'Old Town Road' a Little Too Popular in Boston Suburb

People keep taking the street signs in Wellesley, Mass.
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 12, 2019 7:42 AM CDT
City to Thieves: Enjoy the Song, Leave the Sign
Lil Nas X performs in East Rutherford, N.J.   (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)

"Old Town Road" remains a hugely popular song. Just ask people trying to get to the real Old Town Road in Wellesley, Mass. They might have a little difficulty because fans of Lil Nas X keep stealing the street signs, reports MassLive. Thieves have grabbed the signs from both ends of the street three times now—for a total of six missing signs—and the Boston suburb is just giving up for now. "The Department of Public Works is waiting for the song's popularity to fade before replacing the signs again," reads a post on the city website.

The reason? The thieves are taking not just the sign but its base, and the whole thing costs nearly $300 to replace each time, not including labor. "We hope the publicity over this sign issue will help individuals realize this is a costly prank and removing the sign can be critical for first responders who might be trying to locate the street in an emergency," a city official tells Boston.com. "We hope they appreciate the song but leave our sign in place." (One mother says the song sparked a miracle in her autistic son.)

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