Auto enthusiasts and grassroots New Canaan event Caffeine & Carburetors makes its Waveny debut from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19. Caffeine & Carburetors is the brainchild of town resident Doug Zumbach, owner of Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee on Pine Street.

In conjunction with Caffeine & Carburetors, the Carriage Barn Arts Center will be hosting a children’s art workshop, featuring fun car-related crafts and refreshments. Sponsored by Gen Re, Kiwanis Club of New Canaan, Newcomer’s Club of New Canaan, and the Rotary Club of New Canaan.

Caffeine & Carburetors requests donations for the New Canaan Food Pantry at the gathering. The Food Bank currently needs canned fruits and vegetables, powdered milk, crackers, cookies, kids’ juice boxes and snacks, gift cards to grocery stores and reusable grocery bags.

“Caffeine & Carburetors is a community-based event and has long supported charitable causes,” explains co-organizer, Doug Zumbach. “The September C&C also benefited the New Canaan Food Pantry with car owners and other attendees bringing items purchased from local merchants, including Mrs. Green’s Natural Market and Walter Stewart’s Market. We welcome the involvement of Town groups and are pleased the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have participated with their Troop projects. At our October program at Waveny Park, the Carriage Barn Arts Center will host a children’s art workshop, featuring fun car-themed crafts and refreshments.”

“The New Canaan Food Pantry serves 160 New Canaan families with members ranging from infant to elderly,” states Director Carol Harvey. “We distribute 550 bags of groceries every two weeks on average. The Food Pantry is reliant on food and financial donations and volunteer help. It takes a village to make this work, and we could not function without people like Doug Zumbach and the C&C group’s contributions.” To apply for use of or to donate to the New Canaan Food Bank, contact Health and Human Services, 203-594-3076.

C&C members, including New Canaanites Zumbach, fellow C&C organizer Peter Bush, Bob Stafford and Jack Horner, raised $12,000 for the Smilow Cancer Center for Pediatric Oncology at Yale-New Haven Hospital; they secured sponsors for their drive in a rebuilt BMW 325i in the 24 Hours of LeMons Endurance Race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Louden, NH, in 2012.

Caffeine & Carburetors draws car enthusiasts and families alike. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi “values Caffeine & Carburetors’ contribution to the community as it attracts visitors to enjoy the charm of the New Canaan village and the beauty of Waveny Park. I am a longtime fan of C&C, having volunteered parking cars before I became First Selectman.”

Doug Zumbach, Peter Bush and Todd Brown carefully organize and orchestrate the events with their team of 20 volunteers who erect directional signs and direct traffic. Zumbach pays for New Canaan police, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and EMT coverage to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow. “Zumbach has done everything possible to work with the Police Department and Town representatives to meet all of our requirements for the Downtown and now the Waveny Park venues,” notes Police Captain Vincent DeMaio. “Caffeine & Carburetors introduces visitors to New Canaan and encourages them to explore living here.”

Caffeine & Carburetors has historically been centered in Downtown New Canaan, attracting visitors to the stores, restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts. “This event is an opportunity for New Canaan to shine,” shares Tucker Murphy, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. “Caffeine & Carburetors brings new faces to town who enjoy our local merchants and are inspired to return.”

Waveny Park, New Canaan hosts C&C in October. “Waveny offers a pretty setting for Caffeine & Carburetors,“ cites Steve Benko, New Canaan Recreation Director. “Hopefully the weather is good and brings a strong turnout.”

“We with Caffeine & Carburetors enjoy the community spirit surrounding the event and are grateful to our Town partners for our shared success in creating a fun event that enlivens New Canaan and fosters its economic well-being,” says Doug Zumbach. “We look forward to seeing friends, families, car lovers and cars at our Waveny Park debut on October 19.”

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The mission of the New Canaan Society for the Arts, Inc. is to promote the visual and performing arts, and to enrich the community through exhibitions, education, and cultural experiences, and to operate the Carriage Barn Arts Center. The Carriage Barn Arts Center offers artists opportunities to exhibit their work in an exceptional gallery space in a unique nineteenth-century stone barn. Exhibitions, lectures, educational workshops, concerts and other events are held in this adaptively reused historical building on the grounds of a former estate, now Waveny Park. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday 10 am – 3 pm, Sunday 1 – 5 pm. For further information please call the Carriage Barn Arts Center at 203.972.1895 or visit www.carriagebarn.org.