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Local man pops the question at rechristening of Toomer's Corner

Toomer's Corner in Auburn has always been a special place for Russellville residents Will Barksdale and Jorden Allen.

After Auburn's recent win over Arkansas State, it became even more entrenched in their relationship, as Barksdale proposed to his girlfriend of four years amidst a sea of toilet paper streams.

When Barksdale, a 2009 Russellville High School graduate, was a student at Auburn University, Allen would visit him on the weekends. Toomer's Drug and Toomer's Corner quickly became a staple of their visits.

“We always went to Toomer's Drugs and got one of their famous lemonades,” Barksdale said. “Then we'd go to Toomer's Corner, sit down together and have our together time. Toomer's Corner was where we always went to get caught up.”?

The couple traveled to Auburn September 10th for the Tigers' home game with Arkansas State. After the Auburn community said goodbye to the old trees at Toomer's Corner three years ago, it wasn't until this month that the tradition of rolling the trees at Toomer's returned to the Auburn campus.

Barksdale and Allen were among the 80,000-plus fans who said goodbye to Toomer's Corner in April of 2013. With Toomer's trees ready for rolling once again, all Barksdale needed was an Auburn victory to set the scene for his proposal.
The Tigers did their part, thrashing Arkansas State 51-14. That meant the post-game Toomer's tradition would soon begin.

“I was doing my best to keep everything where she didn't know anything was going on,” Barksdale said. “I was going to ask her to marry me either way, but I was pulling for an Auburn win so we'd have the first rolling at Toomer's.”

Allen, a 2013 RHS graduate who will earn her nursing degree from the University of North Alabama in December, said yes, and soon thereafter the couple's night got even better.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and the team arrived at Toomer's to take part in the celebration of the return of the Toomer's tradition. When Barksdale saw the coach, he knew he had to act fast.
“Gus came out and threw a roll of toilet paper for the media as part of the first rolling. He walked by and had a team of security with him,” Barksdale said. “I yelled 'hey Gus, we just got engaged. Can we get a picture?' He said, 'Of course, we have to!'”
The couple's plans are to get married next summer. Barksdale is employed as a staff accountant with Strickland & Barksdale in Russellville. Allen works in admissions at the emergency room at ECM Hospital in Florence.

“The trees had a new beginning that Saturday, and now so do we,” Barksdale said.

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