While this marks the 65^th year that the Laveen has put on its pit barbecue, the thousands of residents heading over to Corona Ranch on Feb. 11 to chow down on barbecue will find a few changes, plenty of good grub, entertainment and community spirit:

• The barbecue is taking place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 this year, rather than the traditional Sunday. The hours were also extended, starting an hour earlier, and ending an hour later to accommodate an expected larger crowd due to having it on Saturday.
• Instead of community volunteers cooking, shredding and serving the barbecue, area vendors will be providing and serving meals: Rudy’s Country Store Bar-B-Q, Texas BBQ House, Smoothie Run, AZ Barbeque & Catering, and Smoakie Kitchen barbecue. Prices will be $10 for adults; $5 for children.
• There will be more activities for children, including hamster balls, Melt Down, bounce houses and obstacle courses.
• Other fun activities include Racin’ Bacon (pot belly pigs race each other) a cow-milking contest and a mechanical bull.
• Entertainers include: Screamin’ Javelinas, Dr. Ron and the Painkillers, Whiskey Bent and more from local youth and dance groups.

The nonprofit Laveen Community Council organizes the annual event with a crew of 200-300 volunteers from the community. Money raised at the event goes back to the community in the form of financial support for youth organizations, youth sports and scholarships.

This is the second year that Laveen resident Stephanie Hurd has been chairwoman of the barbecue. She said some of the changes this year are a result of learning from her experience last year’s experience when more than 2,500 food tickets were sold among an estimated 6,000 attendees.

“Because the event has grown so much, we brought in barbecue vendors … basically to handle the crowds,” Hurd said. “Last year, was rough. I spent three hours washing dishes. We were looking for different option. It’s a change, but there are some iffy things when you have all volunteers cooking and shredding barbecue.”

At last year’s event, which had very warm temperatures, folks waited in long lines in the hot weather to get barbecue. Having five vendors will give patrons more options, Hurd said, and hopefully cut down on the wait times.

Hurd said there also will be 400 pounds of pork barbecue cooked in the traditional pit available for bulk purchase. “We are keeping the tradition of cooking the barbecue in a pit.”

Her goal this year is to educate Laveen about the LCC and the many benefits it provides the community. “I’m really pushing the Laveen Community Council so that we can get more people involved. The same people keep doing it over and over, and we’re burned out. The LCC supports youth sports, scholarships, community events. I am trying to encourage people to get involved.”

Crystal Marvin, LCC member and coordinator of vendor booths, said it’s important to remember the event completely run by volunteers.

“We want to remind everyone that the Laveen Community Council is all volunteers and the barbecue is all volunteers,” Marvin said. “Second, that all the money is given back to the community. This is a great opportunity to support local youth and local businesses.”

She estimates there will be between 70 and 80 vendor booths ranging from local schools raising money to local businesses offering goody bags and drawings for free services.

The first Laveen barbecue took place in 1952 when a group of rancher’s wives decided to have a fund-raising event to fight against polio. The barbecue took place at the Laveen School, at the southwest corner of Dobbins Road and 51^st Avenue, now the home to the Laveen Education Center. Over the years, the barbecue took place at the same location until more recently when it was at Betty Fairfax High School for a time, and for the past two years at Corona Ranch.

Bonnie Carroll, a member of the LCC and the person in charge of organizing volunteers for the event, said she created sign-up for on SignUp Genius in mid-January and has filled all but 80 of the 220 volunteer time slots. This is the first year there has been an online sign-up available.

“With growth, comes change,” Carroll said. “A lot of people do show up the day of and just help. We should be OK. Realistically, not doing the pit barbecue has made it more manageable.”

Marcus Moody, a Laveen resident and owner of Smoothie Run Internet Café, said he is participating as meal vendor to offer vegetarian options for attendees.

“Smoothie Run is going to provide non-meat items for people who don’t want to eat meat,” Moody said. “We have salads and pitas for people who want healthier choices. They really wanted me to do vegetarian type items.”

Moody said that if he weren’t a meal provider, he still would have a booth for Smoothie Run, like he did last year. “The barbecue is where the Laveen community meets and if you want to get your business out there, you just need be there.”

For families wanting to save a dollar or two, wrist bands for the Kids Fun Zone are being sold at Scooptacular and Del Monte Market for $8 in advance. On the day of the barbecue, the bands will cost $10.

