Scout This Contest Winner

Congratulations to Amiri Ayanna, September/October Contest Winner
Chosen from 55 correct entries!

Amiri Ayanna’s winning entry was randomly drawn from the 55 correct answers we received. Many of the replies were passionate: “I’ve been a resident of Somerville for 39 years,” wrote one contestant. “And I hope you take me into consideration because I am a senior citizen and would love to win the $50!”

One entrant proudly noted that she spied our mystery photo on her way home from the What the Fluff festival in Union Sq. Another participant wrote: “As an avid bicyclist around Somerville / Cambridge and Boston, I have ridden around that corner dozens of times. Also, from 1986-1989, I worked in the Bradley’s / Fretter / Walgreen’s Plaza across the street and became familiar with most of the area businesses on that corner. I ate at that Burger King almost every day.”

He’s talking about the corner of Somerville Ave and Medford St, where you can find John’s Auto Sales (181 Somerville Ave). The mystery photo – a yellow billboard reading “Customer Parking Please Pull In,” among other things – was a snapshot of the left side of John’s very well-known signage. Our winner, Amiri, “recognized it immediately” because “I sat in the passenger seat going to Target so many times.” As it turns out, that’s how most of you identified the photo: A whopping 12 entries mentioned Target (180 Somerville Ave) in their answers.

A resident of Powderhouse Sq since 2003, Amiri is a medievalist who teaches German at Harvard Divinity School. She lives with her husband and two sons and plans to spend her $50 prize on street-cleaning tickets. Henry (pictured below), her eldest, is a third grader at the Benjamin G. Brown School (201 Willow Ave). His three-and-a-half-year-old brother is one of the reasons the family goes to Target so often: “Diapers and baby wipes,” explains Amiri. Henry added that the family also buys crackers at Target: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, to be specific.  u