Parks Officials Approve Waveny ‘Caffeine & Carburetors’ with New Registration System

Parks officials at a recent meeting voted unanimously to support more tightly controlled Caffeine & Carburetors auto enthusiasts gatherings this summer and fall at Waveny.

The June 17 and Oct. 21 events will see a new online registration system for classic and specialty “show” cars as well as designated parking in the New Canaan High School lots for spectators of the popular event—steps designed to address concerns from town officials when some 1,500 cars descended on Waveny for the most recent Caffeine & Carburetors there in the fall of 2016.

Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Sally Campbell said at the group’s Feb. 14 meeting that an agreement between the town and event founder Doug Zumbach—owner of the eponymous gourmet coffee shop on Pine Street where Caffeine & Carburetors was founded—has been updated to reflect the changes.

“The biggest one is that we are requesting he limit the number of cars, not of spectators but participants and we have asked Doug to set up a registration system on his website so he can control the number of cars,” Campbell said at the meeting, held in the Lapham Community Center.

That upper limit has been set at 700, she said.

The commission voted 9-0 in favor of the dates. Those voting included Campbell as well as commissioners Matt Konspore, Hank Green, Francesca Segalas, Laura Costigan, Jason Milligan, Doug Richardson, Gene Goodman and Steve Haberstroh, attending his first meeting.

Asked at the meeting what the cost of the event was, Zumbach said he pays about $2,800 to police alone for each event, plus insurance costs, a donation to the Community Emergency Response Team and other costs (such as port-a-johns).

“That is a lot of money out-of-pocket,” Campbell said. “You do that for the good of the event?”

Zumbach said he enjoys it and answered a question about not charging attendees by saying “if we had to charge admission then cars would back up so quickly.”

“It would be a catastrophe,” he said. “We take a lot of pride in how quickly we get our cars parked.”

Designed to benefit the New Canaan community as well as respond to a desire among people who love cars, Caffeine & Carburetors sees attendees make donations to the food bank and the event serves as a platform for nonprofit organizations. This year, Zumbach said he is working with ABC House of New Canaan.

Segalas said she looked at Facebook page for C&C that’s been up for about six years and “the general theme of the reviews is how well run it is compared to other events of its kind.”

“That was impressive,” Segalas said.

Commissioners asked what would be the walking route for spectators coming from NCHS (probably along the Summer Theatre of New Canaan path and past the Orcahrd Field to the event), whether there were any conflicting events at NCHS (no they’re all done the prior weekend), whether allowances would be made for handicapped people seeking to park closer (yes), how many spectators were expected (2,000), what’s the parking capacity at NCHS (about 450 when buses are there), what will happen if more than that many cars show up (South or Saxe), whether participating cars are allowed to leave before the end of the event (yes though it’s discouraged) and whether there’s a rain date (no, even if the grass is soggy from past rain it’s cancelled).

Goodman noted that “Waveny Park is open to just regular people who can come here to just walk the fields.”

“What separates the people who are just coming in, citizens or even non-citizens who are allowed, versus spectators?” he asked.

Zumbach called that “a judgment that we have to make.”

“If someone is going to tell me they’re using the dog park then I’m letting them in. We have done that in the past. Same with people jogging.”

Zumbach said the online registration system has been tested and works well, and that he expected to have it up and running three weeks to one month prior to the June event.

He said he’s already requested additional manpower from CERT and envisions those attending Caffeine & Carburetors at Waveny to follow traffic helpers and signs to the corner of South and Farm and then into the NCHS lot.

Campbell said of the prospect that an overwhelming number of people come to C&C: “I think based on how this event goes, if—which I don’t expect it to be—it gets out of control we have the right to not allow it to go forward in October. We are all comfortable you can control it but if it gets to a point where it’s thousands of people, may need to reconsider.”