When it was announced that Toomer’s Corner would have to be cleaned by hand this season, Auburn local, Kenny Smith, felt the calling to help out.

 
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He and his wife started going up to Toomer’s on Sunday mornings and helping the clean-up crew take the toilet paper out of the trees.

“A lot of people were talking about if the corner should be continued to be rolled,” said Smith. “The University said they would start cleaning the trees by hand… they said that rolling was OK, but it was the cleaning that was damaging it.”

A few groups of Auburn fans realized that they needed to give back to their community and school in a new way this year.

“From conversations came the idea of, let’s go and clean-up ourselves.” Smith said.

For years, the tradition has been to toilet paper the trees after an Auburn win. Now, a new tradition was born of helping to unroll the trees the next day.

“The rolling goes down to Samford Hall sometimes, so we start down that way and leave the Toomer’s Oaks to the professionals," Smith said. "Every week we’re cleaning bags and bags… just small groups coming out spending a few minutes, a few hours.”

The cleaning crews start early Sunday morning and clean until about 1 or 2 p.m.

Smith is hopeful that this volunteer effort will become a tradition and weekly event for Auburn fans.

“Hopefully it will become part of the Auburn celebration,” he said. “We go to the stadium to cheer on the team and support the school and the community that we love, and this is another great way… to demonstrate our affection to the place by doing something that gives back a little bit to something that we care so deeply about”

Volunteers can come for as long as they’d like. Families have been stopping by after church before they have lunch downtown. Every little bit helps and continues to show the Auburn Family spirit is alive and well.