From the AO News. I don't know about any banana split, but I can vouch for the baddest ass chocolate shakes around.
Stop the presses!
Postpone the elections!
Cancel classes!
Something much more exciting and certainly more tasteful is making headlines Tuesday in Auburn with the temporary return – sort of – from the past one of the friendliest village’s most popular attractions: the Sani-Freeze!
Some called it The Flush.
Others called it the Saniflush.
Everyone called it the best ice cream/banana split hangout anywhere around, but especially in the heart of Auburn and even more so in the heart of Auburn University students who turned The Flush into a social sensation.
Closed in 1993, the tiny, aging building looked like it was a relic from pre-Civil War Auburn. Instead of a wildly popular eatery, it looked more like it might have served as the doll house of some early settler.
Nevertheless, its simplicity was part of its magic. That, and its tasty treats.
Auburn students for decades flocked to the small dwelling on the quiet, narrow, downtown side street of East Glenn Avenue, across from First Baptist Church and only two blocks from campus.
Monday afternoon, an exciting press release found its way into my inbox.
“The Auburn Alumni Association, in partnership with Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction, has recreated the Sani-Freeze, an Auburn landmark known as “The Flush,†on the front patio of the Auburn Alumni Center on College Street.
“The Sani-Freeze… was well known for ice cream treats – especially the upside-down banana split. During the 2016 football season, the Alumni Hospitality Tailgate, in partnership with O-Town Ice Cream, will serve sweet treats to alumni and fans starting three hours before kickoff, every home game. The tailgate for Auburn’s home opener versus Clemson will open five hours before kickoff.
“The founding family of Sani-Freeze will join the Auburn Alumni Association and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction for a public ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 11 a.m. at the Auburn Alumni Center.â€
The release included a welcoming quote:
“The Auburn Alumni Association is pleased to provide our alumni with a special walk down memory lane through the recreation of the Sani-Freeze at our hospitality tailgates this fall,†said Gretchen VanValkenburg, vice president of alumni affairs and executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association. “A special thanks to the McWhorter School of Building Science for its partnership in bringing this iconic landmark to life.
“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 stakeholders.â€
Translated: We knew this would be a super cool move to connect with Auburn alumni and tell you more about the association.
They’re right.
Any Auburn student from about the 1960s until the hangout’s demise in 1993 can tell you that the Sani-Freeze holds a special place in their heart. They either met someone special there, searched for that special someone there on countless evenings, hung out with friends, met new friends or simply just liked the dairy treats so well served.
Such iconic landmarks usually don’t show up on the official campus map. Take the recent loss of the Supper Club, for example. Everyone who once patronized the popular night spot moaned and groaned at its demolition, but such is change when it comes to the business world and the best use of commercial property.
Still, fond memories linger, and that’s why it will be fun to visit the return of the Sani-Freeze and make new memories this fall.
Can’t you just taste that banana split?
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