Farmer serves up whimsical replica grass court

CHARLES CITY As with everything involved in farming, this story begins with a dream and a bit of seed.

The seed is grass, not all that different from that used at the famous Field of Dreams only a couple hours from here.

On that farm, the fictional Ray Kinsella planted grass for a baseball field because he knew if you build it, they will come.

Near here, Mark Kuhn planted grass for a tennis court, much like those at the legendary All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, home of the most-famous tennis tournament in the world.

But, the thing to remember is the fictional Kinsella and the real Kuhn are both farmers, and they planted the seed because they each had a dream.

This used to be a feedlot when I was a kid, Kuhn says as he walks across the tennis court on his farm. We had cattle grazing on this part, he says with a sweep of his arm, and my sisters horse, Chico, on that side.

But, the dream started when Kuhn fell in love with tennis. He can still recall sitting with his grandfather as the two found a BBC broadcast of the Wimbledon tourney on a short-wave radio in 1962.

Kuhn grew up, went to college, married and started a family and moved back to the family farm. He became a leader in his community and served in the Legislature for more than a decade.

However, in 2001 a neighbor and friend, Peter Bjelica, suddenly died.

It reminded me that life is short, Kuhn says. I talked to my wife, Denise, and said it was time to do it.

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Farmer serves up whimsical replica grass court