Control Salt Delete. Sleetwood Mac. Austin Plowers. Clearopathra.
Thanks to the wit of Roanoke’s residents, upon the first snowfall in the city, snowplows sporting these titles might make their way past your window.
In the city’s first-ever snowplow naming contest, more than 300 names were submitted by residents hoping to see their idea on the side of the vehicle. Fleet manager Wayne Farley said entries came from residents ranging in age from 4 years to 72 years old.
Here’s the full list of the 12 winning names:
- Austin Plowers
- Clearopathra
- Control Salt Delete
- Han Snolo
- Plow Chick A Plow Wow
- Plower Ranger
- Plowy McPlowface
- Sir Plows-A-Lot
- Snowtorious D.I.G.
- Sled Zepplin
- Sleetwood Mac
- The Big Leplowski
“Staff enjoyed seeing the creativity from the Roanoke residents we serve,” Farley said in a news release. “It’s great to see the community engage with us in such a fun and unique way.”
The release said “city employees involved in snow removal” acted as the judges of the contest. The rules stated no profanity, no political references and no personal names.
Farley said his favorite entry was “Clearopathra” — “That one just really tickled me,” he said Tuesday. “Hans Snolo” was another staff favorite. The contest received more entries than staff had expected, he said.
The 12 residents who came up with the winning names will get to place nameplate magnets on the snowplows later this week.
But for now, let’s take a look at those entries that didn’t quite make the cut.
There were celebrity and pop culture references: “SnOprah Wintry,” “J.J. Sledick,” “Darth Blader,” “Al Pachinsnow,” and “Blizzard of Oz.”
There were music references: “The Tortured Snow-ets Department,” “Snow-Rilla,” “David Snowie,” “Melton John,” and “Say It Ain’t Snow.”
And there were references that don’t seem to fit into any specific category: “Greg” (with multiple submissions), “Big Linda,” “Mighty bull,” “Please don’t eat that yellow snow,” “Snoanoke Express,” “Ap-plow-achian Trail.”
“It was a great way to involve the community,” Farley said. “Everybody gets behind snow one way or another.”
