When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A newcomer visiting Katie's on a morning like today could be forgiven for thinking "what's the big deal about this?" Today's light mist, which kept away the majority of normal attendees, was not enough to keep regulars away. Most other local cars & coffee events would be happy to have the number, quality and variety of vehicles there today. Occasional light mist aside, it was not at all unpleasant to walk the lot, perusing what people brought out. No Jaguars there today.
A warm, clear, beautiful morning at Katie's. As you would expect, there were a lot of cars, and a lot of people there. A pretty decent turnout of Jaguars...
Correct, Neal - very good. This is a car I feel lucky to have seen at all. Over the years I have been going to Katie's, we've had three Aston Zagatos - two open cars, and one double-bubble coupe. All gorgeous! Here are a few more from this week's Zagato…
My first trip to Katie’s was in 2009. A friend (Alan) told me it was a really cool, small gathering of interesting cars and car people. I took a few pictures; they show an original Mini Cooper, two Elises (Alan’s and mine), and a fire engine. The picture was taken after 8:00AM. Crowds were not a problem.
Fast-forward to today, and you have to get to Katie’s INSANELY early to get a ‘good’ spot. As the popularity skyrocketed, so did the quality and variety of vehicles. I have learned a lot by asking questions about what I didn’t recognize or understand. I have a network of friends and acquaintances that all started at Katie’s.
There are downsides to such a huge, popular event. Over the years, we have had accidents involving vehicles coming to or leaving from Katie’s – a couple of modern Ferraris on Georgetown Pike and 495, a Cobra replica, and the sad, fatal accident of the young man driving his S2000 down Walker Road. One of the most widely-reported Katie’s stories was the parking accident between the Mercedes and the Ferrari – I heard people on Metro talking about that, the week after.
This past Saturday, we had another landmark, and not in a good way: a guy with a ~$300,000 McLaren 720S, bought the day before, crashed the car on Walker Road, and had to be medivac’d out to the hospital. This story has made it to the Fairfax County Police Facebook page, and onto the TV news. The McLaren driver’s injuries, thankfully, are not life-threatening, but he after-effects of such a story will color peoples’ opinions of Katie’s Cars & Coffee.
This is NOT meant to be an accusatory screed; God knows, there will be plenty of vitriol from non-car-people. What I want to do, is remind us all that we in the car hobby are very visible, very identifiable targets for people who would like nothing better than to shut down car events they see as being breeding grounds for antisocial behavior. Even many of my car friends have an instant, visceral reaction that ‘that guy (or girl) is an idiot!’ Take that reaction and move it to the large number of non-car-people, and you can see that incidents like this can make for increasing hostility in the general public about “car events” in general.
We car people need to move beyond the too-easy excuse that it’s only “idiots” that cause these problems. The roads in this area are filled with people driving distracted and making completely illogical moves in the middle of traffic. Suburban roads, like the ones surrounding Katie’s, are packed with wild deer, which can dart in front of you like a furry kamikaze. These variables could mean that anyone could be involved in a very serious accident, whether or not it is “your fault”.
Like me, I’m sure you have done some unsafe moves in your car. We all need to keep in mind that the way we drive our vehicles has consequences. Use whatever helps you to keep that in mind…
Do I want to be injured, or to die?
Do I want to damage my car?
Do I want to hurt or kill someone else?
Do I want to have to endure all my friends referring to me as ‘crash’?
Those of us who used to enjoy a Sunday cars & coffee at Fair Lakes, VA (Kohl’s) know that it’s possible to lose a venue because of bad actors. Let’s do what is necessary to make sure we, as a group, clean up our behavior, and keep this weekly event safe, and thriving!
The first Saturday in August started off wet, but there was no rain. As a result, Katie's was a bit slow to start, but ended up with good attendance. We even had several Jaguars there today. Jeff Olson, Peter Kravitz and Ralf Berthiez were up in front of Katie's, with two XKEs and the 'Car of Shame' Miata, helping publicize the 2018 DC America's British Reliability Run, running this year from September 28th thru 30th. Here is the link with info about this year's DC America's British Reliability Run:
It threatened rain this morning, but we never really had any, to speak of. As a result, attendance was a bit lower than usual. Still, a lot of interesting vehicles and people. Several Jaguars were there.
Our friend Paul has a '32 Ford Roadster, with no top. We kept our umbrellas at the ready to keep his seats dry.
--Bob Collum
A reminder: My wife and I are participating in the DC America's British Reliability Run in September, a charity drive to benefit the children of deployed or hospitalized National Guard and Reserve members. The link below contains info about the event, and provides a way for you to contribute. Any donations are very much appreciated!
In recent weeks, Katie's has had too many incidents that reflect poorly on the vast majority of attendees who know how to act. From the medevac of the McLaren driver, after he put his brand-new car into a tree, to the pickup driver who did a burnout, directly in front of a policeman, Katie's is coming under ever-more public scrutiny.
This morning, I spoke to Mike Kearney, the owner of Katie's and the Old Brogue. Mike is also in charge of the Great Falls Village business owners' association. As such, Mike is the recipient of complaints from the other business owners, regarding parking and other issues. If you move one of the orange pylons to park your car, Mike hears about it. If you park in one of the marked 'No Parking' areas, Mike is the one that gets the call. In short, all of us who come to Katies Cars & Coffee are guests of Mike's. Too often, when Mike asks someone to move from where they are parked, Mike gets abuse from the people who are in the wrong. That's not right - we are guests at this venue.
Katie's is arguably the best gathering of its kind in the area. Several of us have been coming to Katie's since it 'officially' started, in April of 2010 - some even earlier. It is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. Amazingly, I have heard people complain about being asked to move their car, saying that Katie's makes a fortune off the cars & coffee. Let's be clear - on a great Saturday morning, Katie's makes a small percentage of the dollars the restaurant takes in on an average Saturday night. Believe me, this event is becoming more of a pain for Mike and his staff than it is worth. (And, by the way, if you don't buy anything from Katie's, inside or outside - you have no room to complain...) Mike and the staff have adjusted to our crazy-early schedule, and are serving us as early as 6:00AM. Put yourself in their shoes - do you think it's their first choice to get up so early on a Saturday morning? It's damned tough to recruit for positions on a schedule like this.
To put it as bluntly as possible - we could lose this venue. I was a regular at the Kohl's Sunday cars & coffee in Fair Lakes, which we lost a couple of years ago, because of several bad actors. It's no fun, but we were all to blame, for allowing those few to ruin it for the rest of us. If you value this venue, make it clear that we will not tolerate childish behavior. Loud engine revving? Take it elsewhere. Burnouts? High-speed runs down local roads, to & from Katie's? Take it to the track. If you behave like the guests you are, you will be welcome. People that cannot behave should be firmly but politely asked to leave.
I would welcome any suggestions regarding self-policing, to save this venue.
Below is the sign posted at the exit from Katie's, onto Georgetown Pike. The other picture was taken a few weeks ago, of a guy who decided to do a burnout up the exit, towards Georgetown Pike. Are you impressed? The cop, who was sitting across the street, and beat the truck thru the intersection, was not impressed. A large group of Katie's regulars applauded the cop.
The first day of September was overcast, but dry. I saw some lightning on the way to the event, but never saw a drop of rain.
Nevertheless, attendance was down... but still not at all bad. A fair representation of Jaguars there today - three different models. I saw my first Corvette ZR-1 there today. One of my favorites is the Intermeccanica Italia - a simply gorgeous spyder.
06-02-2018, 11:14 AM
Katie's, 06/23/18
