Will ‘Field of Dreams’ plans help or hurt tourism?
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A conceptual drawing of the Dyersville All-Star Ballpark Heaven sports complex. (image via group's Facebook page)
The purchase of the “Field of Dreams” movie site in eastern Iowa has been completed.
The investors group Go the Distance Baseball LLC says it closed last week on the deal reached with owners Don and Becky Lansing. The final price was $3.4 million plus interest. It was listed for $5.4 million more than two years ago when it went on the market.
Go the Distance plans to transform the Dyersville landmark into All-Star Ballpark Heaven, a 24-field youth baseball and softball tournament complex. Construction is expected to begin this spring, with the first tournament games scheduled for 2014.
Do you think the new owners’ plan for the Field of Dreams will hurt or help attract tourists once it’s completed?
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From what I understand, the intent is to preserve the “movie set” portion of the property (house and nearby ghost players cornfield) more or less intact. So, that should allow the new property managers to continue to cash in on Field of Dreams devotees, who are the prime tourism motivator. Not sure if the fading cachet of a 1980′s cheesy movie is strong enough to rub off on the throngs of paying ballplayers who will be needed to make the huge 24-field ball-plex development pay its way, After all, the site is still in the middle of nowhere. My prediction is that the site will be restored to ag land within 10 years.
I remember years ago when we lived Livonia, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. A large complex offered 16 ballfields with lights. They had trouble getting enough teams signed up to make the venture profitable. Yet, someone thinks they can make money with 24 ballfields in middle of nowhere. I wonder what they are smoking.