‘Buzz Iceclear’ and ‘Will Plower’ Among Finalist Names for Indianapolis Snow Plow Contest
Picking up on a fun trend, Indianapolis, Indiana, has begun holding a contest to name its local snow and ice maintenance equipment. The votes have narrowed down the finalists for name choices for these great snow plows, and they (and this trend) are worth checking out.
The recent trend of cities holding polls to name equipment and vehicles
According to Autoblog, the equipment-naming trend that recently made its way to the United States began in Scotland years ago. There, schoolchildren helped name the nation’s snow plows. Adding to the good cheer, Scotland also uses aerospace technology to track its snow plows so that anyone can see their names and real-time locations on a map, MotorTrend reports.
Since then, places like Minnesota and others have also held similar contests. Autoblog says the state’s 2021 name options were amusing references to everything from Star Wars to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the latter set in Minneapolis. The names that made the final cut? Darth Blader, Snowbi Wan Kenobi, and F. Salt Fitzgerald.
Indianapolis is the latest city to ask residents to give public works equipment memorable monikers. Naming snow plows likely increases morale and public recognition in the midst of the challenges that come with wintertime weather problems.
The finalists in Indianapolis’ bid to name its snow plows
Get ready to chuckle (or roll your eyes) — these are the finalists in the Indianapolis snow plow-naming contest, in alphabetical order:
- Blizzard Wizard
- Buzz Iceclear
- Eli Chilly
- Larry Brrrrrrd
- Peyton Melton
- Reggie Chiller
- Snowy Kanaan
- Snow Mean City
- The Salt in Our Stars
- Will Plower
Many of the choices are nods to local celebrities and area businesses, Autoblog reports. Some automotive references include Will Plower (after IndyCar driver Will Power) and Snowy Kanaan (after IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan).
And who can forget basketball great Larry Bird? He made his beginnings in Indiana and stands to join snow plow fame if Larry Brrrrrrd wins. In addition, Reggie Chiller is named for Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller who spent his entire career with the team.
Indianapolis native John Green, who wrote the bestselling book The Fault in Our Stars, is to thank for the inspiration for The Salt in Our Stars. The book and movie reference would be easy to spot even if you didn’t know it connected to Indianapolis.
A lesser-known reference to those outside Indianapolis is Eli Chilly. The name refers to the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company, a large manufacturer of many medications.
And the broadly recognizable Buzz Iceclear nods to the Disney Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story fame.
When will the city announce the winning snow plow names?
If you were hoping to try to sneak a vote, you’re out of luck. The contest to name Indianapolis snow plows closed on September 3. The city’s public works department had an easy online voting submission form and, let’s hope, a way to verify that voters were locals.
Although the voting deadline has passed, inquiring minds and Indianapolis residents will have to wait until this fall to find out which snow plow names prevailed, WIBC reports.
To add to the excitement and recognition, the names will go on decals affixed to the corresponding snow plows so that anyone can identify their favorite vehicles.
