KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Even if you’re not a fan of the snow, you might enjoy how the city of Olathe tries to have some fun with its snow removal.
Each year, Olathe holds a contest for kids to paint a snowplow that will be placed on one of the city's trucks.
Eight-year-old Makenna was one of the winners.
“The sky to be a little bit darker, the lake lighter, different contrast of colors,” said Makenna, an Olathe third grader.
Three of the city’s 44 plows have a winter wonderland painted on them by Olathe students. Makenna painted the snowplow named “Travis Kelsleet” with her friends Haddy and Kennedy.
“We helped each other, and we worked together, and it was really fun,” Makenna said.
Each third grader was excited to learn that their design, Polar Bear Attack, would be painted onto a truck. They were equally as excited to be the ones who painted it.
“I was just sitting at dinner one day eating some spaghetti. My mom, she was just like, 'Do you know you won the snowplow thing?' And I was just like, 'I did?!'” said Haddy, Olathe third grader.
Behind all the paintings and snow-themed names is Olathe's team of drivers who work all year to prepare for the winter.
“We always are going through our trucks making sure they're ready because we don't want to waste any time when a storm actually does hit,” said Jason Reed, Olathe assistant street superintendent.
Reed said the names and paintings on the plows let them have some fun with the job they're often doing in the cold and dark.
“It could be a lot of fun, especially when you see the results,” Reed said. “The kids get to see their plows go out whenever it snows, and so that's a really cool thing for them.”
The city of Olathe has a live snowplow tracker so the kids and their families can look for the plow they painted on the next snowy day.
