, the schizophrenia finally ended on August 18, 2007, when the Ameskamp property was bought by the Lansings. The Lansings announced that they intended to continue operating the attraction (minus the duplicate signage) under the name "Field of Dreams Movie Site." It's a smart move, as the Field is still one of the most popular attractions in Iowa, drawing a reported 60,000 visitors a year. It also shows a commitment that has not been matched by the owners of certain other movie sites in Iowa.

The Field, however, will be without its "Ghost Players" -- a local semi-pro team that walked out of an adjacent corn field and played toss with visitors on the last Sunday of each month. The team has announced that it's retiring, and that its final appearance will be on September 30, 2007. [09/02/2007]

November 26, 2009