DANVILLE — It’s been seven years since Kris and Corina Masterman and their 8-year-old son, Christian, moved from Arizona to the Renaissance area in downtown Danville.

This summer, they were able to sit on their front porch and admire their lovely surroundings while enjoying the peace and quiet of their improved neighborhood. But that hasn’t always been the situation.

“This was a pretty dangerous area when we moved here in 2003,” Corina said. “The police were called here almost every night, and there was a lot of crime and a lot of garbage lying around.

“We feel safe living here now,” Corina said. “Christian and the other kids in the area can play outside together, because we have great neighbors and everybody knows each other.”

The main reason the family moved to Danville was to help out Corina’s parents (Gene and Carolyn Wands), who were tearing down derelict houses and also fixing up others to improve the neighborhood.

In 2002, the Wandses opened the Shepherd’s Inn Bed and Breakfast at 214 W. Harrison. It had been the Handley home, which was built in the Arts and Crafts tradition by Frank and Blanche Butterworth in 1904.

The Mastermans’ English Tudor cottage-style home was built in 1924 and owned by the English family for many years.

Preservation

“When we moved to Danville, it didn’t take much work to make the house livable,” Corina said. “We basically painted, and also pulled up the carpet to expose the nice wooden floors. This house was well taken care of.”

They kept the English Tudor style of the house by painting the walls in dark red and green colors, and they preserved the crown molding and French doors. The couple discovered some of the house’s original lighting fixtures in the basement and restored them for use upstairs.

They also have created several “theme rooms.” There’s a Coca-Cola decor in the kitchen, and they plan to tile the floor in black-and-white squares. The large front room with its high ceiling is a perfect backdrop for their collection of Thomas Kincaid artwork.

Christian has a Diamondback sports car bed and lots of sports memorabilia in his massive bedroom. They plan to redo the room soon, however, using the colors that Christian chose for himself now that he’s 8 — a subdued blue and gray.

The family’s most recent project was to tear out the oversized evergreens that practically hid the front of their house and develop an English garden, with perennials, annuals and a border of large rocks that they excavated from under the shrubbery.

“We call our home a work in progress,” Kris said. “There’s always something to do on it.”

“We built a brand new home back in Arizona,” Corina said, “but this old house has a lot more character.”

Always on the go

In his spare time, Kris likes to play golf at Harrison Park Golf Club, and he bow hunts deer and wild turkey. The family enjoys fishing together, and Christian is especially proud of the 5-pound bass that he snagged recently.

They all have mountain bikes and enjoy riding in Kickapoo State Park. “I don’t know if people realize it,” Corina said, “but we have some of the best biking trails around — right here in Danville.”

Christian already is playing several sports — basketball, baseball and golf. This summer he began third grade at Northeast Elementary Magnet School because his parents prefer the nutrition program there.

The family’s Labrador retriever, Shadow, is treated like a member of the family and follows Christian around just about everywhere he goes. They also have a pair of Australian flying squirrels for pets, which they let out of their cage in the evenings to fly around the house.

In her free time Corina loves to scrapbook, and she also takes lots of photos. She has documented nearly every stage of Christian’s life so far, especially for Kris’ family, who still live in Arizona.

Corina works as a surgical nurse at Provena United Samaritans Medical Center, and Kris is employed at Fiberteq. Corina earned her nursing degree from Danville Area Community College. Currently she is completing an on-line degree in nursing from Indiana State University, which has become almost like another full-time job.

“I wanted to be a nurse ever since I accompanied my Dad on his ministerial visits to the sick, back when I was in high school,” Corina said. “I guess I’ve always wanted to take care of people.”

Renewing vows

The couple got married in Arizona on Christmas Eve in 2000.

“We had planned our wedding for the following April,” Corina said, “but since my family was all out there for Christmas anyway, we decided to go ahead and save them a trip back to Arizona.”

Because her dad, Gene Wands, is a minister, they had a ready-made pastor for the ceremony.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the Wandses’ 50th anniversary, and Corina’s brother and wife’s 25th anniversary, the three couples will take a cruise together in January. And for sure their “Dad and minister” will officiate as they all renew their marriage vows.