NEWBERG, Ore. — On a morning covered by dense fog, the city’s brand-new diesel street sweeper, named Sir Sweeps-a-Lot, set out on its first important mission: delivering winning name submitter Kate Williamson and her brother, Judah, to Edwards Elementary School to celebrate the new sweeper’s name before it begins cleaning the city’s streets.
“She is a pretty quiet, shy kid,” said Kate’s mother, Jody Peloquin. “When we told her she won the contest, she gave us her little smirky smile and didn’t totally believe us.”
The sweeper, wrapped with a fantasy-themed design featuring a knight battling a leaf dragon, is the latest city street sweeper to receive a name from Newberg’s youth. In 2024, the city’s electric street sweeper was named Sweeping Beauty after a similar contest.
“Since they weren’t actually sweeping, they were moving pretty quickly,” said City of Newberg Interim Public Information Officer Emily Salsbury. “And they honked the horn so many times.”
Kate, Judah, and driver Bret Sylvester arrived at Edwards, where they were greeted by Newberg Mayor Bill Rosacker, City Manager Will Worthey, Edwards Elementary principal Nicole Love, friends, and family for a quick photo opportunity before the start of the school day.
“She couldn’t stop giggling,” Peloquin said. “And they let Judah pull the cord for the horn a whole bunch. Apologies to the neighbors.”
The city opened name submissions in winter 2025, soliciting recommendations from Newberg youth through the Newberg Public Library.
“One of my favorites was ‘Chicken Nugget,’” said Salsbury, who illustrated the sweeper’s design. “There were a lot of ‘six-seven’ related names (referencing the viral social media trend). We had a lot to pick from, but I love where we landed.”
The final selection was made by Newberg’s STRIVE committee, a group of city employees who exemplify STRIVE values — service, teamwork, responsibility, integrity, value, and equity.
Sir Sweeps-a-Lot ultimately won over the committee. Peloquin said Kate, a third grader at Edwards, is an avid fantasy reader who had recently finished the Wings of Fire series, a collection of young adult novels prominently featuring dragons.
“She’s such a prolific reader,” Peloquin said. “The fact that she won this contest by submitting something at the library was extra special because we spend so much time there. It’s one of her favorite places.”
For Salsbury, the name also provided an opportunity for creative expansion.
“It’s great for a lot of reasons, but for me, it provided a different artistic direction from Sweeping Beauty,” said Salsbury, who also designed the floral-themed wrap for Sweeping Beauty.
Kate also received a functional scale model of the street sweeper, a City of Newberg Public Works hat, and a certificate recognizing her winning submission.
“I think she’s most excited about the certificate,” Peloquin said.
The street sweeper, a Schwarze Industries A7 Tornado Street Sweeper, is a heavy-duty diesel vehicle capable of sweeping 8.4 cubic yards. Newberg City Council approved the purchase during its July 21, 2025, meeting for $420,631.96 to supplement the city’s aging diesel-powered street sweeper and the electric Sweeping Beauty, which Public Works Director Russ Thomas said serves a different purpose because the two machines use different sweeping technologies.
‘Kate the Great’
While winning the naming contest was an exciting moment for Kate, it is also yet another milestone for her parents after a difficult start to her life.
Peloquin said Kate was born a micro-preemie at 25 weeks, weighing 1 pound, 3 ounces. Her twin brother, Jack, died shortly after birth.
Doctors at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit told Peloquin that Kate would likely never walk, talk, or feed herself.
“The nurses at the NICU gave her a Beanie Baby,” Peloquin said. “It was larger than she was when she was born.”
As Kate continued making progress during her three-and-a-half-month stay in the NICU, she was given a nickname: Kate the Great.
Even after she came home, Peloquin said Kate required oxygen and feeding tubes. But each day, she made progress to the point that most people would not assume she had faced such challenges.
“Everything about her is a miracle,” Peloquin said. “She overcame so many struggles and challenges to be here today.”
Now, Peloquin said, Kate is an advanced reader tackling novels well beyond her grade level. She also plays flag football and plans to start baseball in the spring.
From earning a nickname to bestowing one herself, Kate continues to impress those around her.
“She’s a kid that loves nature, she memorizes poems, smart as a whip, and sings and hums all the time,” Peloquin said. “She’s an amazing kid — everyone who knows her loves her.”