If you want to give back to your community and volunteer, follow this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0845a4ab28a4ff2-2017

Rose Hutchinson Tring is a long-time journalist and owner of AZ Media Maven, a Laveen-based marketing and public relations company. She is also the founder of FinditinLaveen.com, a local business directory and free community calendar. Email her at rose@azmediamaven.com

The post 65th Annual Laveen Pit Barbecue set for Saturday, Feb. 11 appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.

This article first appeared online in the South Mountain District News.

There are so many elements that make Laveen a unique place to live – the majestic South Mountain casting its shadow over the community, cotton fields next to new subdivisions, hitching posts at local shops and pubs.

As 2017 gets under way, two uniquely Laveen events are less than a month away and have been in the planning for many months. The 65^th Annual Laveen Pit BBQ is set for Saturday, Feb. 11 and the Laveen Community Parade is set for Feb. 4.

Sponsored by the nonprofit Laveen Community Council, the barbecue brings together thousands of residents for a day of feasting on barbecue, catching up with neighbors, visiting the hundreds of vendor booths and enjoying music and other entertainment. Proceeds from the event are used to support local youth through scholarships and funding youth activities. The entire event is coordinated and operated by community volunteers.

Visit www.laveen.org to learn more and sign up as volunteer, vendor or sponsor.

The other upcoming annual event is the Laveen Community Parade, sponsored by the Laveen Lions Club, a nonprofit civic organization. There is no cost to participate in the parade, but the deadline to enter iswas Sunday, Jan. 10.  The parade will take place on Saturday, Feb. 4. Participants march along Dobbins Road from 43^rdAvenue to 51^st Avenue.

The theme of this year’s parade, which begins at 11 a.m., is Loving Life in Laveen. Entries will be judged on Originality, Appearance, and Detail (judging takes place from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.)

Email laveencommunityparade@gmail.com for additional information.

While the holidays are now behind us, Laveen residents got a chance to experience another rather unique event on Christmas and New Year’s weekends. Local resident Rob Olson gave free light tours along a 10-mile route to more than 100 people who signed up to ride his bright red double decker bus decked out in bright lights itself.

“I always dreamed of owning a double-decker bus, ever since I was a little boy,” Olson said. “I have always had a fascination with them.”

The bus was built in 1960 and served routes in London, England from 1960 to 1986. The diesel-powered bus was then sold to a tour company in Niagara Falls. Olson purchased the bus in 2013 and brought it across the country to Laveen.

Olson took passengers along homes and communities in Laveen known for their beautiful light displays. On  the 6 p.m. tour on Dec. 30, about 40 people clambered up the stairs to the top level, or settled into the original seats on the lower level.

Community members who otherwise might never have met exclaimed over the lights and socialized with each other.

Olson, a realtor and owner of Red Bus Realty, plans to enter the vehicle in the Laveen Community Parade.

Rose Hutchinson Tring is a long-time journalist and owner of AZ Media Maven, a Laveen-based marketing and public relations company. She is also the founder of FinditinLaveen.com, a local business directory and free community calendar. Email her at rose@azmediamaven.com

The post Parades, BBQs & double-decker buses – Unique in Laveen! appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.

This article first appeared in the November issue of the South Mountain District News.

In 1986, the population of Laveen was just shy of 10,000 residents. There were two elementary schools and one high school.

Cotton fields were more common than street lights and the Central Arizona Project had just been completed, bringing water from the Colorado River to flow into a burgeoning Phoenix metro area on the brink of enormous growth.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wyoming, Jeannette “Jan” Hoskovec had been teaching in Wyoming for three years in the economically depressed state. She heard about the growing opportunities in the desert and decided to move to Arizona, nabbing her first job as a substitute teacher in the Laveen Elementary School District in 1986.

“When I started out here, it was more rural,” Hoskovec recalls. “There was nothing down on Baseline Road. It was a two-lane road. There was the little shop at 51^st and Baseline, the Laveen Store, and that was the only grocery store.”

Hoskovec’s part-time gig quickly evolved into a full-time teaching position and now, three decades later, she is preparing to retire in May after teaching two and sometimes three generations of Laveen families, mostly at Laveen Elementary School.

“I have had the parents of my students come to my class. I am now teaching their children. You build these relationships with these families,” she said. “I tell the kids, ‘I know your parents. They know what type of person I am and my expectations.’ Some of them I know their whole families.”

While family names may be the same, other aspects of education in Laveen have changed significantly during Hoskovec’s years of teaching mainly social studies to local students.

