There’s Dolly Plowtown. Beyonsleigh. Saline Dion and Taylor Drift. Watch out for Clark W. Blizzwald, Han Snowlo, and Darth Blader.

Put down that novel – F. Salt Fitzgerald might be roaming a street near you this winter.

As snow blankets much of the United States in a rare winter storm that’s impacting much of the country, plows and salt trucks with cheeky names are gearing up to pick up the mess from Massachusetts to Nebraska, Arlington, Va. to Wichita, Kan.

Call it a winter craze sweeping the nation. Literally.
In the past few years, cities and states across the country have begun holding naming contests for snowplows and other winter weather vehicles. The goal: add some levity to stressful storms, promote safe driving and shed light on the work of emergency response crews.

“We thought it would be a fun engaging way to connect and engage with Connecticut residents and commuters – all in the name of safety,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan. “It is a reminder to them to not crash into us, to keep it easy and slow down on the roads.”
Connecticut has hosted a naming contest for its residents for the past three years, Morgan said. Last year, the state’s Department of Transportation partnered with 40 local schools for the contest to teach young children how to safely navigate around plows.

Some of the winning entries included SnowBob Plowpants, Up2 Snow Good and Fast & Flurryous. Morgan expects this year’s winning names to be released by Jan. 24.
Chicago snowplow names unveiled

The city of Chicago on Wednesday announced the winners of its annual “You Name a Snowplow” contest. The names, selected from a group of 50 finalists, will be given to one snowplow in each of Chicago’s six snow districts. Residents who submitted the names will get a chance to take a photo next to the named plow.
Several of the winning picks pay homage to the city, including Lollaplowlooza, named after the Chicago’s annual music festival, and Bean there, Plowed That, after the famous Cloud Gate sculpture in the center of the city. Other winning names include Bozo the Plown, My Kind of Plow, Snower Wacker and Scoop, There It Is.