These two new Faribault city snowplow trucks now bear names following a Name a Snowplow contest. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
WHEN IT COMES to plowing snow, getting the white stuff off city streets as quickly as possible is likely top of mind for most property owners. We’re thankful when the plow clears our street, but even more thankful if that’s done before we’ve opened our driveways. There’s nothing quite as maddening as the snowplow plugging up the end of your driveway with a ridge of snow right after you’ve put away the shovel or snowblower. Timing is everything.
A tech inspired name for the snowplow also references the salt used on snowy and icy city streets. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
But now the City of Faribault has put a little fun into snow removal by sponsoring a Name a Snowplow contest, much like the one held annually by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The winners of Faribault’s inaugural contest to name two new snowplows are…drum roll, please: Ctrl Salt Delete with 84 votes (28 percent) and Darth Blader with 67 votes (22 percent). Both names were past winners in MnDOT contests.
Coming in third was Alexander Fariblow with 48 votes out of the 300-plus cast. Even though only two names were supposed to win, city officials discussed and decided to go with a third winner for a large front-end blower used to clear the downtown area. Good call, I say, as the name honors town founder Alexander Faribault whose 1853 wood-frame house stands downtown.
So how did the city get from contest idea to tagging two plows and a blower with names? First they asked for suggestions from the community with around 50 ideas submitted. Those were narrowed to six. The other three were Frost Responder, Farisnow and The Big Snowplowski. Then voting opened online.
But the city offered one more ballot option which I really like because it got kids involved. At a Halloween event at a local car dealership, the city placed decals of the top six names on the front of a snowplow. Kids and/or parents could then vote by putting their initials by their preferred name. About 60 votes were cast in that unique poll.
All in all, I’d say this first Name a Snowplow contest in Faribault was a success if you’re measuring community engagement and novel winter fun.
Second top vote-getter, Darth Blader. (Photo credit: City of Faribault)
Additionally, maybe seeing Ctrl Salt Delete or Darth Blader roaring down a snowy street will help us to be a bit more understanding if our driveway is plowed shut just after we’ve opened it. Maybe. I mean, raging at Darth Blader seems risky.
MINNESOTANS ARE KNOWN for their generosity. And once again they showed up big time to support those affected by federal immigration enforcement in our state.
I photographed this sandwich board outside Content Bookstore in mid-February. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
At Content Bookstore in nearby Northfield, around $3,000 was donated to the two organizations. I was among the donors and among the many Content shoppers who visited with Allen Eskens, a writer of thrillers and mysteries from St. Peter, and Mary Bleckwehl, a Northfield children’s book author.
I got a free copy of this book for donating to one of the selected nonprofits. (Book cover sourced online)
Nearly 60 writers participated statewide in Authors for Minnesota Day, giving of their time and also giving away selected books to those who gave to the two recipient nonprofits. I snagged a soft-cover copy of Bleckwehl’s Arrrgh! Me Hate to Wait! Eskens had already given away his supply of free books by the time I arrived in mid-afternoon.
This event was about more than helping two deserving nonprofits focused on helping immigrants in Minnesota. This was also about supporting independent bookstores and Minnesota writers. Content Bookstore buzzed with shoppers browsing shelves, buying books and even standing in line to chat with Eskens and Bleckwehl.
To see this level of interest and support was encouraging, but not surprising. Minnesota has repeatedly proven, in the past few months especially, that it cares about and looks out for its neighbors.
Lourey, co-organizer with author Kristi Belcamino, posted on Facebook: “I was in tears several times throughout the day seeing how many people in our community want to support small businesses and immigrant rights. Thank you to all the bookstores and authors who participated, and to everyone who showed up—we got to see the best of Minnesota today.”
(Promo sourced from The Grand Event Center Facebook page)
THE GOOD FOLKS of Northfield, Minnesota, are organizing again to help their neighbors. This time it’s via a 12-hour Mutual Aid Marathon from 10 am-10 pm Saturday, March 7, at The Grand Event Center in this college town south of the Twin Cities.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to organizations—such as Sharing Our Roots and Northfield Community Action Center—providing mutual aid to those in the community impacted by federal immigration enforcement.
Doors open at 10 am at the event center, 316 Washington Street, just a block off Division Street in the heart of this historic downtown. Suggested donation at the door is $10.
From 10 until noon, attendees can enjoy a breakfast with 30 percent of entree sales going to organizations doing vital work in the community. Likewise, profits from a “pay what you can” appetizer buffet, which starts at 4 pm, will also be donated.
Event planners promise a full day and evening of live music, performances, poetry, political education, and powerful speakers. See the event poster promo above for a complete schedule.
Organizers are calling upon the public to: Bring friends. Bring family. Bring your appetite and your solidarity. Come for a while or stay for the entire marathon.
As I see it, the Mutual Aid Marathon is all about neighbors helping neighbors, which is the very definition of a loving and caring community.
Winning names in the 2025-2026 Minnesota Department of Transportation Name a Snowplow contest. (Graphic credit: MnDOT)
MINNESOTA WINTERS can get long. So long that many of our older residents flee to Arizona or Florida, becoming snowbirds for a few months before returning here in the spring. They don’t have to worry about shoveling or plowing snow or navigating snowy roads.
But for those of us who live here year-round, winter requires stamina and distractions to endure the snow, ice, cold and darkness that hallmarks Minnesota winters. In recent years, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has provided an entertaining diversion from winter in its annual Name A Snowplow Contest.
