A Custer family recently completed work on a new baseball diamond at Sacred Heart Church in Polonia in honor of their late son who started the initiative.

Kris and Mark Kranski, Custer, along with their daughter Kim, her husband Derek and their son Eric, championed their son Brian’s project of building a new baseball field after he died before being able to finish.

In celebration of the ball diamond’s completion, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Marching Band will hold a special fifth-quarter performance at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, on the Sacred Heart Church ball diamond grounds.

To further honor Brian, a bronze memorial plaque was placed on the front of the refreshment stand.

“We affectionately have named the ball diamond ‘Field of Dreams’ in memory of our son,” Kris said. “I designed this, and my sister, who is an artist, cast this plaque in bronze herself.”

“About eight years ago, our son Brian had a passion to renovate the Sacred Heart Church ball diamond in Polonia,” she said. “It had gone neglected for many years and was in dire need of repairs and attention. His vision was to restore it so kids in the area had a place to play ball and so that ball tournaments would be held there again for everyone to enjoy.

“He personally raised over $5,000 to replace the back fencing and had held several tournaments there to spur interest in the field,” she said. “Back then, refreshments were sold out of coolers and advertising was done by word-of-mouth. He welcomed anyone who would lend a helping hand and soon his passion spread.”

Then, Brian died at the young age of 24, but that’s not where Brian’s story ended, she said.

“In Brian’s memory and honor, our family has carried the torch of his ‘Field of Dreams’ to move forward. This is a landmark year as the renovation project will be complete,” she said.

Over the past four years, the family built a refreshment stand, installed electricity, replaced all remaining fencing, built new dugouts and added bleachers, shade structures and picnic tables.

“We also take care of the lawn care maintenance, including cuttings, fertilization and weed control,” she said.

Lastly, the family has chaired a two-day ball tournament for the last four years to coincide with the annual church picnic, raising funds for the church, a tradition that will carry forward.

To celebrate the completion of Brian’s “Field of Dreams,” the family has arranged for members of the UW-Madison Marching Band to perform a special concert Aug. 21 on the ball diamond. “Brian was a huge Badgers fan and it is only fitting to honor his dream in this way,” Kris said. “Our family extend a heartfelt thank you to the many family, friends and community members who have lent their help and resources to make all of this possible.”