War Damn Coffee Jam returns to the Loveliest Village on the Plains

On Nov. 11, the University Program Council (UPC) hosted its annual War Damn Coffee Jam. The event, held directly in front of Samford Hall, ran from 7 to 10 p.m. and offered Auburn students a fun break from studying. Attendees enjoyed the changing weather with free refreshments from local vendors, music from local bands and the company of fellow Auburn students.

Although the Tuesday night was chilly and a basketball game was taking place on the other side of campus, many students turned up to enjoy the festivities and support UPC, the local vendors and the two bands, Weary Pursuit and The Band Honey, selected to perform.

Throughout the evening, Samford Lawn was littered with groups of excited Auburn students bundled up in coats and blankets, and the air was full of laughter, music and occasional chiming from the Samford Hall clock tower.

In line with the high caliber of work that UPC is known for, War Damn Coffee Jam was carefully planned, starting as early as the 2025 spring semester.

"We have been contacting bands since about May of this year, so that's six months of planning. You know, food and smaller details come later, but trying to get the stage and the band together is obviously our first priority. [There was] lots of summer planning, but we got it all together and we made it," said Montana Maslonka, event organizer and director of live entertainment for UPC.

Both of the bands selected to play for the event were comprised of current or recently-graduated Auburn students. The night began with a performance from Weary Pursuit and finished off with The Band Honey. Both groups performed a mix of original music and covers of recognizable songs by other artists. 

With all the talent Auburn University has in its student body year by year, and this being the first year UPC utilized exclusively local groups, the band selection process for the 2025 iteration of War Damn Coffee Jam was as competitive as ever. Maslonka detailed how UPC found the two bands to perform at the event.

"One thing for us, we really wanted to be able to showcase these bands through advertising methods like Spotify — really our deciding factor — and original music," she said. "Covers are great, but we also want to showcase [the bands'] creativity. We had seen that The Band Honey and Weary Pursuit had a really extensive and really unique original music discography, so that's kind of where we went with it."

Maslonka further described how this new approach to band selection not only allowed UPC to build excitement for the event by giving students the chance to preview what they would be hearing but also how it helped the bands to continue growing their fanbases. 

"Their original music was accessible. It was on Spotify, so with having their names, students could then search up what song they just listened to," Maslonka said. 

UPC's commitment to supporting local businesses was also on display when it came to the array of refreshments available to guests.

There was a coffee and hot chocolate bar, featuring caffeine-free options, accompanied by spread of flavored syrups, including full-sugar and sugar-free options. Visitors could craft a drink to keep themselves warm while enjoying the music and atmosphere with fellow Auburn students.

Hungry attendees were also in luck since the event had all sorts of catered pastries and other snacks from Chicken Salad Chick and Publix, as well as a variety of donuts from Donut Worry on Dean Road.

"We tried to do local eats, local sounds and local vibes. That was the thought going into it," Maslonka said.

While the event was an overwhelming success, the planning did not come without challenges. From the cold weather to the coinciding Auburn basketball game, organizers had their work cut out for them.

Past organizers for the event also encountered challenges relating to weather in particular, so this year's event coordinators prepared for just about anything that could come up over the course of the night. Maslonka addressed past challenges for War Damn Coffee Jam.

"The past couple years, this event has actually been notorious for being rainy, obviously affecting attendance, and even though there's a basketball game going on at home right now, we have a great turnout. People are braving the cold weather to be here," Maslonka said.

The general consensus for the event was extremely positive with those in attendance.

Colby Maclin and Ananda Brown, close friends and Auburn graduate students, attended the event together and had compliments for the refreshments.

"Everything was great, the hot chocolate was nice and warm and there was a good selection of stuff," Maclin said.

"The donuts were really good," Brown added on.

Freshmen in biomedical sciences on the pre-med track, Cara Reilly and Ellsa Siewert, attended the event on a whim and were far from disappointed. They highlighted just how great an event like War Damn Coffee Jam is, especially as the semester progresses and gets more stressful for everyone.

"It's nice, because we just got out of a meeting for one of our clubs," Siewert said. "It's just nice to come down, drink coffee and just chill for a little bit, especially with finals coming up."

Organizers and those working the event, like Cailey Green, vice president of operations for UPC, were pleased with the experience provided to guests.

"I don't think there's a lot of concerts that happen on campus, and live entertainment can be so expensive, so for college students to be able to come and have a free concert, I think it's just so much fun to see people enjoy it," Green said. "There's just so many connections that happen."

Those performing at the event were also happy with the turnout and the energy of the crowd.

Alora Thompson, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter for Weary Pursuit, graduated from Auburn last year and did not hesitate to play at her alma mater. She explained she enjoyed the experience of performing for the event.

"It was so fun — a little cold, but it was a great turnout. Very, very cool playing right in front of Samford Lawn — very special," Thompson said. "Everyone was super engaged, which was really sweet."

It is clear why, despite the hurdles it has faced, War Damn Coffee Jam has become a favorite event for Auburn students.

The passion from those responsible for the event was evident, and the event encapsulated what makes Auburn so special: the sense of community and people's willingness to come together to support and uplift each other. No amount of cold weather could stop the warmth of Auburn's community from shining through.

With annual UPC events, like War Damn Coffee Jam, getting bigger and better every year, Auburn students have a lot to look forward to, and future UPC leadership have big shoes to fill.