On Friday night, the City of Auburn's streets came alive with the sounds of laughter and live music.
The City of Auburn and the Downtown Merchants Association partnered together to celebrate their community’s favorite time of the year: football season.
The event, Come Home to the Corner, was a celebration of sorts.
The downtown streets remained open as stores and restaurants alike opened their own doors to welcome in all natives and visitors to the well-known intersection of Magnolia and South College streets.
Matt Cain, local musician and volunteer for Auburn Fire Department, made Toomer's Corner his stage, as he jammed out with a band behind him.
Cain's friend and former classmate, Tyler Sheridan, listened to the music with his wife.
"This event has been great," Cain said. "Everyone is enjoying the night. ... It's great for the City of Auburn."
The corner, known as Toomer’s Corner, is where the famed oak trees once stood, and where their descendants now stand.
In recent days, this corner has seen a lot of love from the Auburn-Opelika community, as they cheer on the growth of the new trees following multiple replanting efforts after they were poisoned in 2010.
Come Home to the Corner is a new tradition in Auburn, and its organizers say that they plan to continue to host these showcases of family and culture every Friday night before a home game.
These nights help local businesses, said Abby Campbell, an employee of Auburn Art on South College.
"Football is definitely our busy season. ... it's good to see all the people come out and visit local stores because we have so many of them in the Auburn Area," she said.
Each Friday night is a designated entertainment event from 4–10 p.m.
Organizers are hopeful that this will bring the Auburn Family closer together, and that it will help local businesses to thrive.
"Tonight has been great," said Kaitlyn Mulling, owner and operator of The Unicorn Bus, a LulaRoe associate. "Everyone is coming in and checking out what it's all about."
The next Come Home to the Corner event is Friday, Sept. 15, the night before the homecoming game versus the Mercer Bears.
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