By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published December 17, 2024
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Two Macomb Township residents and their dog once again claim bragging rights — along with a suite of prizes — as winners of a township-wide contest.
Sisters Isabella and Rosemarie Licavoli, alongside their dog, Gus, snapped the winning photograph of the Macomb Township Fall 2024 Photo Contest.
“It’s so exciting,” Isabella said. “Not only are we happy to have won the gift cards, but also happy that Gus’ picture is going to be in the Town Hall and he’s going to be famous.”
The Licavoli’s winning photo features Gus posed at Altermatt Farms, located at 25 Mile and Garfield Roads. Being seasoned veterans of posing Gus for photos and remembering a post that advertised the contest on the township’s Instagram page, Rosemarie saw the opportunity for the photo while shopping for vegetables at Altermatt.
“I always pose (Gus),” Rosemarie said. “Even when we went to Partridge Creek today, I was just trying to get really good pictures of him. I try to get every photo op of him, and I put him up at that really nice Altermatt Farms area with pumpkins in the background and kind of just took a picture of him.”
Isabella submitted the photo to the contest and, after being one of the top 10 favorite photos among the board of trustees’ members, was selected as the winner. Marie Krakosky’s photo of a young girl, Charlie, playing in the leaves took second place while Julie Martel’s photo of her cat lounging on an old Ford tractor at her farmhouse took third. For their efforts, the top three won gift cards; the Licavoli sisters won $150 to Don Christo’s Tequila & Tacos and $50 to Emagine Theatres, Krakosky won $100 to Aspen Restaurant and $50 to Emagine and Martel won $50 to Emagine.
Gus, a gift for the Licavoli’s father while recovering from an injury in February 2023, is no stranger to contests. About one year ago, Gus was honored as the best dressed dog at the grand opening of the dog park at Pitchford Park.
The fall photo contest marks the second hosted by the township, its first being a winter contest held earlier this year. Capturing the essence of Macomb Township was the goal for both contests, and Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said he believes the podium finishers of the fall contest all have much to say about what Macomb Township is in the autumn months.
“You can see (Macomb Township culture) in the top three,” Viviano said. “You have one that was set on a farm with the cat on the tractor, you had one that was in somebody’s backyard — which was the picture of the little girl — and you had one at a local business. (Altermatt Farms) is well known. It’s been around for a long time. (The top three) covered a lot of what folks in Macomb Township think of as the community.”
Plans for another contest, likely to take place during the spring or summer of 2025, are currently being discussed.
“Getting a chance to view pieces of Macomb Township through someone else’s eyes and to get a glimpse into someone’s yard or someone’s business that you wouldn’t normally see on your regular routine is pretty neat,” Viviano said. “Just looking at the diverse images that were sent this time just shows how much we have to offer as a community.”