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Blue Ridge Artist Wins PennDOT ‘Paint The Plow’ Contest

NEW MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Many snow plows haven’t been seen out on the roads so far this year. However, high school art students all across the no...

NEW MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Many snow plows haven't been seen out on the roads so far this year. However, high school art students all across the northeastern Pennsylvania submitted their art work to be displayed on the plow's blades.

Don't rush in ice and slush -- it's good advice for drivers here in northeastern Pennsylvania, and it's a catchy slogan, made even more eye-catching by a PennDOT plow painted by a senior at Blue Ridge High School.

"If you notice, I've got the potholes and stuff on there," said senior Brianna Hendrickson.

The potholes may be a dig at PennDOT workers, but it certainly caught their attention. Brianna was chosen as the winner for Susquehanna County for the third annual Paint the Plow contest.

"The first thing I thought of was the safety precautions with deer. A lot of people exceed the speed limit more than they should, and sometimes it's hard to stop on your brakes when it's icy out," Brianna said.

PennDOT's annual Paint the Plow contest works to promote safety on the roads while getting high school students involved. At Blue Ridge High School, the art teacher had one student in mind for the project.

"Oh, I'm so proud of her. It's moving art. It's going down the highway. I'm really proud of her. She worked really hard in the rain and cold every morning. She was very dedicated," said art teacher Sarrah Dibble-Camburn.

Once she came up with the idea, it took Brianna two months to paint the plow.

"When I had my family members coming to me and telling me that they saw my plow, I was astonished because I didn't even know it was up there at the time. I think it's really cool," Brianna said.

Winners were chosen in each of the counties in PennDOT's District 4, including Pittston Area High school in Luzerne County, Wallenpaupack Area High School in Wayne County, and Dunmore High School in Lackawanna County. Dunmore also won the "fan favorite" award, which was determined by online votes.

At Blue Ridge High School, PennDOT officials presented the artist with an award Monday afternoon.

"The students love to see their creative works. I went to another school the other day in Lackawanna County. They see the plow here in Susquehanna County," said PennDOT official Michael Taluto.

And with snow in the forecast, look out for the painted plows this weekend.

Click here to see a photo gallery of all the submissions.

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