“If you build it, Clearwater will come” were perhaps the words in Joe Gardiner’s ears as he conceived of building his very own field of dreams. This field is different from the film, however — instead of a corn field, it is a soybean-corn intercrop field.
Joe Gardiner works with Covers & Co, a Crystal City-based cover crop and forage seed supplier that assists farmers with its extensive knowledge of plant diversity. The company is putting on a Field of Dreams fundraiser, which will be a one-day community affair that promises top-tier baseball, family-friendly games, live music, and fireworks out of an intercrop field of soybeans and corn.
Gardiner says his love of baseball sparked the idea. As he was watching the film Field of Dreams last year, he thought the concept was “kind of interesting.” Fast forward through several months and the help of a summer student (without whom, Gardiner says, he could not have completed the project), and Gardiner’s vision is coming to fruition.
“The intercrop looks spectacular. The ballpark’s starting to come together — it's completely surrounded by corn,” he says. “We've got a ten-acre field, essentially, and then the ball field is situated kind of in the middle of those ten acres. When you're out there, it really is spectacular. When you walk in, it feels like you're in the middle of a cornfield. It's pretty cool.”
The Field of Dreams event takes place on September 7th beginning at 11 a.m. There will be a round-robin baseball tournament, food supplied by the Clearwater Junction Restaurant, beer gardens, and games for the family (a corn maze, Belgian bowling, cornhole).
As for baseball itself, Gardiner has a specific vision for that, too.
“I am a baseball lover, and my career is coming to an end, so I thought, ‘well, if we're building the diamond, I'm definitely going to play in it, but can we get the best baseball possible there?’ So, the format’s kind of interesting, I think. I picked 3 captains from across the province,” he says. “The only instruction I gave them was to . . . bring the best 15 baseball players that [they] could find.”
Gardiner says that he has players to represent the whole Border Baseball League, including two players from Altona, one from Winkler, two from Morden, and one from Carman. For the full rosters, visit Covers & Co’s Facebook page here.
Attendees will also be dazzled by a home-run derby at 6 p.m. and the final baseball game at 7 p.m. featuring the two top teams from the round-robin. Gardiner says that lights are rented for an evening of baseball. After the final, the night will continue with a fireworks display.
The festivities will cap off with live music from Retro Rhythm, a 10-piece ensemble brass band that plays hits from the 60s and 70s.
“They are spectacular, "says Gardiner. “They played at a wedding I was at last year, and I thought, ‘if I ever need a band for something, they're going to be it.’”
For those who would like to make a weekend of the event, there is also camping (with no electrical/sewer/water hookup) available in the lot east of the Field of Dreams.
The event is a fundraiser for the Clearwater Foundation.
“The Clearwater Foundation is . . . a key to the long-term success of the community,” says Gardiner. “I'm on the board . . . for the foundation, so the goal, because our foundation has only been around for a few years, is to bring awareness to [it].”
Gardiner says that Field of Dreams project seeks to convey that the foundation is around, accepting donations, and that it funds “really great causes.”
So far, the Field of Dreams event has raised $48,000 for the Clearwater Foundation, and that number is rising. Gardiner says that for those would like to make a donation on site at the Field of Dreams, there will be tables available.
“We have been so blessed this whole project,” says Gardiner. “I want to say a huge, huge thank you to the sponsors that have helped us out.”
Although Gardiner is very fond of the vision behind the Field of Dreams event, its preparation was a challenge — it’s not likely to happen again.
“We didn't do it because it was easy. We did it because we thought it was going to be easy, and I can assure you, for those that are thinking of doing the same thing, you are in for a wild adventure,” he says. “This is it. It was just [because of] special circumstances that we were able to do [this].”
As can be expected for any event that is touched by a bit of magic, tickets are going quickly.
Tickets, which are $20 each, can still be purchased at the Pilot Mound bar, Clearwater grocery store, and The Iron Rail, a convenience store in Cartwright. There will also be some tickets at the event for those who come early. Online tickets and information can be found here.
Don't miss your chance to take in a rare and wonderful event at the Field of Dreams in Clearwater on September 7th.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~