Even before Halloween, Downtown Auburn prepares for holiday festivities. From an Auburn spin on Black Friday to a parade and Santa visits, Christmas planning begins as early as June.
This leads to the question: who is the face behind Downtown Auburn's holiday celebration?
Jessica Kohn, the downtown coordinator for Auburn, pours her heart and soul into fueling Auburn with the holiday spirit, planning events for university students and full-time residents to enjoy with their families.
From day one, Kohn has bled orange and blue. Her grandparents moved to Auburn in 1968 from Asheville, North Carolina, where they raised her father.
Kohn’s parents eventually moved and raised her in Montgomery, but she made her way back to Auburn and attended Auburn University. Kohn was drawn back to Auburn because of the strong sense of community, school spirit and family roots.
“I didn’t have that growing up," Kohn said. "I didn’t have that small-town feel, the charm that Auburn still brings to its residents and families.”
After graduating with a degree in radio, TV and film in 2009, Kohn settled in Auburn with her college sweetheart, Brandon, with the initial dream of becoming a sports news anchor. However, with the economy tanking her senior year, Kohn took a job working as a marketing manager for an apartment complex in Auburn and stayed working in student housing for eight years.
“I got really far away from whatever that dream I thought was. But, I think the real dream was happening right in front of me, which I didn’t even realize was me being in Auburn and calling it home, raising a family here,” Kohn said.
During her time in student housing, Kohn involved herself with the Chamber of Commerce. The business she worked for had a diplomat program, where she had different jobs serving the community and organizing events.
“In addition to working, they saw that my passion was evident,” Kohn said. “With my roots being that my grandparents were in Auburn in the 60s, and raised my dad here, Auburn is deeply rooted in me. It’s just always been a special place.”
This provided Kohn with her first encounter working hands-on with a downtown Christmas event, the Auburn Christmas parade. In April 2017, Kohn landed the position as the first-ever Downtown Auburn coordinator, where she has since been able to take on all of the festivities for Downtown Auburn’s Christmas festivities.
The first holiday festivity is “Blue Friday,” a fun play on the traditional Black Friday, but with an Auburn flare focusing on local shops downtown. At 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, Kohn will be outside Toomer’s with one of her interns serving coffee and donuts. 100 tote bags will also be given away for the first 100 people who show proof they have shopped downtown.
On Friday, Dec. 1, the first-ever Holiday Fair and Open House will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The free event will consist of extended shopping hours, cocktails and more events for families to enjoy together.
The Village Holiday Market and Santa on the Corner will both take place on Dec. 2. Over 50 vendors will line up on the Gay St. parking lot to sell baked goods, art and gifts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. College St. and Magnolia Ave. will also hold more vendors.
Santa on the Corner will take place on Dec. 2 and 3 to benefit United Way of Lee County. Families can attend and bring their own cameras to take pictures with Santa, with the background being Toomer’s Corner. Donations are encouraged when snapping a picture with Santa but are not required.
One of the most popular events is the Auburn Christmas parade, which will take place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 3. Kohn mentioned her favorite part is Santa on a firetruck, admitting she may be biased because of her firefighter husband.
Even with the parade at the beginning of finals week for Auburn University, she encouraged students to take a break from studying and step outside the library to enjoy the parade with the Auburn community.
In addition to the festivities, Kohn emphasized the importance of the Christmas ambiance Downtown Auburn provides during the holiday season.
“All the wreathes, bows and all the decor you see on the light posts throughout downtown and on Opelika Rd. are done through the City of Auburn,” Kohn said.
Most shops downtown come up with their own lighting, while some use Auburn outdoor lighting company, Glitter and Glow.
“When a town is decorated for the holidays, it's more attractive and is more appealing, and people are more likely to come,” Kohn said when comparing Auburn’s decor to Hallmark movies.
Kohn’s love and passion for Auburn is evident, as the city glows in spirit. Details on upcoming events can be found on Downtown Auburn’s website and Instagram.
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Piper Bosart, junior in journalism, is the assistant culture editor for The Auburn Plainsman. She has been with The Plainsman since January, 2022.
