Government

Police to Parks Officials: We Have No Safety Concerns Regarding ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ at Waveny (or Downtown)

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Parks officials on Tuesday night reasserted that they have safety concerns about how the Caffeine & Carburetors auto enthusiasts’ gathering at Waveny, even though the deputy chief of police said that the New Canaan Police Department has no such worries. In fact, Deputy Chief John DiFederico told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their special meeting, “We have no issues at all from a police and safety perspective either here in Waveny or downtown.”

“We have worked closely for the past five years with Caffeine & Carburetors and from my perspective they are one of the most organized groups that we have worked with,” DiFederico told the Commission during its meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. “What they bring to the town—the size, the volume of people and the volume of traffic—they work very closely with us, they are very organized, they work with Public Works and with [the Community Emergency Response Team]. They hire as many officers as we need to cover the event. They are open to all suggestions.

Biz on Biz

Biz on Biz: Zumbach Likes the Canali Suits at Family Britches

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As part of the “Biz on Biz” series—where local business owners give us tips about favorite products or services at other businesses—we stopped by Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee on Pine Street. Owner Doug Zumbach’s spotlighted design solutions for “unique and different” Christmas gifts, elm for the popular restaurant’s selection of pasta dishes and Family Britches for its menswear. “Family Britches is a great store, with a nice owner, ” said Zumbach, who opened his eponymous coffee shop in 1992 and offers 30 varieties of hand-roasted brews. “I’m a big fan of Canali suits. They have a really nice line and selection of those there.

Government

Testy Parks Officials Critical of ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ at Waveny

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During a testy meeting last week, parks officials said the ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ auto enthusiasts’ gathering at Waveny in June violated several of the conditions established for the event. Though the June 17 show “was very well attended and it was a beautiful day” and “people seemed to really enjoy it,” still some members of the Parks & Recreation Commission “were concerned that some of the procedures we asked to be put in place were not followed,” Commission Chair Sally Campbell said Wednesday night. “We had some controls over who was coming and exhibiting cars, and we wanted to ensure that our fields and our park weren’t damaged and then we were concerned about safety,” Campbell said at the meeting, held at Lapham Community Center. “All of these are very correctable. But we just wanted to bring them up because we thought they were very important.”

According to Campbell, about half of the exhibitors who had registered in advance did not display show placards on their windshields, many spectators appeared to drive into Waveny by South Avenue instead of parking at New Canaan High School, as planned, exhibitor cars were parked in front of the footpath along the main road through Waveny, forcing pedestrian traffic into the roadway and unauthorized food trucks were selling food and creating a mess.

Around Town

PHOTOS: Caffeine & Carburetors Sparkles at Waveny

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Hundreds of classic and specialty auto enthusiasts gathered Sunday morning at Waveny for the second installment of the Caffeine & Carburetors car show of the 2018 season and first at the beloved park. Visitors parked at New Canaan High School and made their way to Waveny under cloudless skies to photograph hundreds of unique cars that had registered ahead of time for the popular free event, mingle with fellow auto appreciators and get the “inside scoop” from New Canaan’s own Peter Bush, who emceed. 

Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous Pine Street coffee shop where Caffeine & Carburetors was born, roamed through the crowds as his own volunteers as well as those from the Community Emergency Response Team and New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps kept the show running safely and smoothly, as ever. Cars lined the forecourt at Waveny House and edges of its playing fields and walking paths, as well as the driveways and lots down toward the Powerhouse Theater and Carriage Barn Arts Center. Toure Surgeon of Bankwell, a major sponsor, said: “Bankwell is a community bank. We are here for the community.

Around Town

PHOTOS: ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ Kicks Off 2018 Season in Downtown New Canaan

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Hundreds of classic and specialty car enthusiasts visited downtown New Canaan on a clear, crisp morning Sunday for the first Caffeine & Carburetors show of the 2018 season. People gripping coffee cups, baby strollers and dog leashes strolled along Pine Street and the one-way stretch of Elm, both cordoned off for pedestrians. Police, volunteers and members of the Community Emergency Response Team or ‘CERT’ guided visitors and motorists safely across Park Street and led out a limited number of show cars whose owners left early. “It’s going very well,” said Doug Zumbach, who founded Caffeine & Carburetors outside his eponymous coffee shop on Pine Street eight years ago. “Once again the enthusiasts have come out, the residents have come out.