The McHenry County Division of Transportation is naming a trio of plow trucks for next year. And officials want the public to help them pick the names at Sunday’s touch-a-truck in the Woodstock Farm and Fleet parking lot.
The touch-a-truck is an annual event where people can hop into snowplows and other large machines and talk to their operators. But the naming contest is new.
Hans Varga, McHenry County Division of Transportation public information officer, said the division worked with Woodstock School District 200 to come up with potential names, which were supplied by its elementary schools. Each elementary school has one name on the list, so there will be six to choose from, but three will be the winners.
A snowplow will have a sign in front at event asking people to help name the fleet, and the list will be next to the sign. People can write their selection on a piece of paper and drop it in a bucket. Varga expected the names will be assigned to the plows by the end of May.
A mini touch-a-truck with the named plows will be held at the winning schools, Varga said.
“I don’t want to give away too many details, but I can say that there are some pretty great names on this list,” Varga said.
Varga did not share any plow nominee names.
MCDOT plans to name a trio of plows every year until the entire fleet is named. The division has roughly 30 trucks in the fleet, so it’s expected to take about 10 years to name all of them.
Different school districts will get a turn to submit names each year. Varga said District 200 was picked first because it’s the closest district to the touch-a-truck and county government offices, Varga said.
Varga said the Division of Transportation’s goal is to serve the the community, and it wants the community to feel connected to the division and the equipment. Officials felt the naming contest was one way to do it.
Other government agencies have had naming contests and positive results from it, and MCDOT is hoping for the same, Varga said.
But when next winter rolls around, the public will be able to see where the plows are during snowstorms.
Varga said the Division of Transportation plans to launch an interactive viewer where the public can see where the plows are during winter weather events. The page will detail both the named plows and the rest of the unnamed plows.
But after people cast their ballots Sunday, they can climb up on a variety of large-scale machinery from MCDOT and other businesses and government organizations in McHenry County. People can also talk to the owners and operators and learn more about the equipment and its capabilities and specialties.
“Take the time to sit in the driver’s seat of some of the largest equipment we have on our road systems,” according to a MCDOT news release.
The touch-a-truck runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, The first hour is a quiet sensory time for people who want or need to avoid horn honking and loud machinery sounds.
Food trucks Smash’D Burgers and Marvin’s Tacos will be on hand, and a K9 demo from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office will take place at 12:30 p.m.
The Division of Transportation invites municipalities, other organizations and private operators to bring their big equipment to the event, but who shows up depends on the year and availability. Varga anticipated a garbage truck is scheduled to make an appearance Sunday, but this year’s list was being finalized.
Admission to the event is free, Varga said. But MCDOT is partnering with Veterans Path to Hope and is asking people to bring donations ranging from nonperishable foods to cleaning supplies as part of the Operation Dropbox donation drive.
However, Mother Nature might hinder touch-a-truck plans. Varga said with the potential for another storm front to pass through Sunday, and officials will send out an update Saturday if it the event gets canceled.