By Paul M. Banks

When Denny Garkey built his little league park to replicate Wrigley Field, he paid attention to every detail. In Freeport, IL he brought to life a little league baseball field that recreated every aspect of his own field of dreams. Coincidentally, the opening day occurred with weather as dreadful as the Chicago Cubs’ home opener a month earlier. Wind, overcast skies, scattered showers, and unseasonable cold accompanied the field’s first game. Little Cubs Field officially endorsed by the Cubs, opened on Monday night. Harry Caray’s widow, Dutchie and Peoria Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen cut the ceremonial ribbon. The rain stayed away and baseball was played. In the middle of the third inning, Dutchie led the crowd of fans, media, businesspeople, and other well-wishers braving the cold elements in the singing of “Take me out to the ballgame.” The baseball anthem will be sung at every game played at Little Cubs Field. “It’s amazing, it really is. It just goes to show you what people can do if they really put their mind to doing something. Getting together and accomplishing something like this, it’s just a gorgeous little field,” said Caray. The field features bricks (and soon ivy) from the actual Wrigley Field. The Ron Santo flag on the left field foul pole once flew in the big park on Chicago’s North side. In center field stands a scoreboard with a working clock that looks exactly like the one at 1060 W. Addison. The scoreboard shows the Cubs defeating the New York Mets 21-0 in the ninth inning. The White Sox are also beating a New York team, the Yankees, but by a more modest score of 8-3 in the 7th.  “It’s going to be a great tourist attraction,” said Chicago Cubs head usher Darrell Windle.

Garkey built a park that would cost over $600,000 for a final cost of just $140,000 due to all the volunteers who donated their time, materials and labor to the cause of youth baseball. “Some of them are not even baseball fans, but they love the idea and they love the spirit of what it’s about. A thousand volunteers, worked on it in one way or another,” said Garkey. Pete Vonachen is the owner of the Chicago Cubs’ single A affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs. Their home stadium is named after him. I spoke with Vonachen before the game started. “The important thing is this is baseball for kids; you got to cultivate the kids,” Vonachen said. And more Wrigley Field details will be added to Little Cubs Field in the future. They plan to build outfield bleachers once a corporate sponsor is found, and “rooftops” with the “Eamus Catuli” sign across the street. “For such a little place, it’s adorable and it’s such a great thing for little kids to be able to come out and play on such a nice field like this, it kind of blows me away,” Caray said.

Later this week I will be posting my exclusives with Caray and Vonachen as well as an in-depth discussion on how the park was built with Denny Garkey.

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