It started with 70+ nominations, was pared down to 18 finalists and the public picked its top two.
The final votes are in for the City of Hibbing’s inaugural Name a City Dump Truck Contest. Drum roll, please ….
The city’s two newest dump trucks are named Truck Norris and Forrest Dump.
Truck Norris, nominated first by Kari Putikka of Hibbing, was the top vote-getter with 22 percent of the votes.
Forrest Dump, nominated by Ryan Miller of Hibbing, came in second place with 13 percent of the vote.
“It’s great to see how many residents are reaching out and engaging with the city,” said Mayor Pete Hyduke. “Whether it’s this contest for naming the trucks, the Parks and Trails master plan or the housing study, etc., it shows that residents really care and want to be invested in how our great community of Hibbing moves forward.”
This wordsmithing contest was held to create a sense of community, encourage public engagement and provide a sense of ownership. It offered residents the opportunity to be creative and competitive, while helping the City generating a buzz and excitement for its new dump trucks.
“Regarding the naming of the trucks, I love the humor in the names of Forrest Dump and Truck Norris because they are so relatable to everyone,” said Hyduke. “That they used ‘dump’ in one name and ‘truck’ in the other is even better.”
Putikka came across the contest on Facebook and said she immediately loved the idea.
“It was pretty neat to learn about the new trucks and to allow the public to weigh in,” she said. “We don’t hear about it when the city buys new equipment and doing this contest was unique. It was like a little community event.”
Choosing a name to nominate was quick and simple, said Putikka. She’s a big Chuck Norris fan, so her choice was obvious.
“I absolutely love Chuck Norris, and there are so many little Chuck Norris jokes out there,” she said with a giggle. “It all seems to come back to him.”
When submitting the name online, Pitukka said she did so without expectations. She simply wanted to support the city’s efforts.
“I just thought it was super fun,” she added. “I love the idea of having everyone involved and being a part of it. Winters can be long and yucky up here, so this was a great way to brighten up the winter, something you didn’t expect.”
Miller also caught wind of the contest on Facebook. He came up with a few ideas before “running” with Forrest Dump.
“It was the first thing that came to me when thinking of plays on the word dump,” he said. “I came up with a couple other ideas, but none sounded better.”
While not everyone will immediately recognize the reference to the 1994 comedy-drama film, those that do will giggle. Those that don’t know the reference will simply appreciate the play on words.
“Most people are familiar with the movie ‘Forrest Gump,’ so I knew that voters would make that connection,” said Miller. “And it’s funny to say and hear.”
Amused by the win, Miller noted that he had family voting in the final round to help get Forrest Dump “across the finish line.” He was also excited to stand next to Forrest Dump for a quick snapshot to -- in his words -- cement his legacy.
He gave the City a nod for hosting the naming contest.
“I think it’s really important for the city to foster this kind of participation from its community,” Miller added. “It’s a fun and easy way to get people involved.”
Rounding out the top 5 names were Ranger with 12 percent of the votes, Phil Erup with 10 percent and Albus Dumpledore with 9 percent. Sara Hammann of Hibbing was the second person to nominate Truck Norris.
