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A good turnout at Katie's today. I just wish people had the sense to NOT park along Georgetown Pike, and along the entry road, next to the Post Office. A suggestion - if you can't get to Katie's before 7:00AM, don't bother coming until 8:30 or 9:00AM. You will likely find a decent parking space, for the 'second shift'. I am pretty much always gone before 8:30AM.
A good day at Katie's - lots of new stuff to see... A couple of E-types there, too!
I enjoyed the quality of the work on the two 'low riders'. They did all the work, including the impressive paint jobs, in their garage!
A warm, humid early morning at Katie's, but what else do you expect in July in Northern Virginia? We had a few Jaguars, and other nice cars...
Bob Morris displayed a beautiful wood sculpture of a car he is having restored up at Wayne Carini's… a one-of-one car, called a Godsal.
More info on the Godsal - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godsal
Chuck S. left his XJ at home, and drove his Westfield 7.
A good morning at Katie's... A few Jaguars in attendance. The Cosworth Vega Club was there... I love the Lamborghini Espada! My friend, David Sunter, brought out his new Ferrari 488.
A cautionary picture - the police around Katie's are becoming more vigilant about speeding, burnouts, and other jack-assery. I don't know what the guy in the McLaren did, but he's one of several that were pulled over.
There was a car accident (possibly several) on 193 near Katie's this morning. I hope everyone is OK.
We had a very early crowd, but the lot filled in a bit slower, since many, many people had to take alternate routes to avoid the enormous backup on Georgetown Pike.
The first day of a 3-day weekend is ALWAYS busy at Katie's, but today was insane! Newer Jaguars outnumbered classics. I did not know that Jaguar was selling a 'shooting brake'!
First - there is a regular police presence at Katie's now. This is because of problems caused by 'bad actors'. If you know someone who likes to do the engine revving, burnouts, and speed runs down the local streets - please encourage them to stop that behavior, or ask them to stay away. It's completely possible that we could lose this venue, based on the behavior of a few.
Below is a picture of someone pulled over by a Fairfax County policeman. I don't know why he was pulled over, but be aware - the police have been alerted to watch this crowd carefully. I saw two speed traps within a mile of Katie's when I left the venue today.
Finally - the subject of parking. I'm told there are at least 500 parking spots at the venue, and we regularly exceed that number of cars. The simple solution - if you want to be able to get a parking spot at Katie's, get there between 6:00AM to 6:30AM. That doesn't appeal to you? In that case, you could show up between 8:00AM and 8:30AM, and you MIGHT get a space. Be aware that the Katie's Cars & Coffee is designed to be done by 9:00AM, so that local businesses can have parking for their customers.
When I exited the parking lot this morning, I drove up to Georgetown Pike, and there was a line of cars parked on the exit road, next to the Post Office. A truck delivering produce to Katie's was forced to unload his truck at the top of the entry road (because an entire lane of this two-lane road was blocked by parked cars). This turned the road into a one-way, exit-only road. If you parked on the entry road - PLEASE STOP. You blocked off not only an entry, but a route that has been used RECENTLY by the EMS unit across the street, for emergency medical work. I hope this street can be marked as a no parking zone ASAP.
If we don't make sure we rectify the problems that are happening at this venue, we are NOT going to like the changes these problems will cause.
If you are reading this, chances are you are not part of the problem, but there are people coming to Katie's whose behavior is a problem. We now have a police officer on site (paid for by Mike, owner of Katie's), to help rein in the few who need to prove their manhood by high-speed runs, engine revving, and burnouts on Georgetown Pike and Walker Road.
Another problem that is getting worse, is parking along the road into Katie's, between the Post Office and the bank. This road functions as an entry and exit, and is not wide enough for parking. When people park along this road, it becomes impossible for two-way traffic. Keep in mind that, in the event of a medical emergency, this is how the ambulance would get to our parking lots, and I have seen the ambulance here onsite at least twice in the last year. Don't be the person that parks in the entry road, and chokes this main thoroughfare down.
Please do what you can to help alleviate this problem. These are serious problems, that could cause us to lose Katie's as a Cars & Coffee venue.
06-10-2019, 07:22 AM
Katie's, 06/15/19
