Odgers Indians
Jeff Odgers, who played 12 seasons in the NHL, was one of the guest speakers for last year's Field of Dreams dinner

Preparations for this year's Swift Current Indians Field of Dreams dinner are underway.

Last week, the Field of Dreams Committee announced that CFL legend Mike "Pinball" Clemons will be the guest speaker for the dinner, set for February 28th at the Legion Hall. "Pinball" played 12 seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, and won four Grey Cups with the team as a player and a coach.

"All indications are that he's a dynamic speaker, he's energetic, and he's still actively involved in the CFL, so he's going to have lots of great stories from the past and the current situation in Toronto," said Brad Woods, the Chairman of the Field of Dreams Committee. "I think everyone's seen him on TV and seen him do interviews before, and he's just very interesting, and I'm really looking forward to having him at our event this year."

The event, which also includes a supper and live and silent auctions, has sold out the last two years in a row with guest speakers that included CFL quarterback Anthony Calvillo in 2013, and former Roughrider Geroy Simon and former NHLer Jeff Odgers in 2014.

The event is also an important fundraiser for the Field of Dreams, which has been a major supporter for the Swift Current Indians baseball club for 16 years, helping fund capital upgrades at Mitchell Field and new equipment for the team.

Woods says this is an essential fundraiser for helping keep the ball team running, as costs to operate the team rise with every season.

"They're playing a 48-game schedule this year, and it's just getting more expensive to run that team," he said. "There's only so much you can raise at the gate or through sponsorships and advertising at the ballpark, so secondary and tertiary revenue-generating things need to happen. The Field of Dreams dinner is now on the budget line for the Indians, and I have a great group of volunteers that have taken over from the previous guys that have done years and years of hard work, and it is now something that is essential to helping the Indians make their budget each year, and compete again the following year."

Tickets are $70 each or $500 for a table of eight, and are available by calling Brad Woods at 306-772-0471, or emailing brad.woods@sasktel.net.