Owen resident Jeff Petersen has always loved baseball and played the game in his younger days. He currently coaches a 13U team.

Last summer, he took his 12U team to visit the Field of Dreams in Iowa. Petersen said, “The Field of Dreams is a magical place. Crowley Park is almost identical in shape.” His visit inspired him and he wants to create some of that magic right here in Owen. The corn has been planted thanks to a donation of seed and equipment from Todd and Sarah Nelson.

The project became Petersen’s dream this spring when he stood on the tracks next to the Crowley Field ball diamond and realized it had the same backstop as what he had seen at the Field of Dreams the prior year. He went to the Parks & Recreation Committee with his idea and after getting their approval decided to make it happen.

The current plan, assuming the corn grows, is to have the team camp out in Crowley Park on Friday, August 9 and to hold a tournament on Saturday, August 10. Before that happens, there will be some work done on the infield. Any boy who hits a ball into the corn on Saturday will have earned himself a homerun. Concessions will be available during the tournament, with plans to have sweet corn on the menu.

The tournament originally started as a Back to School Tournament and was played at the Withee Ballpark. It then become the Gary Petersen Memorial Tournament. And this year, it will be played on Owen’s very own Field of Dreams, with teams possibly entering from right and left field through the corn. The money earned from concessions over the years will be given out in a scholarship during 2029-2030 for one of the boys that has played through the years. They normally play 50-70 games per year and have already played 30 games this year.

Petersen believes “if you build it, they will come.”