When her career in the Laveen district began, there were only two schools: Laveen Elementary, then housed in a 50-year-old structure on the southeast corner of 51^st Avenue and Baseline Road, and M.C. Cash. Both schools have since been renovated with M.C. Cash opening at its new location in 2013.

Hoskovec moved with the rest of the Laveen Elementary team to their new site in 2011. She praised the district for its efforts to keep up with the phenomenal growth of Laveen, which now has nearly 70,000 residents, and of the district, which opened its 8^th school this fall to help serve nearly 7,000 children from preschool to 8^th grades.

“We have seen a lot of growth out here. From two schools to now eight,” Hoskovec said. “You have more diversity in your student population this way. But you lose the smallness – though there are still families who live out here who have grandparents here.”

Of all the changes, though, she said technology has had the biggest impact on teaching and interacting with students and parents. She remembers doing report cards using carbon paper. “Now we have programs and you print out things.”

“The pendulum just swings every so often. My whole teaching style has changed … I use technology all the time,” she said. “Students and parents can go online on and see grades any time.”

“Laveen has been good about getting this technology to us and training us,” she said “It’s very interactive. I can do a PowerPoint and the kids can do the answers. I have a web page so parents have access to that,” Hoskovec said. “You can teach an old dog new tricks. Technology is there to make our lives easier.”

Dr. Bill Johnson, superintendent for the district, said Hoskovec’s contributions over the years are much appreciated.

“Teaching has a ripple effect, not only on the life of the student, but everyone that the student eventually associates with during their entire life. With 30 years of dedicated service to the students of Laveen, Ms. Hoskovec’s impact has spanned multiple generations and the positive effects and the numbers of lives that have and will be touched are incalculable.”

An avid traveler all her life, Hoskovec is making plans for seeing more of the world when she retires in May. Her sister lives in Norway, so Europe is on the agenda as well as seeing more of the United States and its national parks.

“I love to travel. Education has allowed me to do that. I have seen a lot of the world. I have been to all but about nine states – that’s my bucket list,” she said. “And I want to go to more national parks. Because I’m over 62 I can get into state parks for free.”

But Hoskovec is taking lasting memories with her, and a great deal of satisfaction.

When my kids come back to me – several high school kids – I ask them how they’re doing. And they usually tell me ‘you were right about everything,’” she said. “They all come back and tell me that. It’s neat because then I feel like I have done my job. That’s why I became a teacher. They know I care about them. I never married; I consider all these kids to be my kids.”

The post Laveen Teacher Retiring After 30 Years in the District appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.

This article first appeared in the October SMDN

For Laveen residents, the juxtaposition of rural farmland with urban infrastructure generates a folksy ambiance and homey atmosphere characteristic of living in this Phoenix suburb.

Nowhere is that downhome feeling paired with more efficiency than at the tiny, but mighty, Laveen Post Office that sits just south of Dobbins Road on 51st Avenue.

That intersection is central to Laveen’s history with the first general store owned by the Laveen family sitting on the southeast corner.

Roger G. Laveen served as the first post master, operating the post office inside the store beginning Sept. 30, 1913 when the Laveen Post Office was officially recognized. Roger and his brother Walter, as well as other family members, are credited with the founding of the community named for them.

In May 1969, according to a short news article, land was purchased for $2,500 south of Dobbins Road to build a 12,390-square-foot structure. In April 1974, Laveen Post Master Ralph S. Spotts announced in another news article that a $40,000 contract had been awarded to Laveen Enterprises Inc. to build the new post office with an expected opening date of September 1974.

Agnes Spotts, his widow and a 35-year resident of Laveen, said the quality of the small post office has been impeccable during all the years she has lived here. “It’s always given great service. The service has always been perfect,” she said.

On any given morning, the Laveen Post Office, which has two retail windows inside a tiny waiting area that comfortably fits only about five people along with various packing supplies, is bustling from opening at 8:30 a.m. to midmorning. There’s a tiny lull before the lunchtime rush, and another big push between 2:30 and closing at 4:30 p.m.

Residents bustle in and out, checking the banks of 1,041 post office boxes, or waiting in line to mail packages, pick up items or purchase stamps. Small business owners greet each other with familiarity, many using the post office for their business mailing address.

On a recent Monday afternoon, each of the about 15 parking spots were full, with vehicles squeezing out spots in gravel areas and along the fence that separates the post office from the Laveen School District’s Transportation Department.

