2023 Romeo Peach Festival Grand Marshal Mark A. Hackel
Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel, of Macomb Township, has been chosen as the grand marshal for the 2023 Romeo Peach Festival.
He will appear in the Hometown Parade which will travel southbound on Main Street from Gates Street to Durham Street at 1:30 p.m., Labor Day, Sept. 4.
Hackel began his career with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office in 1981 as a dispatcher. Throughout the years, he worked his way up through every rank and was elected as Sheriff in November of 2000.
With the implementation of a new charter form of government, he was elected to serve as the first-ever county executive of Macomb County in 2011.
He is credited with creating an award-winning marketing and branding campaign “Make Macomb Your Home” that has raised the profile of Macomb County across the region.
Hackel also created the OneMacomb initiative focusing on multiculturalism and inclusion. He said that he is committed to providing innovative leadership for the region while delivering services citizens and businesses expect.
He is a lifelong resident of Macomb County. In his free time, he said he enjoys working out, coaching youth sports and spending time with family and friends.
2023 Michigan Peach Queen of Romeo Ava LeMire
Ava LeMire, 20, of Romeo, is the daughter of Tony and Shelley LeMire, and sister to Anthony.
She is a 2020 graduate of Romeo High School. During high school, she was involved in the National Technical Honors Society (NTHS) and Link Crew. She was awarded an NTHS stole and honor cords for having a grade point average higher than 3.0.
LeMire is a sophomore at Oakland University where she is majoring in elementary education and special education. She is involved with the ABA Clinic at Oakland University where she works with autistic children and helps improve the lives of the clients and their families. LeMire earned semester honors for maintaining a strong grade point average. Upon graduation, she plans to obtain a position, ideally in Romeo, as a special education teacher in elementary schools.
Her first job was at Main’s Treat Coffee House in Romeo and she has worked there for a little more than two years.
LeMire has also worked as a school age child care caregiver in several elementary schools in Romeo. Last year, she also worked at Hamilton-Parsons Elementary School as a special education paraprofessional where she said that she truly grew to love teaching more than ever.
She is also working full time at Oakland University.
This year LeMire plans on raising money to donate back to Romeo Community Schools Special Education Department. This is because she feels as if it hits close to home and would be so lucky to be able to donate back to her community in some way.
She said that she is excited to represent the greater Romeo Community and the Romeo Peach Festival as the 2023 Michigan Peach Queen of Romeo because it has always been her dream. She said sees this opportunity as such a blessing to be the new role model to the new faces of Romeo and will fill all her peach queen duties with great pride.
2023 Romeo Peach Queen Runner-Up Joanna Cowells
Joanna Cowells, 18, of Washington Township, is the daughter of Jason and Jessie Cowells.
She is a 2022 graduate of Stoney Creek High School in Rochester. At SCHS, she was involved in the National Honor Society and Link Crew as well as basketball and cross-country. She was awarded the Scholar of Distinction Award, two National Honor Society certificates and a varsity letter for basketball.
Cowells is a sophomore at Oakland University where she is a double major in finance and accounting where she is involved in the Business Honors Program, Oakland Accounting Student Information Society (OASIS) and Younglife. She has earned the Distinguished Scholar Award, a scholarship awarded for students with high grade point averages and SAT scores.
Cowells plans to take the certified public accountant exam upon graduation from the university.
She has also worked at Chick-fil-A for two years and she has been awarded two scholarships by the company.
Cowells said she is excited to represent the Romeo community and the Romeo Peach Festival because she loves the community and wants to give back.
She said that she is thankful for the opportunity to become more involved in the town she grew up in.
2023 Lil’ Miss Peach Blossom Blakely Cichocki
Blakely Cichocki, 4, of Bruce Township, is Lil’ Miss Peach Blossom 2023.
Her parents are Brielle and Brian Cichocki. Her brothers are Beckett, 6, and Brody, 9.
She will be enrolled in the Young Fives program this autumn at Hamilton-Parsons Elementary School.
Her pets are Hemi the Dog and Megatron the Cat. She said her hobbies are dancing and playing Barbies.
2022 Mr. Peachy King David Chasney, Jr.
David Chasney, Jr., 5, of Bruce Township, is Mr. Peachy King 2023.
His parents are David and Stephanie Chasney. His brothers are Mason, 3, Benjamin, 2, and Cameron, 1.
He will be starting kindergarten this autumn at Amanda Moore Elementary School.
His pets are both dogs – Daisy and Racee.
He said his hobbies are riding his John Deere tractor, playing with hot wheels and construction toys as well as playing baseball and playing with his brothers.