The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Name-A-Snowplow contest is back, and the public continues to eat it up.
“Five years and still going strong,” said MnDOT spokeswoman Anne Meyer. “We hear about it all year long. We know there is interest out there. People enjoy the contest.”
The agency started the naming contest as a way to bring levity to winter after seeing an article in “Roadshow” explaining how Scotland names its entire snowplow fleet and posts maps showing their locations. Scotland calls the vehicles “gritters,” the article said, which led to witty handles such as “Gritney Spears” and “Gritty Gritty Bang Bang.”
Over the first four years, Minnesotans and even those from afar with access to a computer have submitted thousands of winter-themed monikers with references to sports teams, pop culture and clever puns specific to the North Star state. A MnDOT committee takes the ideas and winnows the list down to about 50, which then appear on a ballot for the public to vote on. That will happen in January, Meyer said.
Names that get the most votes then are applied to one of MnDOT’s plows in each of its eight districts. So far, 35 carry names such as “Taylor Drift,” “Clearopathra,” “Plowy McPlowFace,” “Betty Whiteout” and ” “Ctrl, Salt, Delete.” MnDOT staff also gave names to three additional plows, Giiwedin-the North Wind; Goonodaabaan-Snow Vehicle, and Icamna-Blizzard in acknowledgement of the highways the state plows adjacent to tribal lands.
Don’t be surprised if the contest returns for a sixth year, Meyer said.
“We have 800 plows, so we still have a lot to name,” she said.
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