With Winter Over, City Of Joliet Holds Contest Letting Students Name 3 City Snowplows

(The following edited press release came from Joliet City Hall. Additional information from other Patch stories has been added to the story.)

JOLIET, IL — The City of Joliet announced on Wednesday that “Blizzard Wizard,” “Snow Buster” and “Plowasaurus Rex” are the three winning names for the city’s new snowplows, the first time the city has offered the opportunity to name a piece of city machinery.

Throughout January, elementary and junior high-school students from Joliet Public Schools District 86 were
invited to submit their most creative names.

To participate in this naming program, students were asked to submit as a school one single name.

Hufford Jr. High, Pershing Elementary and Taft Elementary all submitted “Blizzard Wizard” as their top-voted name, “Snow Buster” came from the students at Cunningham Elementary, and Woodland Elementary students sent in “Plowasaurus Rex.” The winning names are now prominently stenciled on each snowplow.

“The creativity these students showed was fantastic,” remarked Greg Ruddy, director of the Joliet Department of Public Works. “Our Joliet Public School students demonstrated some incredible imagination and it was very hard to pick just three from the dozens that were submitted. We have plenty of other snowplows in the fleet, so there will be many more opportunities for more names next winter.”

The City of Joliet’s Department of Public Works maintains a fleet of 43 snowplows responsible for keeping 650 miles of roadways clear during snow storms.

Each snowplow route is approximately 16 miles in length. Depending on the type and magnitude of a storm event, each route will be traversed two or three times before it is completely cleared of snow.

“Students are likely to see their plows come by next time we see some snow, which in these parts can be through April,” added Ruddy.

Meanwhile, on Feb. 24, Patch partner CBS Chicago reported that "Abolish ICE," "Pope Frío XIV," and "Caleb Chilliams" are among the winners of this year's Chicago snowplow naming contest, after Chicagoans submitted a record number of entries in the annual competition.

"I want to thank the people of Chicago for their unmatched creativity, sense of humor, and civic pride," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. "We are grateful for the record-breaking participation and encourage active Chicagoans to continue interacting and engaging with local government."