As my eldest son’s Little League season draws to a close here in town, this (somewhat tardy) story seems eerily relevant:
In “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character builds a baseball diamond out of a corn field after a voice tells him: “If you build it, he will come.”
Well, now he can buy it and so can anyone else.
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
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Don and Becky Lansing, the owners of the site near Dyersville where the field was built by Universal Studios, said Thursday they’re selling the property. The asking price is $5.4 million.
The couple said they love the land, which has been in Don Lansing’s family for more than a century, but they’re ready to retire and give up the property.
…
Up for sale is the diamond, a two-bedroom house, six outbuildings that include a concession stand, and a 193-acre parcel. The land includes the mystical cornfield where the ghosts of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, “Moonlight” Graham and others emerge to play ball.
The field’s website now links to www.sellfieldofdreamsmoviesite.com, where former big-league pitcher-turned-real-estate-agent Ken Sanders is taking offers. And while the majority of interested folks are planning to preserve the property, Sanders says, there are any number of offers from people who are considering changing the legendary site’s purpose altogether. That would be a real, real shame, because Terrence Mann was absolutely right: people came.
Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. “Of course, we won’t mind if you have a look around,” you’ll say. “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it; for it is money they have and peace they lack.