The City of Auburn Hills will be hosting a Downtown Auburn Hills College Night on Thursday, Oct. 6. The event will run from 5-9 p.m. and center on The DEN (Downtown Education Nook).

The DEN was renovated from a historic log cabin in 2014 by the City of Auburn Hills. In the heart of downtown, directly at the end of Squirrel Road, the building is a quiet space with multiple rooms for students to work on group projects or study alone. It is free to use for all and is open from 4 p.m. to midnight on most nights. It even offers complimentary caffeine boosts at the coffee counter.

“The DEN is a mix between a Starbucks and a library,” said Auburn Hills Director of Authorities and OU grad Samantha Mariuz. “It’s a place that’s open to students free of charge and has Wi-Fi and printing services.”

While the city hopes this event will introduce students to the plethora of activities available in downtown Auburn Hills, The DEN seems to be the main attraction.

“That particular facility is what they want students to come down and utilize,” said Jean Ann Miller, director of the Center for Student Activities and Leadership Development. “But they also want students to see downtown Auburn Hills as another option of a place to go.”

The Bear Bus will be running between the Oakland Center and The DEN to transport interested students, and from 7-9 p.m. there will be an outdoor screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” in The DEN’s parking lot.

“We wanted to pick a movie that we thought would be enjoyable to college students, yet not too crude if any of our residents and families in the area wandered over to the event,” Mariuz said.

Many of the downtown businesses, such as Duffy’s Pub, Happy Hour Party Shoppe and Birmingham Ballroom, will have extended hours to accommodate the event.

Both The Edge barbershop and Sweets bakery will offer students the opportunity to win specials at their shops by making shots through a hoop.

The Edge will be awarding a grand prize of a free haircut and shave, a second place prize of 25 percent off and a third place prize of a free neck shaving. Sweets is going to be awarding free ice cream coupons and offering 20 percent off for all students.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt via social media. Four scarecrows will be set up across downtown Auburn Hills, and if students find and post pictures of each one, they will be eligible to win Auburn Hills T-shirts.

Outside of The DEN, DJ and producer Litio will be playing popular music, remixes and an original track. Often the DJ for OU events such as the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s parties, Litio has been a DJ for four years and has a podcast reaching as far as South America.

“The City of Auburn Hills and Oakland University don’t have a lot of these events, so take advantage to come out and have a great time,” Litio said. “I’ll be playing from 5-7 p.m., so come enjoy good music and meet new people.”

Coffee and doughnuts will be served by a fire pit behind The DEN and on the deck.

“Let’s just say there’s something for everybody,” Miller said.

The City of Auburn Hills is hopeful that this will become an annual event, Mariuz said.

For more information, contact the City of Auburn Hills at (248) 370-9440.