The Beyond the Vines wall will be 24 feet in length and 12 feet tall, adorned with Ivy and featuring a 7’ x 4’ stained glass scoreboard. "We’ve even purchased a few refurbished, box seats from Wrigley Field." said Mascari. "These seats will be available for family services..
During a WGN radio interview I did this morning with Spike O’Dell, earlier today, Spike suggested that I should consider having the Cubs radio broadcast piped into the wall at Beyond
The Vines. "This would insure that our luxury suite holders would never miss a game," Mascari said.
Beyond the Vines is scheduled to be completed by opening day of the World Series in October 2008 – a series that many Chicago baseball fans are hoping to see the Cubs in after a 100-year absence.
Several internment packages will be available to current urn holders and pre-planed arrangements, will be an option to purchase as well. The basic package will start at $1795.00. The ‘Cycle’ deluxe package will include all cremation services, a Cubs themed ceremony and an Official Major League Baseball™ (MLB) urn, manufactured by Eternal Image, a Michigan company, licensed to manufacture urns and caskets which feature MLB team logos.
"It’s true that Cubs fans don’t live forever, but their team spirit never dies," said Dennis Mascari, a lifetime Cubs fan and founder of Fans Forever. "For millions of loyal Cubs fans, Wrigley Field means a lot more then just a ballpark; it’s their shrine and sanctuary. The Cubs are a big part of my family tradition, and I know my dad and his dad would have been honored to be interred at Beyond the Vines," Mascari said. "It would be fantastic just knowing that my loved ones are in their own perpetual luxury suite and skybox… resting in peace."
"If you think about it, people have been supporting the Cubs for 30, 40, 50 years, why shouldn't it be part of their afterlife? This is why I’m constructing a replica of the center field wall at a local cemetery…an eternal season ticket and skybox for 280 loyal Cubs fans."
"I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for the past year." Mascari said. "After working in the cemetery industry, and getting a good first hand view of the business, I knew I wanted to do something different.
Last June, a co-worker showed me an article about licensed urns for Major League baseball teams. A week after that, I read a column by Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune.com.
In his column--October 2, 2007--
Then I read I a column on the MLB website. --Carrie Muskat – October 26, 2007
"I really don’t know the entire story about Steve Goodman or anything about rumors regarding hundreds of Cubs fans having their cremains spread on the turf at Wrigley in the past." Mascari said. "Now is now and then was then… Now, there’s a new turf at Wrigley Field and within the next couple of months, the wall at Beyond the Vines will be completed. Then, all the Cubs fans can rest peacefully." Fans Forever is planning to expand its concept on the South side of Chicago and other markets with loyal fan bases like St Louis, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news steve-goodman- Zorn wrote about Steve Goodman, Zorn wrote about Steve Goodman, author of an anthem, shared by all the fans attending a victory, ‘Go Cubs Go,’ he mentioned that some of the ashes of Goodman, who passed away in 1984, are scattered at Wrigley Field."The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Wrigley ... Renovations begin at Wrigley "Crews replacing the playing surface of the 'Friendly Confines. They are removing 7,500 tons of dirt and 14-28 inches of soil."
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