The owners of the northeast Iowa farmstead that was the setting for the 1989 filming of “Field of Dreams” are planning a big weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of the movie’s release. Kevin Costner leads the list of cast members who will be in Dyersville for the reunion, which is expected to draw more than 10,000 fans.
In a video produced for the Field of Dreams Movie Site, Costner says, “I’ve come to know how much this film means to people all over America and particularly know how important it’s become to Iowans.” Even after two-and-a-half decades, Costner says the movie continues to inspire and move people around the globe. “Field of Dreams is special to all of us that were lucky enough to be in it,” Costner says. “It transcends more than just baseball. It’s about believing in the unbelievable. It’s about relationships. It’s about fathers and sons and the things that go unsaid for too long.”
The movie will be shown tonight on a giant screen in center field tonight, while events Saturday include a day-long father-son baseball tournament and a celebrity game. Also, Costner’s band, Modern West, will perform in Dubuque. Darin Butland of New York has made the trip to the field every summer for the past five years.
“Just everytime I come out here something special happens. I’ve made great friends, got to hang out with the ‘Ghost Players,'” Butland says, referring to the team of baseball players that play games on the field, just like the ghosts of baseball players of the past who were featured in the movie. Butland adds, “I got to be ‘Moonlight Graham’ in the parade, which was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime thrill.”
Moonlight Graham was among the key characters in the movie, based on a real-life doctor who had played one professional baseball game in 1905. Other celebrities on the list this weekend include: actors Timothy Busfield and Dwier Brown, baseball greats Bret Saberhagen, Ryan Dempster and Glendon Rusch, also Matt Lauer from NBC’s “Today” show and sportscaster Bob Costas.
The “Field of Dreams” movie site closed to the public at noon and access will be limited to ticket-holders. Tickets are already sold out.