A brief history of Rolling Toomer's Corner & Toomer's Drugstore

Auburn football in the 1960s, world-famous lemonade, and more fun facts from Auburn history

Emily Stokes

Rolling Toomer’s Corner

It is a well-known fact that the city of Auburn has the most snowfall of all the cities in Alabama in any given season, although the weather here is contingent on an Auburn Tigers win and the local stores’ supply of toilet paper.

Following an Auburn victory, AU faithful flock to Toomer’s Corner at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and College Street, where the university and the city of Auburn meet. The students, alumni, and the Auburn community rally around the two Toomer’s Oaks that stand guard at the gates of the university. Flooding the street with Charmin in-hand, the Auburn Family catapults rolls of toilet paper over the oaks to signify an Auburn win. The two Toomer’s Oaks do not have enough square footage for the sea of fans wishing to participate in this sacred tradition, so trees, powerlines, bushes, and just about anything that can withstand the force of a flying roll of TP are beautifully covered by paper snow.

The tradition of rolling Toomer’s began in the 1960s when Toomer’s Drugstore had the only telegraph in the city. During away football games, Toomer’s employees were the first to know of an Auburn football win, via telegraph. To alert the town of the good news, the employees would throw the telegraph paper over the power lines.

Telegraph paper was replaced by toilet paper during the 1972 “Punt, Bama, Punt” Iron Bowl when Auburn took on second-ranked Alabama. Terry Henley, an Auburn halfback, exclaimed in an interview prior to the game, “We’re going to beat the number two out of Alabama.” Following the iconic 17-16 Auburn win, Auburn fans grabbed any toilet paper rolls they could get their hands on and rushed to Toomer’s Corner to roll the oaks. These days, Auburn fans keep an extra “rolling” supply on hand during football season.

Although Auburn’s beloved Toomer’s Oaks were sadly removed in 2013 after being poisoned three years earlier, Auburn fans did not tolerate an end to the tradition. New trees replaced the old ones in 2015 and were replaced once again in 2017 following a fire. Needless to say, it isn’t easy to take away Auburn traditions, and the roots that bond the Auburn family can never die.

Toomer’s Drugstore & World-Famous Lemonade

When Toomer’s lemonade ranked number one in Esquire’s “162 Reasons It’s Good To Be An American,” it was only about 105 years after the rest of us already knew. Hand-made to order, this tart and tangy concoction is the hallmark of Toomer’s Drugstore, a beloved Auburn icon since 1896.

The quirky tradition of rolling trees with toilet paper started at Toomer’s Drugstore located across the street from the iconic oaks. Toomer’s Drugstore was named after former state senator Sheldon “Shel” Toomer, a halfback on Auburn’s first football team in 1892. Toomer purchased the drugstore from his stepfather Benjamin Lazarus in 1896 after he graduated from Auburn with a degree in pharmacy. Students frequented the pharmacy for magazines, tobacco, and ice cream from the famous soda fountain. Toomer’s Drugs was so successful, Toomer opened up AuburnBank, which still operates today.

After Toomer’s death, the beloved store changed hands multiple times and began to struggle as the soda fountain era came to a close. In 1999, Don and Betty Haisten stepped in to bring a new life to Toomer’s Drugstore. The famous drugstore began selling Auburn souvenirs, sandwiches, and ice cream. No one really knows when exactly the drug store began to sell their famous Toomer’s lemonade; however, this tangy concoction has become a staple for the Auburn Family. An Auburn game day is not complete without a taste of the tangy-sweet lemonade from Toomer’s. There is no wonder why the line runs far beyond the doors of the drugstore on game days, it’s tiger fuel!

The Aubie Cookie

Don't forget the cookie! Auburn fans love their mascot Aubie so much they could just eat him up. At Toomer’s Drugstore, you can and he tastes a lot like Toomer’s lemonade. Cakeitecture Bakery, boasting head baker Carie Tindill previously seen on “Cake Wars,” hand makes Aubie cookies with fresh Toomer’s lemonade. These cookies are exclusively sold at Toomer’s Drugstore. Nothing washes the tangy Toomer’s lemonade down better than a big bite out of a sweet Aubie cookie!