Karen Lopez, current post mistress, poked her head out the pick-up window briefly, saw a line of about 15 people waiting and said she’d have to answer questions via email because there simply wasn’t time for her to take a break.

Lopez, an energetic and outgoing woman, has been in charge of the post office and its auxiliary locations in Laveen since 2005. When asked what makes the Laveen location special, Lopez praised her coworkers.

“While I’ve worked with many outstanding postal employees over the course of my career, the team we have in Laveen makes me especially proud because of their commitment to service,” she said. “Some of the original clerks that many people know have now retired, but they were active members of the Laveen community (such as) Pat Cervantes, Sharon Anderson and Gloria Villa.”

Keeping up with the pace of growth and change in Laveen has been an ongoing challenge. “We have gone from six routes in a 1,600-square-foot building back in 2005 up to 15 routes spread out into our three facilities that make up our Laveen Post Office. We have almost doubled in size in the last 10 years to meet the needs of the Laveen community.”

Lopez said employment fluctuates, but on average the Laveen Post Office averages 25 employees, which includes five clerks, 15 regular carriers and from five to 10 substitute carriers. Extra staff is being added currently as the USPS enters its busiest season.

Peter Hass, with USPS corporate communications for Arizona, said the Laveen Post Office served about 13,800 deliveries in 2015; up less than 3 percent from the previous year. Although there will be significant growth in the coming years in Laveen and nearby, he said there are no plans to expand.

“There are no current plans to expand the Laveen Post Office or to seek a new location. However, it’s important to note that the U.S. Postal Service is constantly evaluating its facility needs to provide the best possible service to our customers,” Hass said.

Hass also said that the advent of online options for ordering stamps, purchasing and printing postage for packages and even arranging for package pick-up using USPS.com, has decreased the need for physical structures compared with years past.

SOURCE: USPS

The post Mighty Laveen Post office marks 103 years of service appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.

“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.” – The Dalai Lama

Last month tragedy struck the Laveen community with the loss of two lives. Phoenix Police Officer David Glasser, a husband and father of two, died in the line of duty when he was shot while responding to a burglary near 48th Avenue and Baseline Road.

The shooter, identified by police as 19-year-old Israel Santos-Banos, opened fire on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 18 when police got out of their cruisers, hitting and severely injuring Glasser. Police returned fire, killing Santos-Banos. Glasser died the next morning.

Throughout the media coverage and social media attention, residents of Laveen found themselves united in shock and sympathy for the family Glasser left behind. Out of the tragic event, an overwhelming since of community grew. Within hours a makeshift memorial sprung up at 48th Avenue and Baseline Road, where candles, balloons and notes were left expressing the community’s grief.

Throughout the week, more and more members of the community stopped by to leave a memento or to shake hands when a Phoenix police officer was standing guard near the memorial. Young children with their parents and long-time residents came and expressed their appreciation for the police force and their grief for a loss in their town, one of their own.

Glasser was a 12-year veteran who served Laveen from the Maryvale-Estrella Precinct. Hundreds of residents in Laveen crossed paths with him during local events. His presence was woven into the fabric of Laveen’s community life.

“It really shows that we have a small town atmosphere here in Laveen. We are different than other parts of Phoenix and we are proud of that,” said Laveen resident Phillip Wooley.

The third annual Star Spangled Celebration in Laveen that honors fallen police officers, firefighters, and military veterans, had one of its largest attendances to date on the Friday evening that kicked off Memorial Day weekend.
“The crowd at our Star Spangled Celebration in Laveen last week was huge, which was an incredible show of support by the Laveen community for our first responders” Councilman Michael Nowakowski said. “It showed that our Laveen and South Phoenix residents stand behind our officers and firefighters and share the pain of those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.”
On the day of Glasser’s funeral, thousands lined the streets along the path of his final journey. In Laveen, hundreds gathered at 7 p.m. in the Safeway parking lot – just a few hundred yards from the memorial site – to join in a candlelight vigil and the release of blue balloons. Many porchlights shone blue lights. The community came together in sorrow and remembrance.

