MLB photo promoting the game.
Thousands of visitors will pour into Dyersville this summer as the northeast Iowa town hosts a Major League Baseball game at the Field of Dreams.
Karla Thompson, director of the Dyersville Chamber, says they’re looking for area homeowners who are willing to host temporary guests. Thompson says the residents are very enthused. “There is just so much talk, so much excitement going on,” Thompson says. “That is one great thing that people will gather and embrace when they come to Dyersville. We’re excited! This is definitely an epic event, not only for our town but for our state and a great way to showcase our community.”
Major League Baseball announced last summer that the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees will play in a special game at the famous movie site on August 13th. Thompson says they’re not sure how many people that will bring to their small town of 4,000.
“There will be 8,000 tickets sold but there are so many people that are going to be taking off work, planning their family vacations and coming anyway to go to our viewing parties,” Thompson says. “We are planning a four-day festivity starting August 12th and going through August 15th. There will be a wide variety of activities for adults and kids.”
The biggest challenge will be finding a place for thousands of visitors to stay overnight — or for several nights. “All of our hotels and bed and breakfasts are booked and probably for an hour to an hour-and-a-half around us,” she says. “We are having residents who open up their homes and will have the opportunity to have tourists stay with them, which is kind of normal for us.”
Some residents are stepping up who are willing to rent a room, while others are willing to move out for those days and rent their entire house.
(By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)