Voting Is Open For Chicago's 'You Name A Snowplow' Contest

CHICAGO — Voting is underway to name six new Chicago snowplows, one for each of the city's six snow districts.

The Department of Streets and Sanitation on Monday announced the 50 finalists (see below) for Chicago's second annual "You Name a Snowplow" contest.

Some punny potential plow monikers include references to famous Chicagoans, like Buddy Guy-cicle, Nat King Cold, Bill Flurry, Micicle Jordan and Ernie Snowbanks.

Others focus on some of the city's famous locations, like the Arctic Institute of Chicago, Buckingham Plowtain, Plowed Gate or Snower Wacker Drive.

While some have Chicago connections that are tenous at best — Taylor Drift, Scoop Dogg or Oh Snow You Didn't.

The top vote-getters will join the fleet of newly named snowplows announced last year. Due to a near-tie for sixth place, the city ended up choosing seven winners: Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow, Da Plow, Salter Payton, Sears Plower, Sleet Home Chicago, Holy Plow! and Jean Baptiste Point du Shovel.

The department received nearly 17,000 responses from residents in its inaugural snowplow-naming contest.

“We were thrilled with the Chicago pride and participation in the inaugural contest announced last year,” Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard said in a release. “The contest reminds residents of the hard work that goes into clearing snow and ice each year, while fostering community engagement citywide.”

Once the names are chosen, the department will install signs on at least one snowplow in each district. And the residents who first submitted the winning entries will all be offered photo opportunities with the newly named snowplow, as well as city-branded merchandise.

During winter storms, residents can follow the named snowplows via the city's online plow tracker. Streets and Sanitation operates more than 300 snow vehicles and manages more than 9,400 lane miles of roads in the city.

Residents can vote for up to six names until Feb. 2. Here is the complete list of 2024 finalists for new snowplow names:

• Above The Thaw
• Arctic Institute of Chicago
• Bad, Bad Leroy Plow
• Better Call Salt
• Bill Flurry
• Buckingham Plowtain
• Buddy Guy-cicle
• Casimir Plowaski
• Celery Salter
• Chance The Scraper
• Chicago My Home Plow
• Chillinois
• Chicago Plowhawks
• ChiPlowgo
• City of Big Shovels
• CTRL-SALT-DELETE
• Deep Dish Plowzza
• Earth, Wind and Plower
• Ernie Snowbacks
• Ferris Bueller's Scrape Off
• Jesse Whiteout
• Kevin McPlowister
• Little Dibbie
• Looper Scooper
• Lost Shaker of Salt
• Maxwell Street Plowish Sausage
• Micicle Jordan
• Mies van der Snow
• Minnie MiNOsnow
• Nat King Cold
• Oh Snow You Didn't!
• Pablo Pissnow
• Plowapalooza
• Plowdiniera
• Plowed Gate
• Salterate Reality
• Saltsa N Chips
• Scoop Dogg
• Sir Melts a lot
• Sister Jean's Machine
• Skilling It
• Snower Wacker Drive
• Snowprah Windfrey
• Super Bowl Shovel
• Sweet Plow of Mine
• Taylor Drift
• Thawsome Sauce
• The Magnificant Pile
• The Salt Shedder
• Unslushables