Around the Valley, fellow police officers and other community’s touched by Glasser’s life also found ways to remember Glasser and assist his family:

 May 20 – money from a coffee mug and flower fundraiser for a fellow officer with a significant illness was shared with the Glasser family.
 May 21 – a carwash raises $41,000
 May 24 – a PLEA-sponsored barbecue raises $270,000
 May 25 – Visitation for Officer Glasser in Glendale with hundreds paying respects
 May 26 – Funeral services for Glasser with thousands in attendance and thousands lining the streets.
 May 26 – in Laveen, candlelight vigil, blue balloons released
 May 27 – Star Spangled Celebration at Cesar Chavez Park in Laveen

While grief lessens over time, let’s hope the community spirit ignited by Glasser’s tragic death will only grow stronger in Laveen.
How to help:
Donations can be made to PLEA Charities and designated for the Glasser family. Mail to PLEA Charities, 1102 W. Adams St., Phoenix, 85007. Direct donations to the Glasser family also can be made at National Bank of Arizona branch.
Donations also can be made to the 100 Club Survivor Fund. 333 North 44th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85008. Donations go to help the families of public-safety workers when tragedy strikes.
Rose Hutchinson Tring is a long-time journalist and owner of AZ Media Maven, a Laveen-based marketing and public relations company. She is also the founder of FinditinLaveen.com, a local business directory and free community calendar. Email her at rose@azmediamaven.com

The post Tragedy pulls together Laveen community appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.

The City of Phoenix is deep into the process of conducting its annual budget hearings for the proposed $1.22 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2016-2017 that includes a potential $50 more a year in property taxes for homeowners. But Laveen residents are clamoring for more attention to public safety needs for their community, something not specifically addressed in the city manager’s proposed Trial Budget.

For Laveen, there is only a single line-item related to the community with this paragraph:

Chavez Park: The Trial Budget also provides operating costs needed to provide additional maintenance and additional soccer field lighting at the Chavez Park expansion at 35th Avenue and Baseline in Laveen.

In the city’s Trial Budget Summary posted online at Phoenix Proposed Budget the community also gets a single mention:

Other significant Capital Improvement Projects in 2016-17 include:

• Construction of the Laveen Park-and-Ride

Laveen residents are not happy that the city is overlooking one of the growing community’s biggest concerns, which is public safety.

Alison L. Richardson, an active member of the Laveen Meadows Block Watch, has been strongly encouraging residents to voice their concerns at public meetings on the budget, including the one held April 5 at Cesar Chavez High School. She’s posted numerous excerpts about the budget on social media in the region to encourage attendance and support for more patrol officers.

“Although we are doing everything we can with a Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol, active block watches and citizens willing to call in suspicious activity and crime when it happens, we can’t make a difference without sufficient officers to answer our calls,” Richardson said.

Last fall, the Laveen Association of HOAs, released a report showing that there was a 22 percent increase in burglaries in the Laveen area compared with the same period in 2014. There were 370 burglaries through the first part of August, compared 303 through the same period in 2014.

“With all of our home burglaries, the thieves know the cops aren’t going to show up because they don’t have the resources to come out,” Richardson said, adding that response times in the Maryvale-Estrella Mountain Precinct that covers Laveen are some of the slowest in the city.

The LA-HOA report also noted that violent crime in the Laveen area was up 17 percent compared with the same period the previous year. Of the 117 violent crimes reported, there were 67 aggravated assaults, 21 robberies and 29 armed robberies. It was noted that 51^st Avenue and Baseline Road area was a hotspot for such crimes and police put together a task force to focus on strong-armed robberies in the vicinity.

Richardson doesn’t expect any of these numbers to improve without budget support for more officers on the street in the community.

“We have maybe six patrol officers for this huge area that stretches from 104^th Avenue to 27^th Avenue and from the I-10 to south of Dobbins Road, which is not enough,” she said. “On top of that, our detectives and community action officers are being pulled from their regular duties to fill in on patrol. All the officers are working overtime on their days off to make up for the deficit.”

Although there are no more hearings specifically scheduled for Council Districts 7 and 8, which cover the Laveen area, residents can still email the city with their budget concerns by writing to:budget.research@phoenix.gov

Richardson encourages everyone to also copy their respective council members, too, when sending the emails:

Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Kate Gallego, D-8, council.district.7@phoenix.gov

Councilman Michael Nowakowski, D-7, council.district.7@phoenix.gov

Rose Tring is a long-time journalist and owner of AZ Media Maven, a Laveen-based marketing and public relations company. She is also the founder of FinditinLaveen.com, a local business directory and free community calendar. Email her at rose@azmediamaven.com

Laveen Village Voice Blog April 2016

The post Residents, leaders push for public safety funding appeared first on Laveen Business Directory.