Come fall, you won’t be able to roll Toomer’s Corner on an around-the-block whim after kissing the bride, or after Bill Clinton is elected, or probably even after your average basketball victory (as monumental as that would be). As TWER first reported in March, the triangle of poles and wires that will serve as the temporary solution to rolling the corner will once again center celebrations in the middle of the street. Which means that rolling the corner—any rolling of the corner—would require closing the streets. Unless we’re talking football, that’s not likely to happen.
“It’s different than they way things things have been operated in the past,” says Kevin Cowper, Auburn’s Assistant City Manager. “I think the general operation is going to be if there’s a home football game and an Auburn victory, then the streets will close. I think that’s pretty much a given. But beyond that, I don’t know. For other folks wanting to roll (after a minor sport victory), that’s just really not going to be an option.”
That means that until new trees are planted away from the safety hazards of downtown traffic, every rolling of Toomer’s Corner will for several years likely have to be a planned activity instead of what it always was, or at least was meant to be: A reflex. At least seemingly.
“I guess we don’t know what’s going to happen, but the bottom line is that it seems there’s strong sentiment in the community for us to provide some means of continuing the rolling tradition at Toomer’s Corner,” Cowper says. “This (the triangle) is what we’re trying to do to respond to that. Hopefully it’ll work.”
Though there is no schedule for the installation of the poles, Cowper says he wouldn’t expect them to go up “until just a few weeks before we need to,” i.e. the football season.
More on the the Toomer’s Oaks: That tree in the old picture of Toomer’s Corner is not one of the Toomer’s Oaks / Toomer’s Corner rollings didn’t start with Punt, Bama, Punt, says History / Did Auburn students celebrate Bear Bryant’s death by rolling Toomer’s Corner?
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* That time David Housel punked the SEC with fake recruits
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I’m somewhat surprised no one has yet proposed an alternate safe-from-automobiles location on campus for flashmob, fandance, rolling festivities.
My dad played here, late40’s and doesn’t remember them. Not saying much. He only knew one person that owned a car.lol