Theresa Banks is an icon at Dave�s Place. Tending bar and winning hearts is her forte and she�s been doing it for over 10 years at Dave�s, since shortly after moving to Phoenix from Ohio.

�Dave�s Place has gone through many changes through the years; the bar itself has undergone some major changes,� says regular, Gloria Conway. �But, in the last 10 years, one thing has remained the same, and that is Theresa. She is not only a pretty face as you walk in the door, but she has been the driving force behind many of the events that happen there.�

�I just love Dave�s, it�s like family,� says a cheerful Theresa. �I put everything I can into this place, my heart and my soul. I do it because, if the bar�s doing good, all the girls are doing good.�

Theresa is referring to the ladies who make up the Dave�s Place team. There�s Trish, Karol and Cassy, their newest team member.

�I love them all,� says Theresa, who has many endearing nicknames, such as �Mom�, �T� and even �Saint Theresa�, the latter of which comes from her big heart and giving nature. According to Trish, Theresa is her mentor, saying that no matter what, Theresa is there � for everyone.

Something that stands out about Theresa is her modesty; she prefers singing the praises of others than talking about herself. Theresa describes Trish as being �a joy to work with.�

�Karol, we call her �Karol with a K� is a doll,� she said. �People come in on Sunday nights just to see her. And then there�s Cassy, Cassy is a keeper � she�s the missing link. She�s the one we�ve for so long been looking for, the one that makes our team complete.�

�My first visit to Dave�s Place I was hooked,� Danny Franchina said. �That was in 1995; I have been a regular there ever since. Theresa was working nights at that time. Between Theresa and the patrons, I felt at home immediately.� He loves it so much, he even began working there, laughingly calling himself their �token male�, as he is currently the only guy on staff.

�Theresa is a like sister to me, just as Trish, Karol and Cassy are,� Daniel added. �If you are ever having a bad day, seeing any one of these girls will put a smile on your face. I am sure by this time everyone has heard the song by Toby Keith �I Love This Bar�; all I can say is, I could have written that song. You will see every type of person mentioned in the song at Dave�s at one point or another, from doctors to plumbers to bikers to, yes, even used car salesmen.�

�The bar has had a lot of functions over the years that Theresa has organized, from trips to see the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks, golf tournaments, chili cook-offs, BBQs and Wet T-Shirt contests. (Forget that last one � I am still working on that.),� Daniel added, laughing.

Daniel continued on a more serious note, �The most memorable to me, because I am originally from New York, was a spaghetti luncheon to raise money for victims� families of 9/11. There is a lot of love in this place.�

More recently, Theresa organized the �Fish Dinner and Oyster Shuckin� Bash� that raised money for the Breast Cancer 3 Day/60 Mile Walk and held a �Band Day� where the group �Poppy and the Usual Suspects� played at Dave�s to help raise money for a person with no medical insurance who needed a surgery.

The latter event raised over $800. No small feat for a small neighborhood bar!

Beyond the walls of Dave�s, the love of Theresa�s life is her son, Taylor, who currently attends college. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and exploring the secret beauties of Arizona, or cheering for Jimmy Johnson�s Lowe�s #48 team at the NASCAR races in Phoenix and in Las Vegas, to which she has season tickets.

So, stop in to Dave�s and be refreshed by Theresa, Trish, Karol Cassy,or Danny, and enjoy the fresh air from newly installed smoke eaters; however, before you do, take heed to Daniel�s warning, �If you have never been to Dave�s Place and plan on stopping in, I have one thing to say to you � you better have a good sense of humor!