AUBURN — As part of “Bates Night in Town,” Bates College student dancers and a cappella groups will perform at Festival Plaza in Auburn tonight, May 7, from 7 to 8 p.m., according to the college.

 

With a good weather forecast, Bates is inviting everyone to grab a lawn chair and come out for an hour of springtime fun.

 

Bates Night in Town is a celebration of the relationship between town and gown.

 

Starting at 5 p.m., eateries and other businesses in Lewiston and Auburn will welcome Bates students, staff and faculty with discounts and special offers. Those businesses include Baxter Brewing, DaVinci’s Eatery, Fish Bones American Grill, Chopsticks, Fuel, 49 Lisbon St., Mother India, Forage Market and Sea40, Narals, 84 Court St. and Fire House Grille.

 

Meanwhile, Bates students will perform and show artwork at downtown venues.

“It’s a chance for Bates students and the community to embrace each other in a positive and constructive way,” said organizer Caroline O’Sullivan, a Bates senior from Andover, Mass. “It’s a great opportunity for Bates students to break out of the campus bubble and see the amazing things that this community has to offer.

To conclude the event, all five of Bates’ a cappella groups and the Bates Dance Club will perform at Festival Plaza on Main Street in Auburn at 7 p.m. For O’Sullivan, that final session is the high point of Bates Night in Town.

The dance club will open with a demonstration of works in progress, followed by two or three songs apiece from Bates’ a cappella ensembles — the Deansmen, the Merimanders, the Manic Optimists, the Crosstones and TakeNote.

Gritty McDuff’s, 68 Main St., will host Bates musicians Eagle Stick, Maddie McLean and Kelsey Berry, and the Jazz Cat. In Lewiston, She Doesn’t Like Guthries will welcome back the Strange Bedfellows, an improv comedy troupe.

Also in Lewiston, at 134 Main St., Pedro O’Hara’s presents musicians Bootie & The Beat, and Meredith Colleary and Taylor Saucier. At the L/A Arts office at 221 Lisbon St., Lewiston, musician Tuan Nguyen performs and student artwork will be shown.

Bates Night in Town made its debut in May 2012, returning in October 2012 and May 2013. Co-sponsoring the event is the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, please contact cosulliv@bates.edu or visit the BNIT Facebook page.