Around Town

PHOTOS: ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ Opens 2022 Season Downtown

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Thousands of car enthusiasts came to downtown New Canaan on Sunday morning for the 2022 debut of a popular auto show founded by town resident Doug Zumbach. Launched as a small gathering of specialty and classic car lovers on Pine Street, by Zumbach’s eponymous coffee shop, Caffeine & Carburetors has evolved into a regional even multi-state draw for New Canaan, held four times per year—on Pine and Elm Streets downtown and in Waveny. “The turnout is wonderful,” Zumbach said on a crisp and clear spring morning near the intersection of Pine and Park Streets as throngs of people walked the pedestrian-only areas to look at the cars, many of them wearing babybjorns, pushing strollers or gripping leashes. “Big shoutout to all of my volunteers,” he said. “Thank you [First Selectman] Kevin Moynihan, [Moynihan staffer] Tucker [Murphy] for helping, [Highway Superintendent] Mosey [Saccary], [Public Works Director] Tiger Mann, the Police Department.

Around Town

PHOTOS: Caffeine & Carburetors Returns to Waveny

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Auto enthusiasts gathered at Waveny on a picture-perfect fall morning Sunday for the return of the popular Caffeine & Carburetors car show. After all four installments of a popular antique and specialty car show had been canceled one year ago due to the pandemic, C&C returned to downtown New Canaan last month, and parks officials unanimously approved a final 2021 installment for Waveny. “A large show with a great community showing,” Doug Zumbach said of Sunday’s C&C. “Extraordinary effort by volunteer staff to switch gears—no pun intended—to adjust parking direction due to lawn issue.” Zumbach also praised New Canaan Police for their help.

Around Town

‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ To Be Held Downtown Sept. 12

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For the first time in two years, the grassroots antique and speciality car show that’s drawn thousands of attendees to New Canaan in the past is set to return next month to the downtown. ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ will be held Sept. 12 on Pine and Elm Streets, following approvals this week by health and other municipal officials. “it will definitely be a big show,” said Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets where Caffeine & Carburetors was founded. “So I’m really excited.

Business

Podcast: Zumbach’s Coffee Owner Doug Zumbach

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This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to Doug Zumbach, owner of Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee at Pine and Grove Streets downtown, and founder of Caffeine & Carburetors, the popular car show that is to return to New Canaan at Waveny this October, after taking a year off due to COVID-19. Zumbach tells us how his business navigated the pandemic and what the community response has been like, and he hints that there may be more than one Caffeine & Carburetors this year. Here are recent episodes of 0684-Radi0:

Caffeine and Carburetors

Parks & Rec Unanimously Approves Oct. 17 ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ at Waveny

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After all four installments of a popular antique and specialty car show were canceled one year ago due to the pandemic, parks officials on Wednesday night approved ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ for Oct. 17 at Waveny. It’s founder and organizer, New Canaan resident Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous coffee shop at Pine and Grove Streets, “always does such an amazing job, and all the events that he has had in the past have been pretty problem-free,” Parks & Recreation Commissioner Laura Costigan said during the appointed body’s regular meeting, held via videoconference. “And I can’t think better way keep jumpstarting things after the pandemic than approving” the event, she said. The Commission voted 11-0 to approve it. 

Zumbach in proposing the event—and also noting that he hoped in the future for a possible Sept.