Auburn - a slow-paced college town that oozes with a simple charm – jumps to festival intensity on home game Saturdays in the fall. Trip Captain visited Auburn a while back, to check out gameday, “where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey.”

Lay of the land
Trip Captain was driving southwest, away from the Hartsfield Airport, Atlanta, down I-85, on a November Thursday evening.

The week’s work was behind him, his travel was almost over, and he was ready for a break. He slipped his favorite college fight song CD into the player, and when the first brassy sounds burst from the speakers, his pulse quickened and his spirits lifted. A weekend of college football was just what he needed - and it was all ahead of him.

On down I-85,102 miles to exit 51, College Street. Cap took the exit, and College turned north into "the loveliest village of the plain" - Auburn - home of the Tigers.

Cap cruised slowly into town, past the Heart of Auburn Motel, where he would stay this weekend, and on down College St. He wanted to get his bearings before he called it a day.

He drove north on College St., which runs down the east side of the campus. He passed Samford Hall, signature landmark on campus, shining under a starry sky. The campus lay silent, asleep, as he turned left, west, on Magnolia, past the college of Engineering- Ramsey Hall – then Lowder Hall, and to the Delta Tau House, where he turned south on Donahue.

Cap rolled slowly past Jordan-Hare Stadium (pronounced Jerden-Hare), the baseball complex - Plainsman Park - and on to Sewell Hall, where he turned east on Samford Dr. Then on past Peet Theatre on his left and the residence halls to his right, and back to College St. - completing his quick tour of the area.

He rolled into the Heart of Auburn parking lot, located across the street from campus, at 333 S. College St., next to the Alumni and Conference Center. Staying at the Heart of Auburn solved the parking issue for the weekend.

Checking in, Cap felt the craving for food, before getting some shut eye. He drove back down College St. to Brick Oven Pizza. It was a good move - the pizza was great. Sitting on the patio beneath the tall torches, Cap settled in and contemplated Oliver Goldsmith’s poem, "The Deserted Village," which speaks of Auburn, the "loveliest village of the plain...where crouching Tigers wait their hapless prey." Wonder what’s it like here when they tee it up for a home game?  Hmmm…

He parked his car in the Heart of Auburn lot, knowing that he would not need it again until Sunday morning. Then, it was to his room and lights out.

Friday morning TC slept in, arose fresh, and was soon walking north on College Street. The streets were still quiet, a small-town Mayberry feel - but in the next few hours things would change, dramatically. Thousands of Auburn fans were rolling in, bringing a festival atmosphere, as gameday grew near.

Cap approached the famous Toomer’s Corner, at College and Magnolia - where Toomer’s Drug is located.

Toomer’s Drug and the intersection are named for Shelton Toomer, who founded the Auburn Bank, across the street, and served on the Auburn City Council for 25 years.

Established in 1896, located on the northwest corner of the intersection, the small drug store is a throw-back to earlier times, and it is here – on Toomer’s Corner - that Tiger fans meet to celebrate the Auburn Spirit.

After Auburn victories, Tiger fans descend on Toomer’s Corner to "roll the trees.” Toomer’s Drug and other merchants make rolls of toilet paper available for fans who throw the rolls into the trees on the University side of College St.,creating a solid wall of white streamers hanging from the trees, and the street covered. It’s a sacred victory ritual - unique to the Auburn Tiger nation.

Cap found a seat at the Toomer’s soda fountain and ordered a tall cup of "the world’s best lemonade," a ham and cheese sandwich, and topped it off with a chocolate malt. He explored the shelves at Toomer’s for souvenirs, then headed in search of Tiger gear.

Into the J&M Book Store on College, then up Magnolia, and around the corner to Tiger Ragz, where the new “game shirts” were on sale. White T-shirts with pictures depicting the Auburn Tiger mascot abusing and humiliating the opponent’s mascot were a popular item. The shirts were hilarious, and have been done for each Auburn opponent, for many years. Game shirts from past years are on sale through Thursday, then the new shirts for the current game are brought out.

Cap bought a magnet for his oven door back home and a coffee mug for his collection at J&M, a game shirt and a hat at Tiger Ragz, and then set out to see the campus.

Countdown to Kickoff
The weather was cool and breezy, a good day to be out and about. He entered the campus at the historic Main Gate, on the southwest corner of College and Magnolia, then south past Hargis Hall, then Samford Hall, and turned west down Thatch Ave., to Foy Union.

He wanted to know what was going on around campus today. The exuberant co-ed at the information desk in Foy was only too happy to tell him about the pep rally this evening, and "Tiger Walk" tomorrow. He thanked her. “Sure,” she said “and War Eagle!” as she handed him a campus map.  Hmmm...

Cap lounged in Foy’s War Eagle Food Court, and plunged into local and student newspapers and the USA Today - catching up on tomorrow’s match-ups in the SEC, and across the country.

Then it was on down Thatch to the Haley Center, and the Orange and Blue memorabilia in the Campus Bookstore. The place was humming with incoming fans, as Cap stepped out of Haley and looked up at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Named for former coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan and Clifford Leroy Hare, former athletic administrator and member of Auburn’s first football team - the stadium has a natural grass surface, and a listed capacity of 87,451.  Cap checked out the outside east wall of the stadium, containing pictures of past players, campus landmarks, and gameday traditions.

Cap spent the afternoon roaming the campus, intrigued by a practice which he had never seen anywhere else. RVs had been rolling in since Wednesday evening, parking and setting up in the outlying areas south and west of the stadium.  On the open grass lawns, fans had been staking their claims all afternoon, with orange tape. There were orange squares all across the campus, with eager tailgaters nearby, waiting to set up camp when the allowed time arrived.

As the day wound down, Cap sat outside the Foy and watched the pace pick up, with fans coming in and students breaking loose from the week’s demands. Then with a setting sun, Cap followed

Power of Dixieland continued on next page...(click here)

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