The ice cream shop Sani-Freeze, a standby of Auburn football history, is returning for the 2016 football season.
Gretchen VanValkenburg, Vice President of Alumni Affairs and one of the heads of the project, said the ice cream shop is unique to Auburn.
“The Sani-Freeze holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Auburn family members,” VanValkenburg said.
VanValkenburg said Sani-Freeze was an Auburn hot-spot.
“It was a destination in downtown Auburn, in close proximity to campus and a great place to spend some time with friends, grab a quick meal, and always have your favorite flavor of ice cream," VanValkenburg said. “Because of the nostalgia it evokes for so many of our alumni, we thought it would be fun to include it as an amenity at the alumni center’s hospitality tailgate."
The idea for this project came earlier this year, VanValkenburg said.
“Early 2016, we were brainstorming ideas about how to enhance our hospitality tailgate, hosted at the alumni center during football games," VanValkenburg said.
“Someone mentioned that it would be cool to recreate the Sani-Freeze," VanValkenburg said. "Everyone got excited and our board president, Jack Fite, contacted Mike Hosey, professor of the McWhorter School of Building Science, to pitch the idea of a partnership."
Everyone involved was instantly excited about the project and partnership, according to VanValkenburg.
"They enthusiastically agreed and decided to make it one of their community service projects over the summer," VanValkenburg said.
The alumni association’s website has a detailed firsthand account of the process of building the Sani-Freeze.
“The project was a collaboration between the Auburn Alumni Association and the McWhorter School of Building Science in College of Architecture, Design and Construction at Auburn University,” VanValkenburg said.
Hannah Redifer, Sani-Freeze crew member, said the crew spent over two weeks building the structure and encountered many architectural problems.
“We solved an issue that we were having with the weight of the roof by cutting it in two parts and bolting the parts to the structure," Redifer said. "We are so excited about the finished product.”
The crew behind the revived Sani-Freeze hopes that in the future, the project may be able to return for subsequent football seasons, according to VanValkenburg.
“Following the football season, we will evaluate all activities surrounding our hospitality tailgate,” VanValkenburg said. “Certainly, if it’s as successful as we anticipate, we will continue to offer this experience to our guests.”
According to the Alumni Association’s website, the tailgate, and the Sani-Freeze with it, will open three hours before kickoff every game, with one exception being next week’s kickoff game against Clemson, due to the high anticipation.
“This nostalgic experience is a reflection of the association’s new strategic plan direction of diversifying programs and services to increase meaningful alumni engagement, as well as establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with our shareholders,” VanValkenburg said.
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