The field used in the 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams,” was vandalized in late January.

The vandal, 20 year old Austin Pope, drove his truck onto the Iowa field, one he said he thought was just an empty field, and started driving erratically. Pope turned himself in and was charged with second degree criminal mischief and reckless driving. If Pope didn’t turn himself in, it would been difficult to find him, as there are no cameras at the field. The estimated cost of damage is about $5,000.

“This is a very disappointing crime, the field is very famous and well regarded, I hope they can get it fixed and up and running very soon,” said sophomore Edwin Robinson.

The damage done to the field is fixable. According to the group who owns the field, the biggest damages were the four inch gashes left in the outfield from tire marks and damage to the fields sprinkler system. The field will remain open during repairs, as it is a fairly popular tourist location during the summer, due to the popularity of the movie. Fundraisers have been started by multiple groups to help raise money to repair the field, and as of last week, $12,000 has been raised towards a $15,000 goal.

“The field of dreams getting vandalized is a sad thing. The movie is such a well known baseball movie, and is really an American Classic with a nice story behind it as well. The field seems to be mostly repairable though, so that’s a good thing,” sophomore Kyle Dickherber said.
The movie depicts a Ray, played by Kevin Costner, who built a baseball field, after hearing a voice say, “If you build it, they will come.” The movie also focuses on a few players from the 1919 Black Sox scandal, almost like the field is a heaven for the players who have died earlier in the farm owners lives.