On August 11, 2022, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds met in a cornfield outside Dyersville for the second MLB at Field of Dreams game.
Millions of people watched the game on television, but the broadcast showed only part of the experience. For those attending in person, the day started long before the first pitch. Fans explored the original Field of Dreams movie site, watched players emerge from the corn and followed a path through the field to reach the temporary MLB stadium.
That walk helped make the event feel different from an ordinary baseball game. The movie site and MLB ballpark were separate, and the cornfield served as the connection between them. Along the way were vintage baseball players, photo opportunities, movie references and activities built specifically for the event.
I attended the 2022 game with my camera and photographed the experience from before the gates filled with fans through the fireworks at the end of the night. The photos below follow that journey in order, beginning with a quiet look at the site before game day and continuing through the corn, into the stadium and toward the first pitch.
Signage and decorations start at the front gate next to the parking lot. Welcoming sign at the entrance to the original movie site. The first barn in the background is a souvenir shop, which operates year-round at the site. At the site, there are actually two separate baseball fields: 1) the original movie site and 2) the MLB field. Ticket holders were directed into the original movie site first. While at the original movie site, the most popular thing to do: get your photo coming out of the cornfield – and if you were lucky, getting your photo with the “ghost players” at the same time. The original movie site also had numerous photo opportunities and they even had volunteers at the locations to help take your photo and help move the line along. The original movie site also had a number of antique tractors available for photo ops. You could get regular baseball food – but they also featured sweet corn. So how do you get from the original movie site over to the MLB Field? What’s interesting is that there was NO signage for how to get there, they wanted you to “discover” it. You had to go out to center field on the original site and walk into the cornfield. About 10 or 15 yards in, then a path opened up. I stood in center field and watched numerous fans who stopped, looked around for signage, and didn’t ask for help. Eventually, they saw someone walk through the corn and not return – and eventually they took the plunge. Once you made it through the small section of corn field, a pathway opened up. Within this area, they had large cutouts of the players, hay bales, and other memorabilia.As you walked the path leading to the MLB field, the signs started warning you. Cooling stations were scattered along the pathway between the two fields. If you build it… sign that was behind the scoreboard in centerfield of the MLB site. We found this TOPPS baseball card truck stationed out in centerfield. They were giving out packs of baseball cards to kids. Other photo ops near the TOPPS baseball truck, which was located in the cornfield beyond center field. This is the view from the MLB field, looking through right field over towards the original movie site… which shows the path that ticket holders took to get to the game. Just before the game, Ken Griffey Jr and Ken Griffey Sr came walking out from center field to “have a catch”Looking through the cornfield during the game. The scoreboard in centerfield was manually operatedFireworks after the game. Ticket holders ended leaving in the exact same path – through the cornfield and back through the original movie site.
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