Grace McAlister
Reporter1@riverbendnews.org
As of Saturday, April 1, the City of Live Oak will officially be renamed Dead Twig. This decision was made after over half of Dead Twig’s citizens signed a petition to change the name.
Les Payne, an anesthesiologist and lifelong Dead Twig citizen, wrote up the petition in the late ‘90s. After over 20 years of hard work and dedication, his goal finally came to life.
“I got the call right after putting a patient to sleep, and I immediately left the hospital. I called my ex-wife to tell her what had happened. She didn’t answer, but I left a voicemail…I can’t believe it actually happened. I woke up this morning and thought to myself, ‘this has got to be some sort of April Fool’s joke,’” Payne said.
Many think the City of Live Oak was named for a southern live oak tree, under which railroad workers rested and ate lunch. This is not true. It was actually named after an oak tree that the town’s founders thought was dead but was, in fact, alive. One man was reported to have said, “The oak is alive. It’s a live oak. Hey, let’s name the city that.”
Payne was inspired to change the name after he noticed there were more dead twigs than oak trees in the city. Many of Dead Twig’s citizens are in support of the change. Roxanne Gravel told Riverbend News, “I think the name change is a great idea. Dead Twig is a better name than Live Oak.”
When asked if he believes the change will be contraversial, Payne stated, “No, I think everyone is happy about the change.”
HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!
- The Riverbend News Team