It's that time of the year again.
RV's roll in on Thursdays while people stand in staked-off areas of fields, just to claim their favorite tailgating spot.
White tents start popping up all over campus, and there is a tangible, lifted spirit in the air throughout this town.
Families come back to visit their favorite school, a little older and with kids in tow, sipping on Toomer's lemonade.
Students wear game-day buttons and tailgate with friends, all for one special reason: It's game day at Auburn University.
There is just one difference with this season; the Toomer's Oaks will not be present.
But, the tradition of rolling Toomer's Corner will live on.
The City of Auburn spent $5,000 on installing four wires to reach across the College Street and Magnolia Avenue intersection downtown.
The wires will hold the place of the trees until more can be planted, supposedly taking place in the spring of 2014.
The wires are attached to three poles downtown that come together and form a "V" right where the Oaks used to stand.
They serve to give the Auburn Family a place to celebrate our victories, and give a sense of normalcy.
The wires are adorned with large "AU" symbols to add to the festivities.
They celebrated their first rolling with Auburn's win over Washington State Saturday, Aug. 31.
However, the wires came with a bit of mixed emotions and reactions.
Nothing can take the place of the trees, which were removed in April as a result of irreversible damage from poisoning.
The point was to give the Auburn Family a place to come and celebrate, even though the trees are gone.
June and Jerry Carpenter have been coming back to Auburn off-and-on since they graduated from the University in 1974.
"I think (the wires) are fine," June said. "When we were here, they didn't roll the trees, they rolled the corner. The trees came a little later and it just sort of multiplied over to the trees."
Auburn's downtown is rich in history and, of course, tradition.
The trees were planted in 1937, but were not rolled immediately.
"The trees weren't rolled until the '80s or so," June said.
The tradition of "rolling the trees" began when employees of Toomer's Drugs received news of an away-game win via the only telegraph in the city.
They would then toss the ticker tape over the power lines outside, signaling Auburn's victory for all of the fans to see.
"You only rolled when it was an out-of-town game and we won, so we would know if Auburn won because the corner would be rolled," June said. "Sometimes, it wasn't on TV or we wouldn't hear anything on the radio. Even if we were out of town, we would cut through just to see what happened and if the corner was rolled."
Most fans are happy to celebrate Auburn victories, even if the trees are gone and wires are present.
"I think it keeps the tradition alive in the best way we can right now," said Bethany Cooley, junior in accounting. "It's not the trees, and the wires are a little harder to roll, but we're still Auburn and we will celebrate our victories on the corner, like we are supposed to do."
"I was just happy to wake up in Auburn on game day again," said Colton Mayhall, Auburn alumnus. "And we still get to roll. It's an Auburn tradition and it will stay that way. It's just a little different with wires, and something we'll just have to get used to."
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