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The first annual Peoria Pine District Holiday Light Contest brightened up the nights this year with home decorations and Christmas lights.
The district awarded three homes based on the number of likes they received on Facebook, each home receiving a trophy and certificate. The homes received more than 14,000 views.
Pete and Deb Veidmark took home the first place trophy for their home that displays Santa’s tree delivery Christmas scene. The Veidmark’s also have a canned food drive set-up and Santa even shows up on some evenings.
“My hope is to duplicate this throughout my district and expand it to other neighborhoods,” said Councilwoman Denette Dunn, who represents the district. “Lets light up the Peoria district for the holidays on an annual basis for years to come. Together we can all make a difference!”
Brent and Bernadette Brown came in second place, and Pat and Paula Considine placed third.
The Pine District is bounded by Northern Avenue on the south, Cactus Road on the north, 83rd Avenue on the east and roughly 111th Avenue on the west.
Ms. Dunn said she got the idea for the first annual holiday light contest as she drove through Erin Groves, a neighborhood near 95th Avenue and Butler Road.
She wanted to do something to show her appreciation for all the time, money and hard work families put into decorating their homes.
“My family has enjoyed driving through [Erin Groves] for many years. It occurred to me that all these homes and their owners were giving and working together in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and giving back to others. To me, this signified a beautiful example of hope and connection. This is a community giving a gift to others to get out and enjoy the holiday season in a safe way,” she said.
“I went out to take pictures and posted them on social media and got over 14,388 views. I also received comments from so many thanking me for posting. Some went out to view the lights in person and others who could not go out thanked me for posting so they too could enjoy this incredible labor of love. To me, Erin Groves in the Peoria Pine District is symbolic for ‘we will all get through this together!’”
Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts.
He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing.
Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards.
In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
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