THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Danville Alderwoman Carolyn Wands with Danville Dans players.
DANVILLE — Baseball returns next week for the Danville Dans, and host families are ready.
Ward 2 Alderwoman Carolyn Wands says hosting Dans players for the past five years has been like having grandkids stay for the summer. When they leave after the baseball season is over, they stay in touch too“They become family. They’re like my grandchildren,” Wands said.
She said she’s gotten a wedding invitation from one, and Mother’s Day cards from others. “They call and text me,” Wands said.
Wands said she’s hosted 11 “amazing young men.” She follows their careers after their time in Danville too, which could include Major League Baseball stints. They’re all different, bringing different personalities into her home, and they come from all over, she said.
The 2024 Danville Dans baseball season begins with a May 28 game at Danville Stadium. The team has been looking for host parents/families in the Danville area as it does each year for the baseball season.
Each summer, approximately 30 young men move to Danville to play for the Dans from late May through mid-August. The aspiring “professional” ballplayers have the opportunity to hone their baseball skills in the summer in Danville. Players come from all over the U.S. to play for the Dans.
According to Dans officials, “the Host Family Program has been a vital part of the Dans’ success, both on and off the field. Many of the players become more than just a house guest; they become part of the family.”
There’s perks involved for the families too in providing a home and meals for the players. The host parent/family receives free season tickets; they’re invited to attend special events; the player can be a positive role model for children in the family; the parent/family can have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the future of a young man; the parent/family may be getting to know a future Major League Baseball star; and there’s the potential for the creation of a long-term friendship.
Wands said she became a host five years ago when her daughter suggested looking into it and she convinced Wands to go to an informational meeting about the program. Wands said she signed up immediately.
Usually three to four players have been staying with Wands each summer. She will have two players to host this year, unless there’s an emergency need. “It’s so wonderful,” Wands said about having her summer guests.
She said there’s been no problems at all. The players are “very courteous, very kind and very grateful,” Wands said.
She said that when the players initially arrive, she shows them where everything is in her home. They keep their own schedules and do their own laundry. For home game days, she offers them breakfast. She also cooks them dinner after the games, sometimes around 10 or 11 at night. “They’re hungry,” Wands said.
She said some of the meals she cooks are better received than others. Some meals the players have not had before, such as potatoes, sausage and cabbage.
She said she warns them about some of the items she’s cooking. One player told her he liked cabbage, but not cooked cabbage.
The players largely will arrive in Danville on May 25. If they make the playoffs, they will finish about Aug. 10. If not, the players will leave at the end of July. Wands said the players are a “delight” to host and she loves her summers with them.
The Danville Dans have had generations of players in the same family play too. Jeanie Cooke, co-owner and general manager of the Danville Dans, said they have a minimum of 32 players to host each season. “It’s flexible. It’s kind of floating,” Cooke said about the number of players. If a student-athlete is still in school, for example, his stay could be temporary. Normally it’s 32-34 players plus coaches, she said.
She said they have individuals and families as hosts, some newer and many who have been hosting players for several years, such as the Halloran family. All players are matched up with the year’s hosts. Cooke said the only requirements are that the hosts have space and interest, and a more recently added requirement, that they are recommended by someone.
Cooke said one family, Bill and Pat Westphal, may host the son of a former Danville Dans player they previously had staying with them. They are waiting to hear about pitcher Alex Ainsworth.
Assuming his injury heals, Cooke said, Alex would be staying with the Westphals, the same host family his dad, Kurt, stayed with. Alex wouldn’t be playing in Danville until the second half of the season, around July 1.
“We’re sure hoping that happens,” Cooke said.