Recently, the winning names in the sixth annual competition were announced, demonstrating once again the creativity of those who came up with monikers for snowplows in each of MnDOT’s eight districts. It’s a process to get there from submissions, to selection of finalists, to voting. This year nearly 19,000 people voted, with “Oh, For Sleet’s Sake” as the top vote-getter. Gotta love that wintry version of “Oh, for Pete’s sake!”
As a creative myself, I’m always surprised by the names, most of them a play on phrases, a song, a pop culture whatever. You really do have to be up on your current musicians and such. I am the first to admit that I am not.
My mom holds Curious George. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2021)
But “Flurrious George,” the name picked for District 6 in southeastern Minnesota with headquarters in Rochester (my district), is rooted in a name familiar to me. It’s based on the mischievous monkey in the Curious George children’s picture books. You know, the monkey who messes with The Man in the Yellow Hat.
Yet, this snowplow name stretches beyond a monkey and a man to a personal memory. Of my mom. In the final years of her life, when COVID-19 kept me from seeing her in a long-term care center 2 ½ hours from my home, Mom developed an attachment to Curious George. She couldn’t get enough of this monkey’s antics. She loved to watch Curious George cartoons on DVDs stacked in her room. Mom was so fixated on the story that a staff member, on her own time, shopped for a stuffed toy Curious George for her. She clutched that monkey like a toddler’s security blanket.
I don’t know what happened to Mom’s Curious George. I wish I had the plush monkey she cradled on her lap, touched with her fingers. It would connect me tangibly to my loving mother, who died four years ago in January 2022.
I’ve never really cried over losing Mom. I just haven’t. Until today. As I was writing this post about a snowplow named “Flurrious George,” I remembered photographing Mom holding Curious George when I visited her in March 2021. I hadn’t seen her in a year due to COVID visitor restrictions. I clicked on the story I wrote five years ago. I read. I scrolled. And I cried.
College students walk past a public mural fronting a vacant lot in downtown Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
BETWEEN DIVISION STREET and the Cannon River in downtown Northfield across from the public library, an art installment stretches, hiding a fenced, vacant spot of land.
Barricades block entry to the historic Archer House, damaged by a 2020 fire and later demolished. The public art installation covers the length of the hotel. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2020)
Here the historic Archer House River Inn once stood, a sprawling complex of hotel and businesses until a November 2020 fire severely damaged the building. It was later demolished, leaving a gaping hole in the heart of this thriving southern Minnesota college town.
The back view behind the panels shows the foundation of the Archer House. The Northfield Public Library sits in the background across Division Street. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
Flash forward years later and a 170-foot long length of 17 individual mesh fabric murals now hang on fencing surrounding foundation remnants and earth. Until the land is developed, this public art installation hides an eyesore and stands as a tribute to the creatives in the Northfield community.
Northfield library staffers compiled a list of books by Northfielders, past and present, to incorporate into the panels. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
As a lover of both art and books, I appreciate this unique community endeavor to create something artistically beautiful and informative.
College students pass by the mural panels while I photograph the installation. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
The Northfield Public Library worked with local Latino artist Rocky Casillas Aguirre on the project, which features more than 100 books by Northfield authors showcased on bookshelves printed on fabric. Walking along the mural scanning the titles is almost like walking into the library across the street up the hill and searching for a book.
One of Aguirre’s characters reads “Giants in the Earth.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
As I followed the installation, photographing and reading book titles, I found books familiar and unfamiliar. Some are widely-known, like Giants in the Earth, a story about Norwegian immigrants homesteading in Dakota Territory during the 19th Century, by Ole E. Rolvaag. Or Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone’s The Conscience of a Liberal—Reclaiming the Compassionate Agendas. He died in a 2002 plane crash.
Characters created by Rocky Casillas Aguirre mix with books by Northfielders. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
Then there are poetry collections by Northfield poets—Bridge and Division, We Look West… This is a community rich in poets, a city where poems imprint upon concrete in a Sidewalk Poetry project.
Some of the books by Northfield authors are specifically themed to Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
Other titles also drew my eye like A Field Guide to Northfield by Nancy Soth, Peace for Ukraine Coloring Book, Northfield Cocina: Local Latino Recipes and many more.
Lots of the artist’s cartoon characters are busy reading books. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
Beyond those 100 plus books featured in the art installation are the colorful characters Aguirre creates for his books, cartoons and stand alone art. They are interspersed among the titles—reading, interacting, resting, adding elements of color and interest.
Twitch, a magical campfire created by the artist for his own art, is incorporated into the murals. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
Aguirre, who has dealt with anxiety and depression, focuses his art on raising awareness about mental health, especially among youth. Twitch, a magical campfire, is among the characters he’s created and which can be spotted on the downtown mural.
Another view of the panels, looking south on Division St. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted
This artist, born in Mexico but raised in Northfield and a resident for more than 20 years, also worked with the local Latino community on another city-supported art project, “Dear Northfield.” He interviewed 100 local Latinos, among the 2,000 who live in the city, to get their insights on topics like housing, food, transportation and more. The result is a series of bi-lingual posters that inform, raise awareness and connect. “Dear Northfield” is currently displayed at the Northfield library.
Even the library has its own history book. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
I learned a lot by simply walking along the mural panels attached to fencing at the site of the demolished Archer House. I learned that Northfield has far more authors than I ever imagined. Authors who write in all genres.
Looking at the mural north along Division Street. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
An overview of the art installation photographed through a second floor library window looking down on the Division Street scene. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
I’m excited to see more and learn more. The visual arts are such a gift, whether hung on a fence screening a vacant lot or hung in a gallery inside an arts center. Art holds the power to move us, inform us, enlighten us and, sometimes, even to change us.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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