Town of Essex inviting residents to name a snowplow

The Town of Essex is asking the community to come up with some creative names this winter, as they've announced a 'Name a Snowplow' contest.

Essex is joining Chatham-Kent as local municipalities offering their creative residents an opportunity to name the hardworking snowplows that will be crucial to keeping streets clear.

The process is now open until November 26, where residents of Essex can submit their best snowplow name ideas online and three winners will be chosen.

Mayor Sherry Bondy says they can't wait to see the unique and imaginative names that residents come up with.

"So anybody can go online, submit their names, and then once we get all the names collected from December 4 to December 10 residents will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite snowplow names," she said.

Bondy says the contest not only adds a touch of whimsy to their winter maintenance efforts but also fosters community engagement

Once the voting period concludes, the three names with the most votes will be officially assigned to the snowplows, and Bondy is already hearing from people in town.

"It's going to be a lot of fun. I want us to have fun with this, municipal council and municipal politics doesn't have to all be dry and boring. It's time to have a little fun, think about winter, think about our plows. Time to get those snow tires out soon, what better way to remind residents about winter safety than start having this conversation."

Bondy hopes the response continues to be strong this month, and she's also hoping that this could spread to other municipalities in Essex County.

"Perhaps look at renaming them in the future, and I think it's a good opportunity to get residents involved. Get your thinking caps on, you can make it a family affair and start submitting names as a family and see what happens. I think voting will also be really fun, we'll see how many votes we can actually get," she said.

The winning names will be announced on December 11, both on the Town's website and through their social media channels.

More information and details about how to participate can be found on their website. 

- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi