What New Canaanites know today as “Caffeine & Carburetors” had a short test run in 1995, outside of Doug Zumbach’s eponymous coffee shop on Grove and Pine Streets.
It was a small gathering of just 30 cars and, though it was fun, the event was halted for several years—until about 15 years ago, when Zumbach resurrected the gathering of auto enthusiasts in what has become what he calls “the modern day Caffeine & Carburetors.”
This year, the town approved two of the hugely popular shows—one held downtown on June 16, and another planned for Oct. 20 at Waveny.
For the first time in C&C history, that first show raised significant funds for a respected New Canaan nonprofit organization—a longtime goal of Zumbach’s.
The Zumbach’s/C&C director of business development, Claire Drexler, said, “We’re so excited that the event has grown to this size where we’re able to leverage it in a way that gives back to the community, and we are really excited to continue to do so in the future.”
Last week, Drexler and Zumbach presented the New Canaan Community Foundation with a $16,000 check.
“This partnership is going to allow us to amplify our impact and increase our grant-making in the community, which is really tremendous,” NCCF President and CEO Lauren Patterson told NewCanaanite.com outside Zumbach’s during a formal check presentation that also included the organization’s Development and Communications Associate Kim Herr. “There aren’t often opportunities where we can have such a significant influx of dollars that allows us to respond more readily to the requests coming in from nonprofits.”
Zumbach and Drexler have spent significant time thinking about the future of Caffeine & Carburetors, which brings thousands of classic and specialty car enthusiasts to New Canaan with each show.
In her role, Drexler said, she’s learned “what a strong and passionate community the event has.”
“And we’ve been thinking about ways to connect with that community on a more regular basis, rather than just these large-scale events a couple of times a year,” she said.
Referring to an open space in the Pine Street Concessions building two doors down, she added, “That sort of led Doug to the idea of opening up the Caffeine & Carburetors Café, which could serve as a meeting place for enthusiasts and others to continue to connect with each other.”
Zumbach said he’s been “very proud” that five local nonprofit organizations were able to tell their stories and connect with the community at the most recent C&C downtown.
Drexler said both she and Zumbach were “inspired by the success of our first venture into fundraising.”
“And we’re really excited to think about creative ways to continue building on that in the future,” she said. “I think we have lofty goals in that sense.”
Which is great news for the town.
Patterson noted that the donation via C&C amounts to “planned dollars and support.”
“So we know that we can be either ready for a next need that comes up or we could steadily grow something that needs more intensive support,” she said.
Asked where the $16,000 just raised would go within NCCF, Patterson said she’s eager to talk to Zumbach’s more about that next decision.
“This is a significant partnership,” she said. “So this could go into the annual grantmaking pool or we could identify one or two really big projects that need a big influx of dollars and this would allow us to do it.”
This is a win-win for most. Congratulations!
What an awesome partnership! Congratulations to Doug and the army of volunteers who staff the C&C events. This is a fantastic progression that ensures C&C participants are returning a measure of good will back to the community that has supported these events for so many years.